| 8th annual summer composition course in Croatia |
| Tue, Feb. 8 2011 |
JH will be leading the 8th annual composition course as part of the “UPBEAT” International Summer Music School. The course is located in the town of Milna on the beautiful Adriatic island of Brac in Croatia. The dates of the course are 11 through 21 July, 2011
The school website is:
http://www.upbeat.hr
Milna is a beautiful village on the island of Brac. It is reachable by a one-hour ferry ride from the historic Dalmatian port city of Split. Here are a few pictures of Milna:
http://www.find-croatia.com/islands-croatia/brac/milna-photos1.html
and more are to be found on the “gallery” page of this website.
The following will be posted on the “UPBEAT” International Summer Music School soon:
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The composition course in Milna consists of a series of daily group meetings with Professor Joel Hoffman, cultural and outdoor activities in Milna and nearby on the island of Brac, and a final concert of works by course participants. The course this year will focus on writing for an ensemble consisting of the composer-performers who are members of the course.
Following is a description of the course:
Composition Practicum: Writing for the Milna Ensemble
This is the main part of the course, in which students will have composed complete pieces in advance of the course for either the entire ensemble or some part of it. The pieces will be rehearsed and evaluated in a group setting by Professor Hoffman as well as by other professors in residence in terms of compositional craft and idiomatic writing for the ensemble. There will be ample time for revision and refinement of the compositions, which will then be performed by the ensemble in the final concert on 21 July in Milna.
Improvisation Workshop
A few sessions will be devoted to principles of improvisation, which will be demonstrated and discussed by Professor Hoffman. There will be a number of group exercises and activities. This part of the composition course is also open to other music students taking part in the “UPBEAT” International Summer Music School.
What to submit?
Interested composers must send to Professor Hoffman by Friday, 1 April, 2011 (this is a receipt, not postmark deadline):
1. a resume. In the resume, please make sure the following information is included:
composition experience, including works composed with year of composition
list of performances of your works
universities/conservatories attended with dates of degrees earned as composer
names of composition teachers
performance level on your instrument (e.g. beginning, intermediate, advanced)
list of repertoire performed on your instrument
list of performances and any awards/competitions won
names of instrumental/vocal teachers
universities/conservatories attended with dates of degrees earned as instrumentalist/vocalist
date of birth, citizenship, mailing address, email address and phone number
2. a score of an original work for a small ensemble scored for anywhere from 2-15 separate parts. A live or MIDI recording of this ensemble piece (on CD) is strongly encouraged but not required.
3. a CD including two contrasting pieces you perform. The pieces may be either solos or ensemble pieces but in the case of the latter, it should be easy to individuate your playing from among the others in the ensemble (i.e. If you are a violinist, please do not submit a work for three violins!). Please make sure the CD is accurately and completely labeled.
Composers will be notified of acceptance into the course by email by 11 April. At that point, they will be informed of the makeup of the complete ensemble available for the composition course, and they will be asked to compose a piece for any combination of instruments/voice available from the ensemble. At that time, composers will be asked to confirm their participation in the course by mailing the application fee of 20 euros or $30US which should be either in the form of a check drawn in USD (made out to Joel Hoffman) or cash, sent to Professor Hoffman at the address below.
It is required that the participants' compositions for the Milna Ensemble be completed well before the course begins so that the focus during the course can be on revising and refining. Scores and parts should be emailed to Professor Hoffman no later than 20 June, and parts should be emailed directly to performers at that time to allow sufficient time for individual preparation. It is hoped that the composers will also work on new pieces for the ensemble during the course, which can be rehearsed and discussed along with the previously completed pieces.
The principal language of the Milna International Music Summer School is English. In addition, Professor Hoffman can accommodate students in Italian and French. |
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| Summer composition course in Croatia |
| Sun, Mar. 21 2010 |
| JH will be leading the 7th annual composition course as part of the “UPBEAT” International Summer Music School. The course is located in the town of Milna on the beautiful Adriatic island of Brac in Croatia. The dates of the course are 8 through 17 July.
