Starry Piano Quintet on Horizon for Reno Philharmonic Members

Astronomer and poet Tony Berendsen has commissioned a new piano quintet by composer Stephanie Ann Boyd for members of the Reno Philharmonic, to based on his poem “Oh How We Wonder”. The piece will be premiered this summer in Reno, Nevada, and Lake Tahoe, California.

Ann Arbor, United States – May 24, 2017 /PressCable/ —

Cosmos Inspires New Words and New Music

Astronomer and poet Tony Berendsen has commissioned a new piano quintet by composer Stephanie Ann Boyd for members of the Reno Philharmonic. This is Berendsen’s second commission from New York City-based Boyd. The piece will be premiered this summer in Reno, Nevada, and at The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, California.

The new, three-movement piano quintet is based on Berendsen’s poem “Oh How We Wonder”, and will involve musicians from the Reno Philharmonic playing as the string quartet Accent. Berendsen often writes poems about the stars, affectionately known as “poastromy”. His immense love of the stars began at eight with the gift of a telescope and today he is the owner of Tahoe Star Tours, which operates in Nevada and California.

“I’m so eager to work with Tony again on this project”, Boyd said. “His words and thoughts spin themselves into such striking verbal imagery that I feel like I’m simply translating his work into another language when I write music inspired by it; the music is already there.” Boyd’s previous piece for Berendsen, Astrum Agri, was based on his poem “Without Them”, and was commissioned last year. It premiered in August 2016.

Stephanie Ann Boyd endeavors to write music that brings whimsical worlds to life, that is meaningful to audience and performer alike, and that refreshes and strengthens the creative spirit. Stephanie’s 2016/2017 season included the premieres of Tekton, a cello concerto for Alan Toda-Ambaras and the Eureka Orchestra; Rituum, a bassoon concerto commissioned by Eric Tyler Barga and performed by Andrew Marlin and the Cincinnati Soundbox Orchestra; other commissions included a co-commission involving 50 violinists across America and a solo sonata for bass trombone. Other recent highlights involved co-directing the Tuesday Night New Music concert series, winning New England Conservatory’s Donald Martino Prize for Excellence in Composition, being chosen as the NEC/Boston Modern Orchestra Project Competition winner, and having her violin concerto premiered in Jordan Hall by recent Michael Hill International Competition prize-winner Eunae Koh under the baton of Australian conductor Nathan Aspinall.

More about Tony Berendsen can be found at http://www.tahoestartours.com/

More about Stephanie Ann Boyd can be found at http://stephanieannboyd.com

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Source: PressCable

Release ID: 202393