Ryan Vigilcomposition

Robert Blocker, Dean

Doctor of Musical Arts RecitalJanuary 21, 2010

As a courtesy to the performers and audience members, turn off cell phones and pagers. Please do not leave the theater during selections. Photography or recording of any kind is not permitted.

Untitled Work for Alto Flute and Percussion (2007)

Kelli Kathman, alto fluteBill Solomon, percussion

intermission

Untitled Work for Violin and Piano (2009)world premiere

Lauren Basney, violinDavid Hyun-Su Kim, piano

This recital is in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree.

january 21, 2010 · 8 pmMorse Recital Hall in Sprague Memorial Hall

Ryan Vigil composition

program notesUntitled work for alto flute and percussionUntitled work for violin and piano

In my untitled work for alto flute and percus- sion, completed in 2007, the two parts operate independently of each other. The compositional expedient of allowing the two parts to proceed in separate, highly-flexible rhythmic environ- ments is an acknowledgement of the situation in which we find ourselves most of the time: proceeding according to our own sense of time, and not actively coordinating with those around us. While relinquishing the ability to manipulate specific moments of simultaneity, this approach welcomes the various unexpected moments of elision and combination which invariably occur as the two players pursue their individual parts. Just as we remain actively aware of what is happening around us in our daily lives, the two parts in this composition are written with significant rhythmic flexibility, allowing the players to respond to each other on the local level. From the point of view of performance, the rhythmic independence gives each player the opportunity to concentrate her/his attention on details of sound production, rather than on matters of ensemble. Compositionally, the primary focus is always on the sound itself, its sense of attack and decay, particular aspects of timbre, register, dynamics, articulation, etc. This concentration on sound is manifested most conspicuously in the flute part in the use of rotating groups of pitches and attention to vibrato, and in the percussion part with the different methods of sound production em-ployed as well as the balanced and carefully negotiated exploration of more or less resonant versus non-resonant instruments.

My untitled work for violin and piano, written specifically for Lauren Basney and David Hyun-su Kim, was completed in the fall of 2009 and receives its world premiere this evening. Like the earlier piece for alto flute and per- cussion, this composition utilizes rhythmic independence between the parts. In the first section, long-tones in the violin act as a kind of anchor or backbone, against which subtle changes in the internally-repetitive piano part gradually accrue, leading through a series of related but non-identical musical textures. This activity is followed by a relatively short section featuring registral extremes, where the two instruments are coordinated. A second large section returns to rhythmic independence with the roles somewhat reversed: now an expansive idea in the piano part serves to ground the internally-repetitive but also gradually evolving and gradually expanding violin material. Once again, this open rhythmic environment is con- trasted by the succeeding passage, in which the two parts are coordinated. This last section takes on a life of its own by virtue of its use of repetition. The notion of repetition runs throughout the composition. In the two sec- tions featuring rhythmic independence, the repetition in one part contrasts with the more teleological nature of the other part; the result is an environment in which the listener is ultimately given fresh opportunities to hear the same sounds in new ways. The final section pursues a similar end in a consciously simplified manner: the materials themselves and the order in which they are presented remain unchanged, the only variable is the specific timing with which they are played.

ryan vigilcomposer

Active as a composer, conductor, pianist, theor- ist, and teacher, Ryan Vigil has been a visible presence in new music communities through- out the northeastern United States for well over a decade. Ryan has been credited with creating a “sound world all his own,” one which invites listeners to engage with the music as pure, abstract sound. Noted for its sensitivity to color, and a relaxed, open approach to form, his music has acquired a faithful following amongst classically-trained performers, pro- gressive improvisers, and lay audiences all over the country.

Ryan has been composing since he was six years old and holds degrees from Yale University, Tufts University, and the Manhattan School of Music. His principal teachers have been Martin Bresnick, Marti Epstein, Aaron Jay Kernis, John McDonald, and Elias Tanenbaum. His music, ranging from solo compositions to orchestral works, has been performed on three continents.

Ryan’s work has been recorded by the Millenium Symphony, the Colby College Chorale, and John McDonald, amongst others. Commissions have come from guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan, organist Kendall Crilly, and Paul Machlin and the Colby College Chorale. Ryan’s music has

recently been heard at New England Conserva- tory’s Jordan Hall, the Longy School of Music’s Pickman Concert Hall, and Merkin Hall at Lincoln Center. Concerts devoted exclusively to Ryan’s work have been presented on numerous campuses across the country, including the University of Hartford, the University of New Hampshire, Tufts University, Yale University, Colby College, and Connecticut College. Performances of Ryan’s music have been given at numerous museums and galleries including the MassMoCA, the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, the Colby Museum of Art, and the Zeitgeist Gallery. Ryan’s music has also been featured at numerous festivals, including the Oregon Bach Festival, Music05 (Cincinnati), June in Buffalo, and the New England Con-servatory’s Summer Institute for Contemporary Piano Performance.

In addition to his activities as a composer, Ryan’s schedule features regular appearances at the keyboard. Over the past few years Ryan has given numerous solo and collaborative recitals including appearances as part of the Composer at the Keyboard series (Zeitgeist Gallery), the Goddard Chapel Recital Series (Medford, Mass.) and the Framingham State College Summer Concert Series. He has also

worked extensively as a choral accompanist and assistant conductor with numerous choirs throughout the region, such as the New England Conservatory Camerata and the Pine Manor College Chorus, and including lengthy engage- ments with the choral programs at Tufts University and the Rivers School. Former director of music at the United Methodist Church of Newton, Mass., Ryan is a regular substitute at Christian Science churches and societies throughout New England.