Details of this course can be found by clicking on “programme” from the menu items on the home page. Scroll down for the composition program. |
|
| new piece |
| Thu, Dec. 3 2009 |
| JH has just completed "...the first time and the last", a 20' work for four cellos. This piece was commissioned by the Washington, DC-based group "Four in Correspondence" and will be performed at a time/place to be announced soon. |
|
| competition win |
| Thu, Nov. 12 2009 |
| JH was named winner of the Areon International Composition Competition today! The prize includes a commission for a new flute trio which will be performed by Areon Flutes on 1 May, 2010. |
|
| mp3s |
| Fri, Jun. 5 2009 |
| The audio files for "unaccompanied minor" and "square one" have been restored. The mp3 file of "The Forty Steps" is also now available (MIDI file). |
|
| Summer course in Croatia: photos |
| Mon, Apr. 27 2009 |
| On the gallery page there are many new photos of last year's course. This year's course application deadline is 22 May. |
|
| Summer course in Croatia |
| Tue, Apr. 14 2009 |
| 6th annual composition course as part of the “UPBEAT” International Summer Music School in the town of Milna on the beautiful Adriatic island of Brac in Croatia. The dates of the course are 17 through 26 July.
Details of this and the other courses can be found by clicking on “programme” from the menu items on the home page. Scroll down for the composition program. |
|
| JH pieces chosen for Klein Competition in San Francisco |
| Fri, Nov. 14 2008 |
| Four solo pieces of JH--one each for violin, viola, cello and bass will be among the repertoire for the 2009 edition of the Irving M Klein String Competition in June in San Francisco, CA. The pieces will be performed by semi-finalists and finalists in the competition. JH will also be a member of the competition jury. For information on the competition, see:
http://www.kleincompetition.org/ |
|
| New CD |
| Mon, Oct. 27 2008 |
| Andrea Ceccomori (flute) and Elitza Harbova (piano) have released a collection of American Flute and Piano music, including JH's "Blue and Yellow" The recording is on the VDM label in Italy: http://www.vdmrecords.com |
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| New CD |
| Tue, Oct. 21 2008 |
| A new CD entitled "Self-Portrait" has just been released on Albany Records. There are four works of JH: "Sonata for Cello and Piano", "unaccompanied minor" for cello solo, "Self-Portrait with Gebirtig" for cello and orchestra and "Karptet" for string trio and 2 pianos. The musicians include cellists Parry Karp and Gary Hoffman, pianist and violinist Christopher Karp, violist Katrin Talbot and pianists Frances and Howard Karp. See details on the "recordings" page. http://www.albanyrecords.com/ |
|
| Music09 |
| Wed, Sep. 17 2008 |
| The Music09 festival has been relocated to the Hindemith Foundation in Blonay, Switzerland. The dates of Music09 will be 22 June through 3 July, 2009. Complete information will be available later at: http://www.ccm.uc.edu/musicx/index.html |
|
| new commission |
| Thu, Jul. 17 2008 |
| JH has been commissioned to write a cello quartet for the Washington-based group "Four in Correspondence", all members of the National Symphony Orchestra. The new piece will be performed in the fall of '09. |
|
| 2 new items |
| Thu, Jul. 17 2008 |
| ...have been added: An MP3 clip of "Blue and Yellow" for flute and piano (in a wonderful performance by Leah Arsenault and Shiau-uen Ding); and a score excerpt of "Cadenza e Finale RMV", the final variation of the "Round Midnight Variations", a unique set of variations each written by a different composer and including variations by Frederic Rzewski, John Harbison, Milton Babbitt, George Crumb, Michael Torke, Michael Daugherty and many others. The complete set will be recorded soon by Italian pianist Emanuele Arciuli. |
|
| new commission |
| Mon, Jun. 23 2008 |
| JH has been commissioned by "Sunday Afternoons of Music" in Miami, Florida to write a work for cellist Gary Hoffman and the Amernet String Quartet. The piece is scheduled to be performed late in 2009. |
|
| new commission |
| Fri, Apr. 11 2008 |
| JH has been commissioned by RAI Trade of Rome, Italy to write a piece for piano quartet commemorating the 200th birthday of Robert Schumann (1810-1856). The work will be musically linked with Schumann's Piano Quartet in E-flat, op. 47. This piece will be recorded with other Hoffman works for a CD release in 2010. |
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| New composition course in Brac, Croatia |
| Wed, Jan. 30 2008 |
| In July, 2008 JH will be leading a composition course as part of the "UPBEAT" International Summer Music School in the town of Milna on the beautiful Adriatic island of Brac, Croatia. The dates of the course are 1 through 11 July. For a complete description of activities and events, please go to http://public.srce.hr/hdgp/upbeat/
