Oliver Caplan's News Blog

Feb. 15: UNK New Music Festival presents "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night"

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:58:00 +0000

It's my Nebraska debut! Faculty members Ting-Lan Chen (violin), Noah Rogoff (cello) and Nathan Buckner (piano) will perform "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night" at the University of Nebraska New Music Festival.

Monday, February 15 at 7:30pm

New Music Festival IX

The University of Nebraska at Kearney

Fine Arts Recital Hall - Fine Arts Building

905 W. 25th St., Kearney NE

Free Admission

Feb. 4: Boston New Music Initiative plays "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night"

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:14:00 +0000

The Boston New Music Initiative will play Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night on February 4 at St. John's Church in Jamaica Plain. Written for violin, cello and piano, Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night is an ode to the ephemeral. The concert features a diverse selection of works nine contemporary composers.

Thursday, February 4 at 7:30pm

St. John's Episcopal Church

1 Roanoke Ave., Jamaica Plain, MA

Free Admission - $10 suggested donation at the door

Three Chances to Hear "Illuminated"

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:35:00 +0000

Three ensembles have programmed "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night" this winter and spring: the Boston New Music Initiative (February 4), the University of Nebraska New Music Festival (February 15-16) and the Bronx Arts Ensemble (May 23).

A small career milestone, "Illuminated" will become my first composition to be played by five different ensembles (it was played previously by Juventas New Music Ensemble and the Cleveland Contemporary Players).

I was moved by the extraordinary number of friends who came out for this fall's concerts (some traveling from long distances!) and look forward to sharing more music with you in 2010.

Upcoming Performances of Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Pass in the Night

February 4, 7:30pm: Boston New Music Initiative - St. John's Episcopal Church, Jamaica Plain

http://www.bostonnewmusic.org/

February 15-16: UNK New Music Festival IX - University of Nebraska at Kearney (time TBA)

http://www.unk.edu/fah/music.aspx?id=46882

May 23, 3pm: Bronx Arts Ensemble - Home of Drs. Donald and Helen Meyers, Bronx, NY

http://www.bronxartsensemble.org/

Calendar Update: Boston New Music Initiative on February 4

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:47:00 +0000

Just learned that the Boston New Music Initiative will play "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night" on February 4.

More details to follow after New Year's.

Happy Holidays!

Dec. 12 & 13: Lorelei & Juventas Premiere "Every Iridescent Chip of Ice"

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:50:00 +0000

On December 12 and 13, Lorelei Ensemble and Juventas New Music Ensemble will premiere "Every Iridescent Chip of Ice," a new work for women's choir with chamber ensemble. The piece features Meghan Guidry's enrapturing poetry about the Winter Solstice.

The concert program, "One Light," presents seven new works for the winter holidays, all written in 2009 by young composers with Boston connections.

Purchase Tickets at www.JuventasMusic.com

Saturday, December 12 at 8pm

St. John's Episcopal Church

1 Roanoke Ave., Jamaica Plain

Sunday, December 13 at 8pm

Marsh Chapel at Boston University

735 Commonwealth Ave., Boston

The premiere of "Les Nymphéas" - The Washington & Jefferson College Wind Ensemble with Melanie Riordan, violin

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:03:00 +0000

Here are some photos of the Washington & Jefferson College Wind Ensemble premiering "Les Nymphéas" on November 8 (Kyle Simpson, conductor; Melanie Riordan, violin soloist).

The College hosted me for a weeklong residency and I was impressed with how engaging the students are. After a presentation to a class of non music majors, there were literally dozens of thought-provoking questions: Can you work on two pieces at the same time? Would you ever turn down a project? Why did you choose Emily Dickinson for the whispered poetry? I hope to scontinue connecting with students and talking about the importance of new art.

November 8: Washington & Jefferson College Wind Ensemble Premieres "Les Nymphéas"

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:04:00 +0000

The Washington & Jefferson College Wind Ensemble - a 40-piece concert band - commissioned "Les Nymphéas" for their concert on November 8. The work is a three-movement suite inspired by Monet's water lily series at the Musee de l' Orangerie in Paris.

Sunday, November 8 at 3pm

Olin Fine Arts Center, Washington & Jefferson College

285 East Wheeling St.

Washington, PA

Free Admission

2009 ASCAP Plus Award for Emerging Artists

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:26:00 +0000

For the second year in a row, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers has recognized me with an ASCAPLUS Award for emerging artists!

On the score front, I recently completed "Les Nympheas," a three-movement suite for concert band inspired by Monet's eponymous series of water lily paintings. The Washington & Jefferson College Wind Ensemble will premiere it on November 8 in Washington, PA.

