Judith Shatin

World Premiere of Kassia at Pittsburgh's August Wilson Center
2022-05-21 14:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | August Wilson Center, 980 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA, 15222, United States
After two Covid-related postponement, the Kassia Ensemble will present a video premiere of Kassia, their first commission for their entire ensemble of clarinet, harp and string quintet. Kassia was inspired by the ensemble’s namesake, the 9th-century Byzantine Abbess, poet and hymnographer, and likely the first woman whose music has survived until now. There are references to motifs from two of her major chants, as well as nods to rhythmic shapes in their poetry, though the final piece is a meditation on the spiritual life in both its soaring meditations and challenges. For more information, visit here. The video will be presented prior to the performance of Missy Mazzoli’s opera Song From The Uproar at the August Wilson Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

YIVO Presents Live Concert Premiere (+ Livestream) of unter soreles wigele (Under Sarah's Cradle)
2022-05-18 19:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY, 10011, United States
unter soreles wigele (Under Sarah”s Cradle) is a setting of a traditional Yiddish poem that plays on the folk melody associated with it, but in a contemporary context. It was commissioned by YIVO, Institute for Jewish Research as part of their project Continuing Evolution: Yiddish Folksong Today. It was first presented by YIVO as a digital premiere on 6/30/2019 with Annie Rosen, mezzo and Daniel, Schlosberg, piano. You can find their performance here at 4:09. The live concert premiere will be by members of the Bard Graduate Vocal Arts Program at the Center for Jewish History. In addition to the live performance, you can register to view the performance online here.YIVO’s Continuing Evolution: Yiddish Folksong Today is a music festival celebrating Yiddish folksong. The festival includes premieres of contemporary classical works reimagining Yiddish folksongs; classic compositions which engage with Yiddish folksongs; little-known settings of Yiddish folksongs from YIVO’s archival collections; discussions of archival work related to the study and preservation of Yiddish folksong; and performances by contemporary artists engaged with Yiddish folksong.

Da Capo Chamber Players Perform Gregor's Dream at Merkin Hall in NYC
2022-05-10 20:00 - 22:00 (America/New_York) | Merkin Hall – Kaufman Music Center, 129 W 67th St., New York, NY, 10023, United States
Bridging Styles
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David Sanford – New work
Jason Eckardt – Rendition (new complexity)
Judith Shatin – Gregor’s Dream (amplified piano trio with electronics)
Elliott Carter – Con leggerezza pensosa (old complexity)
Steve Reich – Double Sextet (minimalism)
Da Capo Chamber Players perform Gregor’s Dream, scored for amplified piano trio and electronics, as part of their 50th Anniversary Season!

Gregor’s Dream, for amplified piano trio and stereo electronics, was commissioned by the Atar Trio for their project Dream within a Dream. It was inspired by Kafka’s Metamorphosis, where Gregor Samsa wakes from an anxious dream to find himself transformed into a bug. I fashioned the electronics from field recordings shared by bioacousticians Martin Brandstetter, Jayne Yack and Amanada Lindeman. Fear of the ‘other’ permeates the tale and is a crucial reminder in our tribalistic times. The Atar Trio toured Gregor’s Dream in America and Israel, while other performances include those at the Aspen Music Festival, the International Computer Music Festival in Daegu KOR, and the at Trinity Chapel, Trinity College Dublin where it was performed by the Kirkos Ensemble on a program of the IAWM.

Judith Featured on Composers Now Impact Series Digital Premiere
2022-05-05 12:00 - 12:35 (America/New_York) | NY
You can join the livestream for the world premiere of Judith’s segment on the Composers Now Impact Series and hear her talk about her music as well as share some performance videos. She will be in the chat during the premiere to answer questions. This talk focuses on responding to the challenges and events of the world around us. While not all of her music does so, it is an important thread, especially now.

Pianist Ann DuHamel Performs Plain Song at U MN (Morris) + Livestream
2022-04-24 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | HFA Recital Hall, University of Minnesota Morris, 600 East 4th Street, Morris, MN, United States
Livestream is here!
Pianist Ann DuHamel performs Plain Song on her program Prayers for a Feverish Planet – Multi-day Musical Series at the University of Minnsota Morris. Plain Song is scored for amplified piano and electronics fashioned from Charles Wright’s readings of four of his poems from his collection Caribou. These poems deal with loss and death, and at the same time, with gratitude and life. The movements are

Plain Song
Lullaby
Shadow and Smoke
Tutta Gloria

I am grateful to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC, for permission to use these four poems: “Plain Song,” “Lullaby,” “Shadow and Smoke” and “I’ve Been Sitting Here Thinking Back Over My Life.”
For more information, visit the composition page.