Go to "Programme", scroll down to the Composition Course and click on "Composition" |
|
| new CD release of "Fantasy Pieces" |
| Fri, Jan. 11 2008 |
Gasparo Records has just released an album of American piano music played by James Tocco. The CD includes works by Foss, Heiden, Downey and JH's "Fantasy Pieces". This disc can be found at all major internet suppliers as well as directly from Gasparo Records at
http://www.gasparo.com |
|
| Music08 |
| Mon, Dec. 31 2007 |
JH is the Artistic Director of Music08, an annual festival of new music at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. The dates of Music08 are 15 through 22 June. Principal guest composers are Steve Reich, Jack Body and Frederic Rzewski. Please go to
http://www.ccm.uc.edu/musicx/index.html |
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| new MP3 of "Karptet" |
| Sat, Aug. 4 2007 |
| "Karptet" was recently recorded by the Karp family for an upcoming CD release. You can hear a 6' excerpt by going to the "works" page. |
|
| new commission |
| Wed, May. 9 2007 |
| JH has been commissioned to write a piece for the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Misha Santora, Music Director for the 08-09 season. Details later. |
|
| youtube video: "Three Oranges" |
| Wed, May. 9 2007 |
| There is a really nice video of "Three Oranges" on youtube with Benjamin Hoffman and Christian Smith. This link brings you to the third movement, and the other two are available as well (you'll see them listed in youtube nearby) |
|
| new commissions |
| Thu, Oct. 12 2006 |
| JH has just been commissioned to write four solo pieces--one each for violin, viola, cello and double bass--as part of the 2007 Irving M Klein String Competition in San Francisco, CA. The pieces will be performed by participants in the competition. For information on the competition, see:
www.kleincompetition.org/index.html |
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| Piano Trios CD just released |
| Fri, Sep. 8 2006 |
| On 1 September, Albany Records released "Joel Hoffman: Three Piano Trios". Howard, Frances, Christopher and Parry Karp are the superb musicians performing on this disc, which is available from most distributors as well as directly from Albany Records: http://www.albanyrecords.com/ |
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| new commission |
| Sat, Sep. 2 2006 |
| JH has been commissioned to write a concerto for oud, cello and orchestra. The soloists will be Arab-Israeli oud player Taiseer Elias and Israeli cellist Uri Vardi. The first performances are scheduled for March 2008 with the Madison (WI) Symphony Orchestra, John DeMain conductor. |
|
| new commission |
| Thu, Oct. 20 2005 |
| JH has just been commissioned by Christopher Karp to write a work for violin, viola, cello and four-hand piano. This is the third in a series of works commissioned by Karp (the others are Piano Trios 2 and 3) for concerts by members of the Karp family, pianists Howard and Frances Karp, cellist Parry Karp and violinist Chrikstopher Karp. |
|
| new CD |
| Fri, Oct. 7 2005 |
There are now two recordings of "Self-Portrait with Gebirtig"; the second CD is a performance by cellist Milan Hudnik with the Slovenian Radio Orchestra of Lubliana, Slovenia. The web site for the label is:
http://www.rtvslo.si/simfoniki/diskografija.phpDetails on the "recordings" page. |
|
| Aleksander Tansman Competition |
| Sun, Aug. 28 2005 |
JH has been selected, along with Krzysztof Penderecki, Heinz Holliger, Michael Nyman and others, to participate as a member of the jury of the Aleksander Tansman International Composition Competition to be held in Lodz, Poland in October, 2006. The head of the jury is distinguished Polish composer Zygmunt Krause.
Details:
http://www.tansman.lodz.pl |
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| new commission |
| Sun, Aug. 28 2005 |
JH has been commissioned by WGUC-FM in Cincinnati to write "String Quartet no. 4" for the Athenaeum Quartet, which is composed of four members of the Berlin Philharmonic. The new piece will be performed in Berlin, Cincinnati, and in various venues in Italy. The commission is sponsored by Cincinnati resident Stanley Troup
http://www.berlin-philharmonic.com/de/kammermusik/ |
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| new commissions |
| Tue, Mar. 1 2005 |
| JH is currently working on three new commissions: a new work for the premiere new music ensemble eighth blackbird, commissioned by the University of Cincinnati; a new work for the Amernet String Quartet, commissioned by the Caramoor Festival of New York; a new work for men's choir and two harps to be performed by the Washington (DC) Camerata, commissioned by James Pinkerton. |
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