Christopher Keyes

 

Acclaimed by Fanfare Magazine as “Masterful...a modernized Rachmaninoff” Christopher J. Keyes (b. 1963) began his career as a pianist, winning many competitions and later making his "double-debut" in Carnegie Hall as both soloist and guest composer with the New York Youth Symphony. He began formal composition lessons at the University of California at Santa Barbara earning a BM degree in Piano Performance and a BA in Creative Studies with an emphasis in composition. He continued his musical training at the Eastman School of Music, completing his doctorate in 1992. His major composition teachers include Joseph Schwantner, Samuel Adler, Christopher Rouse, and Robert Morris. Among his numerous awards are the Eastman Szernovsky Award, several ASCAP Grants to Young Composers, and the Rudolf Nissim Award for best orchestral work written by a living ASCAP member. He is also an author of various scholarly articles on subjects including audio engineering, the pedagogy of composition, and music technology.

 

His compositions have been performed and broadcast in over 35 countries worldwide with works in almost every genre. Since the late 1990s his work has focused on electro-acoustic music, multi-channel audio, and more recently computer graphics as mediums to expand the possibilities of acoustic instruments in concert. He is currently a Professor at Hong Kong Baptist University where he directs the Electro-Acoustic Music Centre and Laboratory for Immersive Arts and Technology. Solo CDs and a multi-channel DVDs of his music can be heard on the Centaur (CRC 2377) Capstone (CPS-8739) and Ravello (RR7803) labels.

 

http://staffweb.hkbu.edu.hk/ckeyes/

 

 

Diego Vega

 

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Diego Vega is a Colombian-American composer. His music has been performed in some of the most important concert halls in the United States, Europe and Latin America by ensembles such as Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Eighth Blackbird, Ensemble X, the Colombian National Symphony, the Bogotá Philharmonic, the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame de Paris, the Quintet of the Americas, Soli Chamber Ensemble, and internationally acclaimed soloists and chamber groups. Diego has written commissioned works for the Colombian National Symphony, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, Banco de la República de Colombia, and the Salvi Foundation and the Cartagena International Music Festival, among others.

 

Vega holds degrees from Cornell University (DMA), University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (MM), and Universidad Javeriana (BM) in Bogota, Colombia, and has served as faculty at Syracuse University and Universidad Javeriana. Currently he is associate professor of composition and theory at UNLV. Among his composition teachers are Guillermo Gaviria, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Joel Hoffman, Roberto Sierra, and Steven Stucky.

 

Diego Vega has written music for soloists, a variety of chamber groups, symphony orchestras, wind and choral ensembles. He has incorporated elements of Colombian traditional music into some of these works.

 

diegovega.com

 

 

Ferdinando De Sena

 

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Fred DeSena teaches composition and electronic music at the New World School of the Arts, He served on the faculty of the University of Miami from 1992 – 2009, and was Director of the Electronic Music Studio. His music has been performed throughout the continental U.S., in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Argentina, Italy, Ireland, and Scotland.

 

Fred De Sena earned a B.A in Computer Music at Ithaca College, a Masters in Electronic Music and a D.M.A. in Composition at the University of Miami. His principle teachers were Dennis Kam, Peter Rothbart, and Don Wilson.

 

http://desenamusic.org

 

 

Willem van Twillert

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Willem van Twillert (The Netherlands, b. 1952) studied the organ and piano at the Regional Music School in Amersfoort with Henk Seldenthuis. From 1970, he studied the organ, improvisation, and composition at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam with Piet Kee and the piano with Willem Brons. In 1975 he commenced a 3-year course of orchestral conducting studies with the Dutch orchestra conductor, Anton Kersjes. In 1979 he obtained the diploma for Church Music and Performing Musician Cum Laude, with a teaching-endorsement for improvisation. A scholarship afforded him the opportunity to specialise in historic music between 1978 and 1981, including studies with Gustav Leonhardt (organ). In 1976, van Twillert was the first Dutch organist to reach the final of the 'Grand Prix de Chartres' in France.

 

Willem is known internationally for his recordings of little-known organ music. In 1979 Willem was appointed organist for the Johanneskerk in Amersfoort. From 1976 until 2003 van Twillert was the owner-director of a private music school in Bunschoten and he taught organ at the municipal academy of music in Zwolle between 1980 and 1988. In 2000, 2003, 2004 and 20014 he was invited to act as a jury member for the amateur organ competition of the Trust 'Groningen Orgelland'. Willem has composed many Psalm and Choral arrangements. In Germany his Toccata‚ 'Thine be the Glory’ in the Romantic Style, was published by Dr. J. Butz. Since 2006 he has also been creating compositions for orchestras and various ensembles including choirs, while studying composition with Henk Alkema. In 2005, Willem won the second prize and the audience prize at the 'Hinsz Composition Competition 2005' at the Bovenkerk in Kampen, with his 'Toccata a la Chaconne' for the Organ.

 

During the Polish International Composers Competition in Mikolów 2007, Van Twillert won an honorary award with his 'Sequence for Choir and Organ'. In 2008, he won the PRIX GASTON LITAIZE for the organ composition PAR LE TEMPS at

the Concours de Composition 2008 de la Fondation pour la Musique Comminges, France.

 

www.willemvantwillert.nl

 

 

Andrew Schultz

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Australian composer Andrew Schultz studied at the Universities of Queensland and Pennsylvania and at King's College London and has received various awards, prizes and fellowships. His music, which covers a broad range of chamber, orchestral and vocal works, has been performed, recorded and broadcast widely by many leading groups and musicians internationally. He has held numerous commissions, including from the major Australian orchestras. Andrew has written a number of large-scale works, including three operas (Black River, Going Into Shadows and The Children’s Bach), which have been presented live and on film around the world. Other major works include Journey to Horseshoe Bend, Song of Songs and three symphonies. Recent orchestral works include Sound Lur and Serpent for the Sydney Symphony, Peace and Endling for the Tasmanian Symphony and Maali, Concerto for oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.

 

Andrew has held residencies and academic posts in Australia, Canada, France, UK, US and is currently Professor of Music at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Recent composition successes include the Paul Lowin Prize, the Schueler Award, a 2016 Australian Art Music Award, Australia Council Fellowship, Cité des Arts Paris residency and the Centenary of Canberra and Gallipoli symphony commissions.

 

CDs of his orchestral music performed by the Sydney, Queensland and Tasmania Symphonies are available on ABC Classics, three volumes of chamber music are available on the Tall Poppies labels, Brisbane Chamber Choir and the Kühn Choir of Prague have each released his Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, a disc of ensemble vocal music has been released by The Song Company, and Wirripang have released a disc of his solo piano music played by Antony Gray. The Moravian Philharmonic has recently recorded his Falling Man/Dancing Man and Symphony No 2 – Ghosts of Reason.

 

http://www.andrewschultz.net