I-Jen Fang's Performance of Adventure on Mt. Hehuan on Earth Day Art Model Telematic 24-Hour Festival 2022
2022-04-22 06:00 - 06:10 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis, 535 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN 46202, IN, United States
The video of I-Jen Fang’s performance of Adventure on Mt. Hehuan, with live electronics by Judith Shatin, will be presented as part of the Earth Day Art Model Festival 2022 on April 22 at 1:00 a.m.. EST. This global telematic arts event is held annually in recognition of International Earth Day. It is organized by Scott Deal and presented at the Donald Louis Tavel Arts and Technology Research Center of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. The Festival begins at 0:00 UTC, 8:00 p.m. EDT, and runs for 24 hours, with a fantastic array of performances. Here is the link to the event.

Illinois Wesleyan University Collegiate Chorale Premieres La Frontera
2022-04-10 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Asbury United Methodist Church, 196 S Harrison Ave # 1, Kankakee, IL, 60901, United States
Conductor J. Scott Ferguson and the Illinois Wesleyan University Collegiate Choir are participating in the premiere season of La Frontera (The Border). This is a setting of a poem written by an undocumented immigrant youth imprisoned in an American maximum security detention center. Full program notes and free access to the score are available here. I was moved to set this poem to music both to bear witness to the problem and to help bring more attention to issues of immigration. We need comprehensive immigration reform and we need it now! The struggles of immigrants are all too vivid, both today and throughout our history.

Ayn Balija Gives World Premiere of Rising on the Wings of Dawn for Viola
2022-03-27 15:30 - 17:30 (America/New_York) | Old Cabell Hall, Room B018, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, United States
Rising on the Wings of Dawn is an image from Psalm 139 which inspired this solo piece. It received its world premiere performance by violinist Wanchi, and I created the new version for viola in close consultation with violist Ayn Balija.I have been partial to this psalm for some time and created another piece inspired by it for soprano and organ called And Night Will Shine As Day. It seemed especially apt to return to its comforting images while the Covid pandemic was raging and we were in a time of great sorrow. Psalm 139 speaks of the intimacy of being known by God through these metaphors. I composed Rising on the Wings of Dawn with a rising shape in its structure, including melodic design, type of flow, and prominent harmonics. The overtone series itself creates a magical vibration as the fundamental and harmonics create a glowing shimmer.

Ayn Balija Premieres Rising on the Wings of Dawn for Viola
2022-03-10 18:00 - 19:30 (Europe/Budapest) | Liszt Hall at the University of Pécs, Zsolnay Vilmos u. 39, Pécs, 7630
Rising on the Wings of Dawn is an image from Psalm 139 which inspired this solo piece. It received its world premiere performance by violinist Wanchi, and I created the new version for viola in close consultation with violist Ayn Balija for this premiere.
I have been partial to this psalm for some time and created another piece inspired by it for soprano and organ called And Night Will Shine As Day. It seemed especially apt to return to its comforting images while the Covid pandemic was raging and we were in a time of great sorrow. Psalm 139 speaks of the intimacy of being known by God through these metaphors. I composed Rising on the Wings of Dawn with a rising shape in its structure, including melodic design, type of flow, and prominent harmonics. The overtone series itself creates a magical vibration as the fundamental and harmonics create a glowing shimmer.

Conversation between Judith and Musicologist/Rabbi-Cantor Marsha Dubrow
2022-03-08 12:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
A wide-ranging conversation between Judith and musicologist/Rabbi Cantor Marsha Dubrow will be featured on ‘Conversations on Zoom’ (COZ), a weekly project of the International Forum for Jewish Music Studies (IFJMS).The focus will be on Judith’s life in music, including her Jewish-themed music as well as her bridging of acoustic and digital worlds, motivations and explorations.

Saxophonist Susan Fancher Performs Penelope's Song
2022-02-26 19:30 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
Saxophonist Susan Fancher performs Penelope”s Song in the version of soprano sax and electronics on the Shockingly Modern Saxophone Festival at Augustana College. One of Shatin”s most popular pieces, it has been recorded multiple times, including on Fancher”s CD In Two Worlds. If you can”t attend, you can listen right now!

Violinist Wanchi premieres Rising on the Wings of Dawn
2022-02-24 19:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
Rising on the Wings of Dawn was inspired by the portion of Psalm 139 that sings of the ubiquity of God, present all around us. This solo violin piece embodies the metaphor of rising both in the rising arc of the melody, moving from the low edge to the stratosphere. It was originally composed for Wendy Chase, on whose CD Tiger & Clover it will appear on the Blue Griffin label. Wanchi is giving the premiere performance. She will be joined by pianist Lori Piitz on her recital.