I'm now sketching "Every Irridescent Chip of Ice" (poetry by Meghan Guidry), a choral piece for the winter soltice. Lorelei Ensemble Women's Choir and Juventas New Music Ensemble will premiere it on December 12 & 13 in a program of new music for the winter holidays.

August 30: Jon Liechty Plays "November 3"

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:47:00 +0000

Jon Liechty will play my piano piece November 3 at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on Sunday, August 30.

Ethical Culture is "a Humanist and Ethical movement inspired by the ideal that the supreme aim of our lives to create a more humane society." Jon will perform November 3 during the Sunday morning meeting, which will also include excerpts from the controversial new play Seven Jewish Children (Caryl Churchill) and open discussion of ethical issues it raises.

Sunday, August 30 at 10:15am

The New York Society for Ethical Culture

Ceremonial Hall

2 West 64th Street at Central Park West

New York, NY

Free and open to the public

Update from the Cleveland

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:57:00 +0000

Hello from Cleveland! I've been here all week at the Cleveland Composer's Recording Institute, directed by Andrew Rindfleisch at Cleveland State University.

The program brings classical composers into the recording studio and each member of our eight-composer group arrived with a piece to be rehearsed and and professionally produced. My contribution is Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night, which was premiered in Boston this February. The Cleveland players - Rolf Schulte, David Russell and Geoffrey Burleson - are FANTASTIC, and amongst the very best to touch my music; it's quite a rush!

The recording process is quite different from what I'm used to for concert rehearsals. The music is recorded in sections, and the best take of each is stitched together for the final product. It's a rather clever, method, as the players don't have to endlessly cycle through an entire piece in search of a perfect performance; it's really neat though to be able to isolate sections of the piece and work to get them just right. In the end, that means that the full performance one hears on a CD has never occurred just as such. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around this last bit.

It's been a great bonding experience with the other composers. We all sit through each other's rehearsals and recording sessions, so we've gotten to everyone's works quite well; you'll hear us walking around the halls spiritedly humming each other's tunes. Stylistically, we're a diverse bunch, writing everything from tango to experimental to funk. And of course there is dinner and drinks together at the end of each day!

(posted at http://www.olivercaplan.com/news/)

New Commission: Washington & Jefferson College Wind Ensemble

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:55:00 +0000

The Washington & Jefferson College Wind Ensemble has commissioned a new work for concert band to be premiered November 8 in Washington, PA.

(posted at http://www.olivercaplan.com/news/)

Cleveland Composer's Institute

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:41:00 +0000

The Cleveland Contemporary Players have accepted me into the Cleveland Composer's Institute this July. The program brings eight composers together for "an intense weeklong workshop dedicated to the studio production of new works." Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night, my new piano trio, will be rehearsed by professional players and produced in a studio recording session.

(posted at http://www.olivercaplan.com/news/)

Thanks For Your Support!

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:39:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who came out to hear the Bronx Arts Ensemble Orchestra play "For Pondering" last Sunday! (And to the rain, for holding off until 5 minutes after the concert's end!) As the first performance of my music by a fully-professional orchestra, it was a small milestone of sorts. Some friends and family were there to share in a live performance of my music for the first time; and some audience members who I did not know previously are now new friends.

Overall, it was nice to see a diverse audience come together for such a diverse program, with everything from Broadway to Barber to Latin music. Some folks bobbed in their seats under the tent, while others sprung up on the lawn to dance.

As for "For Pondering," David Gilbert and the BAE Orchestra gave the piece a beautifully fluid interpretation and needless to say, I left New York a very happy Oliver.

Now it's onto upcoming ventures! More information soon...

May 24: The Bronx Arts Ensemble Orchestra plays "For Pondering"

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Sat, 09 May 2009 13:25:00 +0000

The Bronx Arts Ensemble Orchestra will play For Pondering on May 24 at an outdoor concert in Van Cortland Park. The program also includes Barber's "Knoxville, Summer of 1915," works b Latin composer Papo Vazquez and music from South Pacific, Guys and Dolls and West Side Story.

Sunday, May 24 at 2pm

Van Cortlandt Park - Near the Ecology Center

Enter at Broadway & 246th St.

Bronx, NY

Free Admission

Information: www.bronxartsensemble.org

New Recording: Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Sat, 02 May 2009 12:23:00 +0000

The recording from February's premiere of "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night" is now up on my website. Please take a listen at http://www.olivercaplan.com/listen/

Finalist for Morton Gould Award

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:23:00 +0000

Another spot of good news: The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized me as a Finalist for the Morton Gould Young Composer Awards for my submission of "Reason for Hope in a Complex World."