Ryan’s work as a scholar centers on American experimental music, with a special emphasis on the music of John Cage and Morton Feldman. His research has led to two recent publications in Perspectives of New Music and American Music. Teaching remains a major priority in Ryan’s life. Having recently completed a two-year engagement as the faculty fellow in music at Colby College, Ryan is currently a lecturer in music at Connecticut College.

bill solomonpercussion

Bill Solomon is a Hartford, Conn.-based percussionist specializing in solo and chamber contemporary classical music performance. He recently performed the solo vibraphone part for Pierre Boulez’s Répons in collaboration with the Lucerne Festival, IRCAM, and Mr. Boulez. Other performance highlights include the Sebago-Long Lake Chamber Music Festival, PASIC, Bang on a Can Marathon, and a performance with the Miami String Quartet, as well as recitals at universities and galleries throughout the northeast with cello/percussion duo The Uncanny Valley and the new music collective Hartford Sound Alliance (which he co-directs). Upcoming engagements include performances with SIGNAL and Helmut Lachenmann for his 75th birthday, as well as performances as ensemble-in-residence at June in Buffalo with composer Steve Reich. Bill currently teaches at the Loomis Chaffee School and is a doctoral candidate at the Hartt School, where he studies with Benjamin Toth.

kelli kathmanalto flute

Kelli Kathman attends the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where she is a doctoral student of Tara Helen O’Connor. Kelli also holds a bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music and a master’s degree from Yale University. She regularly performs with new music ensembles Signal and Alarm Will Sound and has collaborated with such collectives as the Reich Ensemble, the Martha Graham Dance Company, and the Zankel Band. Ms. Kathman had her solo debut at the age of sixteen with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in concert halls both here and abroad, most recently the Hermitage Theater, Izumi Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium and Zankel Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Miller Theater, Merkin Concert Hall, Kilbourn Hall, and the Library of Congress. Ms. Kathman has recorded on such labels as Naxos, Nonesuch, Warp Records, and New Amsterdam Records. Her passion for new music has brought her into contact with composers such as Steve Reich, John Adams, Julia Wolfe, and David Lang, among many others.

lauren basneyviolin

Since her solo New York debut in Carnegie Hall in 2004, Lauren Basney has appeared throughout the US and Canada, the UK, France, Italy, Japan, Israel, and Australia. She has performed at Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Merkin Hall, St. Bartholomew’s Cathedral, the National Arts Club, and the Cosmos Club, and has appeared at the Aldeburgh, Aix-en-Provence, Pacific, ClassiCameri, Orvieto Musica, and Norfolk Festivals, as well as the French Academy in Rome. Lauren is the winner of the Zerounian, Madura, and Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competitions, and was twice recipient of the Special Presentation Award from Artists International. She received her bachelor’s degree from Juilliard and her master’s degree and artist diploma from Yale. Lauren is a member of the Alianza String Quartet, mentored by the Tokyo Quartet. 2007 grand-prize winners at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition, as well as 2008 first-prize winners of the Chamber Music Foundation of New England Competition, the ASQ was in student residence at Yale from 2006-2008. Albany records recently released the ASQ’s recording of composer Ezra Laderman’s final string quartets.

david hyun-su kimpiano

Hailed as a musician “who will doubtless make an important contribution to the musical life of this country,” pianist David Hyun-su Kim is an international performer with appearances throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He has participated in such prestigious festivals as the Banff Summer Festival, Norfolk Summer Festival, Eastman’s Young Artist’s International Piano Festival, and PianoFest Austria. His major teachers include Malcolm Bilson, Robert Levin, Peter Frankl, and Christopher Hasty, and he has performed in master classes for such artists as Claude Frank, Boris Berman, David Breitman, and Andrew Willis.

David matriculated at Cornell University as a Presidential Scholar in chemistry. He quickly traded the lab stool for the piano bench, however, and graduated magna cum laude in music. He then traveled to Germany as a Fulbright scholar, studying at the Hochschule für Musik in Hannover, and made his European orchestral debut in Vienna. Returning to the US, David earned further degrees in piano from the Yale School of Music and in historical performance from Harvard. This past June, David made his fortepiano debut at the Boston Early Music Festival.

upcoming events

January 22yale philharmonia

Woolsey Hall, Fri, 8 pmWith guest conductor Peter Oundjian.Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol; Walton: Violin Concerto, featuring Woolsey Competition winner Katherine Hyun; and Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5 in D major. Free admission.wshu 91.1 fm • media sponsor

January 25 benjamin verdery, guitar

Morse Recital Hall, Mon, 8 pmFaculty Artist SeriesMusic for solo guitar by Bach, Bresnick, Verdery, and Janácek. Free admission.

January 25 sarasa

Collection of Musical Instruments, Sun, 3 pmA program centered around Vivaldi’s Four Seasons interspersed with works by Telemann. Tickets $20 / Seniors & Yale staff $15 / Students $10, available at 203 432-0825.

January 26tokyo string quartet

Morse Recital Hall, Tue, 8 pm Chamber Music Society at YaleTickets $27-34 / Students $14 Haydn: Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 76, no. 4, “Sunrise”; Barber: String Quartet, Op. 11; Beethoven: String Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, no. 2.

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