Latest News
Premier of Bruce Babcock's “Springscape” on May 22, 2007 in Berkeley, California
Composed for and performed by The Debussy Trio, Bruce Babcock's latest classical work, “Springscape” will be premiered at the finale concert in the Berkeley Chamber Performances 2006-2007 season.
The ensemble, which is composed of Marcia Dickstein (Harp), Angela Wiegand (Flute) and David Walther (Viola,) has also included "Springscape" on their 20th anniversary recordings CD after the piece won the 2007 Debussy Trio International Composition competition.
The Debussy Trio
The May 22 performance takes place at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Street, and more information may be obtained at www.berkeleychamberperform.org.
Canterbury and Coventry Choir Spring Concert to feature Bruce Babcock's “Send Me Anywhere”
Composed for the Canterbury Choir of All Saints Church, James Walker, Director of Music, Bruce Babcock's “Send Me Anywhere,” based on a text by John Shelby Spong, had its World Premier in 2006, and will be part of a diverse and exciting program for the Canterbury and Coventry Choir concert taking place at All Saints Church, Pasadena, California on Sunday, June 3 at 5 p.m.
More information about the concert offering works by Schütz, Parsons, Stanford, Poulenc, Nestor, Brahms, Poelinitz, Lauridsen, Britten, Thompson and spirituals arranged by Hogan and Dawson, may be obtained from Melissa Hayes, telephone (626) 583 2725 or by email mhayes@allsaints-pas.org
"irrational exuberance" To Be Presented at UCLA
Composer Bruce Babcock will be in attendance at UCLA's Schoenberg Hall for the official World Premier of his "irrational exuberance" on May 24 at 8 pm.
The work was commissioned for and will be performed by Douglas Masek, saxophone (along with Gloria Cheng, piano and David Speltz, cello).
Tickets may be obtained from the UCLA Central Ticket Office at (310) 825-2101or cto@be.ucla.edu. Other works on the program include J. Nin, C. Koechlin, Carlos Franzetti, Marc Eychenne and
Adrienne Albert.
PREMIER OF BRUCE BABCOCK'S “SEND ME ANYWHERE” ON NOVEMBER 12, 2006
Bruce Babcock's new composition, "Send Me Anywhere," an a cappella setting of a blessing by Bishop John Shelby Spong, was premiered by The fifty voices of Canterbury Choir of All Saints Church in Pasadena under the direction of James Walker, at an Evensong service on November 12, 2006 . (The piece was also performed November 19 at the Sunday morning services.)
MUSIC & CONVERSATIONS SEASON OPENS WITH BRUCE BABCOCK COMPOSITION
Bruce Babcock's composition, irrational exuberance,” commissioned by Los Angeles Philharmonic alto saxophonist Doug Masek, with Kim Scholes, cello, and Delores Stevens, piano opens the 2006/2007 season of MUSIC & CONVERSATIONS on November 11, 2006
The concert, which also includes works by J.S. Bach, Charles Koechlin and Ludwig van Beethoven, Begins at 8 pm, and will be held at the Mt. Washington home of Alan Goldman
For more information, contact <mailto:musicandconversations@yahoo.com>
BRUCE BABCOCK PART OF "VOICES OF HOLLYWOOD" CONCERT PROGRAM
"imagined/remembered," a sonata for cello and piano by Bruce Babcock, was performed as part of the “Voices of Hollywood” concert on Friday, August 11, 2006 .
Commissioned by and premiered at the 2005 Santa Barbara Chamber Music Festival, the work was performed by Jakub Omsky, cello, and Genevieve Lee, piano.
Other composers on the program at the Sanctuary, Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church included John Williams, Aaron Zigman, Don Davis, Erich Korngold, Bruce Broughton and Andre Previn. More information at http://www.bhmusicfestival.org/
Bruce Babcock, Aaron Zigman, Bruce Broughton and Don Davis
Photo by Annamaria DeSanto
Third Annual Beverly Hills International Music Festival by Jon Burlingame
(reprinted from the Film Music Society website)
"BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - "Voices of Hollywood," staged Friday night, Aug. 11, as part of the third annual Beverly Hills International Music Festival, offered a rare opportunity to hear chamber music by film and television composers.
Four of the six living composers represented on the program attended: Bruce Broughton, Aaron Zigman, Bruce Babcock and Don Davis. Also featured were pieces by John Williams, André Previn and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. About 160 attended the concert, held in the historic sanctuary of the 80-year-old Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church.
The diverse and often compelling program began with Broughton's "Variations for Flute and Piano," written for a music publisher in 2000. Flutist Susan Greenberg and pianist Genevieve Lee played this delightfully melodic four-minute opener.
Lee and bassoonist Judith Farmer next performed three movements of a bassoon-and-piano version of John Williams' well-known bassoon concerto, "The Five Sacred Trees": The melancholy "Eo Migna," lively "Tortan" and contemplative "Dathi."