(posted at http://www.olivercaplan.com/news/)

Thoughts Following a Presentation at Assets School

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:13:00 +0000

On March 31 I gave a presentation on Reason for Hope in Complex World to fifth and sixth graders at Assets School in Honolulu. The students were particularly fascinated with the printed score and I've been thinking about this barrier between kids and their own musical ideas. Children are among the most natural melody-smiths, skipping down the sidewalk making up songs left and right. But no one teaches them how to write their ideas down, let alone even that it's a possibility. We are taught to right, to draw, to paint, to make pottery and even to play music - but not to write it. What would the next generation of compositions be like if we could begin to recognize, harness and develop musical talent early ages, when it is already coursing through our veins?

Feb. 28, Mar. 3: Juventas New Music Ensemble premieres "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night"

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:18:00 +0000

Juventas New Music Ensemble will premiere my new work Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night on February 28 and March 3. Written for violin, cello and piano, Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night is somewhat of an ode to the ephemeral. The concert program also includes a diverse selection of works by other young, living composers.

Saturday February 28 at 8:00pm

Seully Hall at the Boston Conservatory

8 The Fenway, Boston

Tickets $12, available online or at the door: www.bostonconservatory.edu

Tuesday March 3 at 7:30pm

Musica Eclectica Series

Edith F. Cove Fine Arts Center at Eastern Nazarene College

23 East Elm Avenue, Quincy

Tickets $5 (students free), available at the door only

Writing by Night

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:51:00 +0000

Planning is underway for several upcoming events in the Boston area. The Juventas Trio will be premiering my new piano trio, "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night," on February 28 and March 3rd. How's that for a short title? It's funny how pieces come from different places. I typically do my best work in the morning, yet ideas for this piece have come almost exclusively at night; the same was true for last year's "When Words are Abandoned." I think you can hear the difference in the music.

I'm also looking into possibilities for holding a chamber recital this spring - stay tuned for more details.

ASCAPLUS Award for emerging artists

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:10:00 +0000

A little spot of good news: I've been recognized by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers with an ASCAPLUS Award for emerging artists.

Music to Live By

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:55:00 +0000

Well, cider has started flowing from the taps, and the farmer's market is stocked with everything from peaches to jalapeno! My focus these past few weeks has turned towards life's cycling and I've been working on a couple pieces for friends and family. I've just recently finished "Twinkle-toes and Rainbows" (solo cello), the recessional for my friends' wedding and am now I'm working on a song for my grandfather's unveiling. It's nice turning away from the concert hall for a bit, and writing music to live by. At the same time, it can be both easy and hard to write for these occasions: on the one hand, the emotions are present, real and very accessible. On the other, the events have such deep personal significance, that it can be intimidating at times. But I've often felt that it's a blurry line between where my compositions end and I begin, so it is only natural that music should thread through life.

Concert in Paris

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:46:00 +0000

"Storytime," an appalachia-inspired work for solo cello, will be premiered in Paris this Tuesday. It's my newest work, completed just a few weeks ago during my time here in France. It will be performed by Andrew Clement, a student at Bringham Young University who plays with a beautiful tone. He's really just the right cellist for the piece and it's a great feeling when that happens.

Tuesday, July 29: 8pm

Salle Cortot - 78 rue Cardinet, Paris

Free admission

Studying in Paris

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:00:00 +0000

Happy Bastille Day from the city of lights! I'm here for the month of July with the European American Music Alliance, an intensive music study program in the pedagogic tradition of Nadia Boulanger. The program is run by Dr. Philip Lasser of the Julliard School and hosted at L'Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. I have been enjoying the great privilege of studying composition with Michel Merlet, who teaches at the Paris Conservatory and the Ecole Normale de Musique, and was a former student of Olivier Messaien!

It's been refreshing to take a retreat from the normal routine and focus solely on music (and chocolate). Inspiration abounds and I have some new musical ideas that may be seeds for this coming year's compositions. Meanwhile, the program involves hardcore musicianship work, which is great exercise for the brain.

On the manuscript front, I've just finished a new work for chorus a capella, entitled "Self Portrait" and am working on an Appalachia-inspired solo cello piece, a companion for Pumpernickel & Cheddar.

Welcome to the new olivercaplan.com

music@olivercaplan.com (Oliver Caplan) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:50:00 +0000

Welcome to my newly refurbished website! Thanks to Jason Pavel for his help with the design and Matthew Lane at Daydream Creative for putting it all together.

The "News" section of the site will be a more informal area where I'll discuss upcoming events and reflect a bit on the composing process and developments in my musical career. It's set up as a blog, so go ahead and subscribe for newsfeeds!

Cheers,
Oliver
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