Edmonton Composers' Concert Society

ECCS Music in Vienna

On Sunday, January 20th, 2008, a concert of new music by Lower Austrian and Canadian composers was presented in the Concert Hall of the House of Composition at 11 Ungargasse in Vienna. This is a stately old building with the charming ambience of Old Vienna: high-ceilinged rooms with beautiful chandeliers. Such is the Concert Hall of INOK, the Lower Austrian Composers’ group.

Enthusiastic Response to Reinhard von Berg�s Recitals in Germany!

The idea for this tour was born in the summer of 2005, when it was suggested to Reinhard to come to Kassel, Germany and play a concert during the 2007 documenta visual arts festival. It took more concrete form in November, 2006, when he was asked to present two concerts as part of the Nu Art Festival planned for September, 2007. He agreed, with the proviso that he would like to play some additional concerts, plus give some talks, in other German centres. Two additional venues were quickly arranged, in Gottsbühren and in Hannover; a further one was added later, in Bibra.

Suite and Serious: Orchestral Music of Michael S. Horwood

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Edmonton Composers' Concert Society member composer Michael Horwood has an impressive Curriculum Vitae. A native of Buffalo, New York, USA, he studied musical composition and theory at the State University of New York at Buffalo with Istv�n Anhalt, Lukas Foss, Ramon Fuller and Lejaren Hiller, eventually obtaining his Bachelor and Master degrees. He moved to Canada in 1971, upon acquiring the position of professor of music and humanities at Humber College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, where he remained until 2003. In the capacities of educator and performer, he also played piano and percussion in the Ontario-based improvisation ensemble Convergence. Retired from academia, he now resides in Cowley, Alberta.

Five of a (New) Kind - New Direction for the ECCS

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 was a very special day in the twenty-two year history of the Edmonton Composers' Concert Society. While many of the organization's members have had orchestral works of one form or another performed by a variety of local, national and international ensembles, this was only the third time that the society has produced a concert of orchestral works, in this particular instance, a series of works for organ and strings, with its own ensemble of musicians - thanks in large part to a special project grant from the Canada Council along with other donors and sponsors. What added to the specialness of the occasion was that the concert was co-presented under the auspices of the Royal Canadian College of Organists as part of the "Windspiration Edmonton Organ Festival" held at various venues across the city between July 30 and August 3. In addition, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recorded the concert for future national broadcasts of the individual works on its FM Radio programme "The Signal." Performances of contemporary works for organ and orchestra are rare as it is - making this occasion a most especial treat for the ears. Four of the five works were world première performances, and one was a Canadian première.

Monte Keene Pishny-Floyd Performed in US

Suite for Small Orchestra (1970), Soundscapes from My Youth, by ECCS member Dr. Monte Keene Pishny-Floyd, was performed by the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra, John Ricarte, conductor, in Stafford, Texas on 13 May 2007. Fort Bend county and Stafford are part of the Houston metropolitan area. The Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra is an outstanding community orchestra, and Dr. Pishny-Floyd is the composer-in-residence for the FBSO. For the past four seasons, he has written the program notes for the FBSO, and was appointed composer-in-residence this past year.

ECCS to commission the distinguished Canadian composer, Linda Catlin Smith

The Edmonton Composers’ Concert Society is pleased to announce that it has received The Canada Council for the Arts support to commission the Jules L�ger Prize winner, Linda Catlin Smith. Ms. Smith will write a work for flute, clarinet, violin, ‘cello, piano and percussion, scheduled for performance during the Society’s 2007/2008 season. This brand new composition will be premièred by one of the Society’s associate groups, the St. Crispin’s Chamber Ensemble, whose Artistic Director is Don Ross.

Monte Keene Pishny-Floyd recognised for his adaptation of the opera BRUNDIBAR

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recently recognised the Saskatchewan-produced opera Brundibar broadcast as the 'Best Regional Weekly' programme in the country. Every year, the CBC presents the CBC Radio Program Awards. Producers from all across the country submit their best work, which is then judged by a national jury. Brundibar was originally composed by the Jewish Czech composer Hans Kr�sa and performed by the children of the concentration camp Theresienstadt in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. The opera was recently arranged and adapted for the stage by the distinguished Canadian composer, Dr Pishny-Floyd.

Glad of the World: Edmonton's St. Crispin's Chamber Ensemble in Calgary!

Friday, November 3^rd, 8:00 P.M.
Eckhardt-Gramatt� Hall, Rozsa Centre,
University of Calgary
Tickets: $18 adults/$15 seniors/students free
Advance tickets available at:
Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region
For information call (403) 220-7403

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Music by Edmonton Composers Featured in Polish Festival

Poland - among cognoscenti of contemporary music, the name evokes images of the ear-bending cadre of the Polish avant-garde of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Most prominent among the many are Tadeusz Baird, Andrzej Dobrowolski, Henryk Mikolaj G�recki, Wojciech Kilar, Wlodzimierz Kotonski, Witold Lutoslawski, Krzysztof Penderecki, Boguslaw Schaeffer, and Kazimierz Serocki.