April 7, 2008 (Vol. 7, No. 6)

Composers' Concert April 9 to Feature Works by Recent Alumni

Two Lehman alumni and one student who studied under Distinguished Professor and acclaimed composer John Corigliano will debut their own works at the Lehman Composers' Concert on Wednesday, April 9. The free event begins at 12 p.m. in the Music Building Recital Hall.

The new composers—Motheo Matlala ('07), Robert Windbiel (Dec. '08), and Sima Wolf—have each recorded and performed professionally. Both Matlala, whose work recently premiered at Symphony Space in Manhattan, and Windbiel, who is pursuing a master's in music education at Lehman, are winners of the Corigliano Music Scholarship. Wolf has composed extensively for theatre, dance, video and new music venues.

"I am exceedingly proud of these three composers," said Prof. Corigliano, who has won both the Pulitzer Prize for Music and the Academy Award, as well as several Grammy Awards. "They are interesting, individual voices, and I think we will be hearing more from them in the near future."

All three composers describe working with Prof. Corigliano as a gratifying experience. "His eclecticism matches my own need to synthesize many different musical influences," explains Windbiel, "and he encourages embracing aesthetics that stretch the boundaries of the conventional."

"Professor Corigliano is an inspiration, both as a musician and as a person," says Wolf, who took two courses with him. "He has encouraged me to go out in the world and write music for professional ensembles, and I know that without his encouragement, I would never have had the confidence."

The program will include Matlala's Daddy-Caphone Bops the Twelve-Tone Jones (2008), an arrangement of jazz and twelve-tone row writing, and Serenade for a Zulu Bride (2008); Windbiel's Perpetual Motion (with Introduction, Interlude and Coda)/Postlude (2006-2008), a fusion of minimalist and jazz musical styles partly inspired by the 1970s compositions of composer Steve Reich; and Wolf's Woodwind Quintet #1: For The Borealis (2007), an exploration of woodwind timbre and mood.

The works will be performed by a quartet of Lehman students and staff, the Borealis Wind Quintet, and jazz trombonist Trevor Long. A one-hour show featuring both the concert and interviews with the composers and Prof. Corigliano will air on CUNY-TV later in the spring.

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