Thursday, March 1, 2018

EarShot Charlotte Symphony Readings: Composer Spotlight - Felipe Nieto

Composer Felipe Nieto (b. 1988), originally from Bogota (Colombia) has received first prize at the annual PUBLIQuartet Composition Competition, first prize at the Exit 128 Ensemble Composition Competition, Honorable Mentions at the Buffalo Chamber Players Call-for-Scores and the Boston Guitar Festival Composition Competition, and is a two-time recipient of the Smadbeck Prize for Music Composition at Ithaca College.

Recent engagements include his assignment as Assistant Artistic Director of Las Americas en Concierto (New York) and collaborations with Brower Trio (Spain), Vox n Plux (New York), and the Bogota Chamber Orchestra (Colombia). Felipe holds a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Oklahoma City University where he studied with Edward Knight and a Master of Music in Composition from Ithaca College where he studied with Jorge Grossmann and Dana Wilson.

Felipe was selected for the EarShot Charlotte Symphony Readings for his piece Artesania Sonora, which will be workshopped and conducted by Assistant Conductor Christopher James Lees in a final read-through on Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 10am. Details here.

Felipe spoke with us about the piece and what he looks forward to at the readings.

Composer Felipe Nieto. Photo by Hugo Mantellato

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out that Artesania Sonora had been selected for the EarShot Charlotte Symphony Readings? What are you looking forward to about the program?

Felipe Nieto: I was thrilled!! I have never work with a professional orchestra. Insight into how things work at that level is very valuable.

I look forward to really digging into the score and fix it as much as possible with the aid of everyone's input. There are so many sides... the orchestra, the conductor, the mentors etc. I am really looking forward to compile everything they have to say.

ACO: Your bio mentions political commentary as one of the themes you aim to address with your music. Does Artesania Sonora make any kind of political statement, either directly or indirectly?

FN: I have written works that make some commentary regarding politics. I think most prominently my string quartet, which is a sort of offertorium to a man that influenced me a lot ideologically but that was assassinated as a consequence of his outspokenness. His name is Jaime Garzon, a political satirist from my native Colombia with a talent of proportions that I have not seen since his death. Jaime was a true activist. He used humor to change and challenge things. In my opinion, he was very very funny but he wasn't joking. I dedicated my quartet to him.

That being said, my "artisanal" pieces are not to be interpreted politically. At least not in essence considering that it is hard for me to imagine something being completely "apolitical" but, Artesania Sonora is a work that is purely focused and inspired by the idea of creating a sonic entity that is the result of actual manual work. I work a lot on the paper designing the different structures that will appear in the piece. Shape and gesture are very important as well as rhythm.

ACO: You write that Artesania Sonora is inspired in part by gold artisanal work from the indigenous cultures of South America, particularly the Colombian territory where you come from, where "form and content are earned and not exposed from the outset." Can you talk about the ways in which this idea is presented in your piece? Are there any other influences from Colombia or South America in the piece?

FN: Lately I have been very interested in composing pieces that borrow the approach that indigenous people's from Colombia used to carve their gold figures. Their artisanal craft is so remarkable, expressive and mystical all at the same time. I take a look at what they do and try to apply this to the music and, most importantly, to the score. The result, is music that has the qualities of the figures: imperfect symmetries, repeated patterns, continuity (since these figures are not assembled but are made in one piece), angular shapes and so on...

In regards to the idea of "form and content being earned", this came about because of the unavoidable issue of music happening over time. The artisanal figure is, for us, a finished product; but in music I had to come up with a way to get there. So, I decided that the orchestra was going to carve the piece in real time in front of the audience. In this piece the music starts with a very open texture that we slowly start to break into different shapes and forms until the work achieves a complex layered structure.

ACO: What aspects of Artesania Sonora do you hope to improve or fine tune during the readings?

FN: I think the readings will help solve many of the technical difficulties of my proposal and will also help reveal wether or not I am close to achieve my ideal. I am really looking forward to hear the orchestra execute the work and see if it is translating well.

The EarShot Charlotte Symphony Readings culminate in a final read-through which is free and open to the public -- Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 10am. Details here.

Learn more about Felipe at www.facebook.com/FelipeNScomposer


EarShot Charlotte Symphony Readings: Composer Spotlight - Niloufar Iravani

Composer Niloufar Iravani studied piano and composition at the University of Tehran, Iran – receiving several national honors including the second rank in the field of Musical Arts at the National Master Degree Examination – before starting the PhD in Music Composition at Louisiana State University, under the supervision of Prof. Dinos Contantinides. She is now the graduate teaching assistant and the coordinator of the Composers Forum at LSU. Her music has been performed in Iran, Greece, and the USA by great ensembles and soloists including Athanasios Zervas, Maria Asteriadou, Kostas Tiliakos, Angela Draghicescu, and Amalia Sagona. The Summer 2017 concert series at Baton Rouge libraries, conducted by Prof. Constantinides, featured her work, Shadows in Chase, for string quartet. Recent highlights include the performance of DIR for solo violin at LMTA 65th Annual Convention at the University of New Orleans and the performance of Seven for fixed media for seven channels at the University of Tennessee Contemporary Music Festival.

Niloufar was selected for the EarShot Charlotte Symphony Readings for her piece Fantasy, which will be workshopped and conducted by Assistant Conductor Christopher James Lees in a final read-through on Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 10am. Details here.

Niloufar spoke with us about the piece and what she looks forward to at the readings.

Composer Niloufar Iravani. Photo by Afarinesh Studio

American Composers Orchestra: What was your reaction to finding out that Fantasy had been selected for the EarShot Charlotte Symphony Readings? What are you looking forward to about the program?

Niloufar Iravani: I felt very surprised when I found out that my work has been selected for EarShot Charlotte Symphony Readings. It is my first orchestral piece that I composed in 2013 as part of my Master’s thesis. The piece has never read or performed, so this is going to be a great opportunity for me to listen to it, feel it, and learn from it! I am very looking forward to the program to experience the reading of my piece by a professional orchestra, work with the mentor composers and the conductor, and learn from the community.

ACO: Your program note for Fantasy says that the piece aims to demonstrate your "innovative and personal approach to the concept of fantasy as a musical genre." Can you elaborate on this? What is your definition of fantasy as a musical genre? What is your approach to composing music in this genre?

NI: From the imaginative and improvisational works of Italian lute performers in the sixteenth century to freely composed pieces of the twentieth century, fantasy has had a long interesting story in the history of Western music. Some believe that the ideal fantasy should be very free; any obligation leads to shutting down the innovation! In my piece, I tried to be very free in presenting the thematic materials through meaningful patterns, repetitions, and formal structures as well as the dynamic use of rhythm, register, and texture.

ACO: What aspects of Fantasy do you hope to improve or fine tune during the readings?

NI: I would like to find out how my thoughts and ideas sound by a real orchestra. I hope to see the performers and the conductor happy, excited, and interested in the piece. I’ll surely find and learn the ways to improve it and make it as comfortable and realistic as possible for everyone. This would undoubtedly include specific attention to articulation, techniques, and dynamics.

The EarShot Charlotte Symphony Readings culminate in a final read-through which is free and open to the public -- Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 10am. Details here.

Learn more about Niloufar at www.niloufariravani.com
Follow her on Facebook, YouTube, and SoundCloud