New and Recent Michael Kurek compositions and their performances --
See the "Recent News” section of this site for more information.
Michael Kurek has been commissioned by the Atlantic Ensemble.to compose a new work for premiere in Paris, France in November 2010, with a subsequent performance in spring 2011 at New York's Merkin Hall. Details to follow.
On November 13 and 14, 2009, the "Witches" excerpt from the ballet Macbeth was performed by the Nashville Ballet in a chamber ensemble transcription, Michael Kurek conducting. Also in November, the Vanderbilt Wind Symphony and Women's Choir, performed a suite of Macbeth excerpts transcribed for wind ensemble with choir, from the original orchestral version. This version, called Macbeth Fantasy, was commissioned and premiered by the Jackson Symphony Orchestra (winds with percussion and choir) on January 19, 2008.
During fall 2009, the Florida State University Symphony Orchestra (Tallahassee) gave two performances of Concertino for Celesta and Orchestra: "Fairy Dreams."
During January 2009, the Orchestra of Theater Lüneburg , Lüneburg, Germany performed "Fairy Dreams," as well.
During fall, 2008, distinguished violinist and violist Sylvia Ahramjian performed Michael Kurek's Sonata for Viola and Piano in Philadelphia. Details to follow. (See her bio, below.)
On July 12 and 13, 2008, Michael Kurek's Matisse Impressions was performed twice in Kansas City as part of the Kansas City "Summerfest." Performers were Shannon Finney (flute), Susan Brashier (oboe), Jane Carl (clarinet), Joshua Hood (bassoon), Tod Bowermaster (horn), and Melissa Rose (piano).
On March 12 and 13, 2008, the acclaimed Trio Casals performed Michael Kurek's Piano Trio three times in New Orleans. Members of the Trio Casals, Sylvia Ahramjian (violin), Ovidiu Marinescu (cello), and Kenneth Boulton (piano) have an impressive array of professional accomplishments, both individually and collectively. Sylvia Ahramjian holds degrees from Juilliard and Indiana University, where she studied with Joseph Gingold, and serves on the faculties of Westchester and Temple Universities. Ovidiu Marinescu studied at the Romanian Academy of music, combines his performance career with an active conducting career, and also serves on the faculty of West Chester University. Kenneth Boulton received his doctorate at the University of Maryland, where he studied with Nelita True, and has concertized in many major U.S. cities and worldwide. He presently serves on the faculty of Southeastern Louisiana University. Collectively, their work includes recordings on the Naxos and Cambria labels, and appearances worldwide at Carnegie Hall, with the New York Chamber Symphony, the Russian Philharmonic, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the National Radio Orchestra of Romania, and many others.
Michael Kurek has completed his setting of the popular children's book Goodnight Moon, for soprano, harp, clarinet, violin, cello, and percussion. Check back for details about the premiere!
On November 15-16, 2007, The Nashville Ballet premiered the choreographed version of the "Elegie" movement of Michael Kurek's Piano Trio, choreographed by noted Oregon choreographer James Canfield, inspired by the love life of William Butler Yeats. On February 16-18, 2007 the Nashville Ballet also presented music by Michael Kurek at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, (See "Reviews" section of this site and hear the music in a free download on the home page of this site.) Visit their site at NashvilleBallet.com for further information.
Works by Michael Kurek currently in progress include a full-evening-length story ballet version of Shakespeare's Macbeth for the Nashville Ballet and the Nashville Symphony for premiere fall 2010 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center with choreography by Paul Vasterling.
Sonata for Viola and Harp (pub. 1991, International Music Service and recorded on New World Records) was recently performed at Trinity College of Music, London by the Greehalgh/Adie Duo.
Trio for Violin, Violoncello, and Piano, was premiered on April 14, 2006, and is now available as a digital download on many major download distributors. See the "Kurek CD;s" page on this site for more details. The score is now available from the composer for musicians interested in performing it. See more about recent performances, above.
Sonata for Viola and Piano, given its premiere by violist John Kochanowski and pianist Mark Wait at the Blair School of Music's Ingram Hall on the Vanderbilt campus, April 19, 2002, and featured in the spring, 2003, Journal of the American Viola Society (see reviews section of this website for details about the article and ordering the music). The work has been widely distributed through Theodore Front and is enjoying further performances around the country and has entered the repertoire of German violist Michael Bergen in Stuttgart, Germany and a number of American violists. The sonata will be performed again during fall, 2008 (see first paragraph, above).
Matisse Impressions for woodwind quintet with piano has enjoyed numerous performances, including a performance on a concert of "The Best of TMTA's Tennessee Distinguished Composers of the Year" (as part of the TMTA state convention), by the Blair Woodwind Quintet with pianist Melissa Rose. The work was recently performed by the same group as part of the Blair School of Music 40th anniversary season. The latest performance was during July 2008 in Kansas City -- see second paragraph, above.
Concertino for Celesta and Orchestra: "Fairy Dreams," was commissioned and has been premiered by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra on October 25/26, 2002 at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. The concert was broadcasted by WPLN-FM radio on July 13, 2003 . Click HERE to hear the Christmas Eve 2003 National Public Radio feature on the celesta, including Michael Kurek's "Fairy Dreams" on the show "Morning Edition." Please be sure to turn off your pop-up blocker (if any), because the audio window is a pop-up. This composition garnered the distinction of being the first in the history of the celesta to feature that instrument as the solo instrument placed in front of the orchestra in a concerto role. Schiedmayer Celestebau (makers of the celesta in Stuttgart , Germany ) has plans to release a CD of the work by summer 2007 for promotional purposes. Norichika Limori conducted a performance of the work on March 17, 2005, in Reutlingen, Germany, by the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra in Orange County, California (L.A. area) hopes to perform the work soon.
Michael Kurek completed a recent commission for Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, entitled Solemn and Heroic Processional, which was premiered by the Vanderbilt Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble at the "Octubafest" tuba conference on October 17, 2004, and was performed at the U.S. Army Band Tuba-Euphonium Conference in the Washington, D.C. area on January 28, 2005. Other performances were given on October 21 and on November 8 and16, 2004. The composition is published and now available from the Tuba-Euphonium Press.
String Quartet No. 2 was recently performed by the University of Southern California's Clarion String Quartet at the "3rd Encounter of Franco-American Chamber Music" festival in Missillac, France, also at USC, and in a concert given by the quartet at the Colburn School of the Performing Arts in downtown Los Angeles, with remarks made by the composer to the audience.
Symphony No. 1: "Sirens," previously premiered by the Nashville Symphony and performed by the Vanderbilt Orchestra, was recently performed by the Tomsk Philharmonic, Tomsk, (Siberia) Russia.
That Which Remains Unspoken was commissioned and premiered by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Carl St. Clair, conductor, Orange County , California. The concert and interviews with the composer were broadcast live on KMZT-FM radio in Los Angeles and also featured on Houston 's KUHF-FM radio. The work has also been performed by the Jackson (TN) Symphony Orchestra, Jordan Tang, conductor.
The Grand Calliope, a march for concert band, premiered by the Vanderbilt University Wind Ensemble on March 31, 2001, has subsequently been performed by several different bands, including performances at the University of Georgia's "January Festival," with 1300 students from 120 high schools from around the state of Georgia in attendance, and by the Middle Tennessee Honors Band at MTSU, and also by the Columbia University Wind Ensemble in New York.
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra , has now had performances by soloist Kathryn Eberle with the Nashville Symphony and at the Harlem School of the Arts (New York), the Encore School for Strings (Cleveland area), Emory University (Atlanta), Baylor University (Waco, Texas), twice at Vanderbilt University, and the University of Southern California.