Receiving its world premiere was a new work, especially written for the concert by Aaron Zigman (The Notebook, Akeelah and the Bee). Titled "Vis Vitae" ("Lifeforce"), it was written for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and piano and conducted by the composer.
As Zigman wrote in the program notes: "Transitions from loss and rejection have always been difficult for me. These changes are made easier by the saving grace of music. Through my writing, I am able to examine and channel certain perceptions into healthy creativity. In `Vis Vitae,' I use impressionism as a guide through this corridor. I know that a renewed sense of hope and self await me on the other side." The moods of the 10-minute, single-movement piece ranged from gloomy to delicate, serene to exuberant, and it was warmly received.
Opening the second half were 18 minutes of Bruce Babcock's "Imagined / Remembered," a sonata for cello and piano performed by charismatic cellist Jakub Omsky and pianist Lee. Originally commissioned for the 2005 Santa Barbara Chamber Music Festival, it began with an exciting and evocative allegro movement, shifted into a dark and then wildly romantic lento, and concluded with an buoyant and energetic presto. Once again, the composer was acknowledged and the virtuoso piece lauded.
Lightening the mood was Don Davis' 1999 "Illicit Felicity" for solo piano, played by Tatyana Stepanova. Originally written as a source cue for the film Bound, it made for diverting fun, including quotations from Chopin, Beethoven, Bizet and even Randy Newman's "I Love L.A."
Two of Korngold's seven "Sieben Marchenbilder (Seven Fairy-Tale Pictures)" for solo piano were also performed by Stepanova: the dramatic "The Goblins" and lyrical "Fairy Tale's Epilogue." It was a remarkable accomplishment, considering that the composer was all of 13 when he wrote them in 1910, and yet they hinted at the kind of romantic music he would write a quarter-century later for Warner Bros.' Errol Flynn swashbucklers.
Concluding the program were two movements from Andre Previn's "Trio for Piano, Oboe and Bassoon," impressively performed by oboist Anne Gabriele, bassoonist Farmer and pianist Bryan Pezzone.
The concert was organized by Gernot Wolfgang, composer-in-residence for the festival, whose own chamber works were performed in two concerts during the previous week."
PUBLICATION OF BRUCE BABCOCK CHORAL WORK
The Bruce Babcock composition "Songs of the Night," two song settings of poems by American poet Sara Teasdale (1884-1933) has recently been published as part of the Donald Brinegar Choral Series. The work For SATB a cappella choir was Issued by Santa Barbara Music Publishing
BRUCE BABCOCK REMEMBERS HUGO FRIEDHOFER
Bruce Babcock joinED composer Dave Grusin and author and lyricist Gene Lees in remembering one of the giants of film music, Hugo Friedhofer, on the 25th anniversary of his death. Featured on Sara Fishko's WNYC radio show. Hear the interviews on the link below
Bruce Babcock Choral Piece premiered by
The Donald Brinegar Singers
"Songs of the Night," two settings of poems by Sara Teasdale (1884-1933) for a cappella chorus, composed by Bruce Babcock, was premiered by the Los Angeles-based Donald Brinegar Singers on January 22, 2006 in Santa Barbara.
NEW BRUCE BABCOCK COMPOSITION IN SUMMER 2005
Bruce Babcock has been commissioned by Los Angeles saxophonist Douglas Masek to write a piece for alto saxophone, cello and piano. Entitled "irrational exuberance," the work will be recorded by Douglas Masek in the autumn of 2005, and he will also be giving concert performances of the piece in the Los Angeles area, following one in Idyllwild on August 18.
Bruce Babcock was the Composer in Residence for the 2005 Santa Barbara Chamber Music Festival which included the world premier of his new string quartet on June 12.
For more information about the Festival, check out
BRUCE BABCOCK INTERVIEWED BY
PACIFIC SERENADES BOARD MEMBER
TONY SPANO, Jr.
PACIFIC SERENADES PRESENTS THE
WORLD PREMIER OF
BRUCE BABCOCK'S NEW WORK
TRIO, FOR CLARINET, VIOLA AND PIANO
Performances of the piece commissioned by Pacific Serenades were held on March 6, 7 and 16, 2004. For details about the event, click on the interview link above.
Pacific Serenades exists to generate new chamber music, and uses such commissions to outstanding southern California composers to present a series of programs featuring these new works along with standard repertoire in intimate concert settings. Check out the link below for more information!
See also the website of Pacific Serenades musical director Mark Carlson
BRUCE BABCOCK HONORED BY HIS PEERS
The American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC) honored Bruce Babcock on
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
The event, held at the Crown Plaza in Beverly Hills, California, in addition to paying tribute to Bruce Babcock's career achievements, saluted veteran composer Larry Orenstein.
More details from ASMAC
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