Da Capo Chamber Players Performs Spring Tides
2022-02-10 20:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
Spring Tides, scored for amplified Pierrot Ensemble and interactive electronics, was inspired by biannual addition of the gravitational pull of the sun and moon, causing the strongest pull. These are embodied in the ebb and flow of the electronics and of the instruments on each other. Spring Tides was composed for Da Capo Chamber Players who are including it in their Bridging Styles program on their 50th Anniversary season.

The LA Master Chorale Premieres La Frontera
2022-01-30 19:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
The LA Master Chorale premieres La Frontera on their program “City Called Heaven.” La Frontera (The Border) is a setting of a poem by that name for SATB Chorus and piano. The poem, drawn from the collection Dreaming America, was written by an undocumented immigrant youth held in an American maximum security detention center. These poems resulted from workshops by poet Seth Michelson. Given the extraordinary cruelty and tragedy of the treatment of immigrants, I was moved to set this poem to music both to bear witness to the problem and to help bring more attention to the issues of immigration. Learn more about the piece here and about the Cair Coalition and their program to help immigrant children and adults here.

Kassia Ensemble premieres Kassia: Postponed due to COVID
2022-01-22 19:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
The Kassia Ensemble commissioned Kassia, the first piece for their entire ensemble of clarinet harp and string quintet. Kassia was inspired by the fascinating 9th-Century abbess, pet and hymnographer, who is the only woman whose music is included in the Eastern Orthodox Church liturgy, and likely the first woman whose music has survived until now.

Conversation with Marsha Dubrow on COZ, International Forum for Jewish Music Studies (IFJMS)
2022-01-18 13:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
Judith will have a conversation about her music with musicologist and Cantor Marsha Dubrow on COZ (Conversations on Zoom), a project of the International Forum for Jewish Music Studies. The focus will be on her music on Jewish themes, as well as her integration of acoustic and digital media and her continued work in both. Link will be available soon.

Respecting the First (Amendment)
2022-01-14 - 2022-02-14 | NY
Given the increased attacks on the first amendment, I was especially pleased with the commission from Barbara Day Turner, the intrepid conductor of the San Jose Chamber Orchestra, for a new piece for string orchestra and electronics inspired by this topic, which I first broached in a composition for the Cassatt String Quartet. When the COVID pandemic caused the cancellation of the premiere, the orchestra created a virtual recording and I worked with animator/designer Jonah Tobias to create a video to partner with it. The five freedoms guaranteed by this amendment are as crucial as ever, though questions as to its limits continue to arise. You can listen here. For more information, visit the composition page.

Percussionist I-Jen Fang Premieres Adventure on Mt. Hehuan
2021-11-18 20:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
Brilliant percussionist I-Jen Fang will premiere Adventure on Mt. Hehuan (Mountain of Joy in Chinese) on annual TechnoSonics Festival at UVA. Scored for solo bass drum and optional interactive electronics, the expansive timbral world resulted from intensive and exhilarating exploration of the bass drum with Prof. Fang. The MAX patch was created by composer/technologist Max Tfirn in consultation with me. The explorations in both domains reflect my abiding study of, and intense reaction to, the timbral qualities and transformations of both the acoustic and digital worlds.

Presentation for the Houston Tuesday Musical Club: The Sounds that Inspire
2021-11-16 13:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
Judith will give a presentation on her music to the Houston Tuesday Musical Club, combining commentary about her work with examples, drawn from both acoustic and electroacoustic media. She will focus on sources of sonic inspiration and match those with the ideas and sounds that result.

Respecting the First (Amendment) World Premiere & More!
2021-11-14 19:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
The San José Chamber Orchestra is presenting the world premiere of Respecting the First (Amendment) in a special video format on Monday 11/14 at 7:00 p.m. EST. In addition to the music, a video was created to partner with it. I was the directory and producer, working with designer and animator Jonah Tobias. Conductor Barbara Day Turner, Jonah Tobias and I give a brief discussion prior to the video performance. We are grateful to the Maben-Hammon Family whose generous contribution helped bring this project to fruition.
Offered as a public gift, Respecting the First (Amendment) is available at the link below for streaming on-demand from the premiere on Sunday November 14 at 7 pm EST through Monday, December 13 at 7 pm EST. Send comments and/or questions via the email link below during the premiere or at any time during the month it will remain available.
https://vimeo.com/643096054/f90be04e3b
RespectingTheFirst@gmail.com

Adonai Ro'i (Psalm 23)
2021-11-12 20:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
The University Singers, conducted by Michael Slon, will perform Adonai Ro”i, my setting of Psalm 23, for a cappella chorus, on their fall concert celebrating Women at UVA and 50 years of Co-education. Published by Hal Leonard on Judith Clurman”s Music of the Spirit Series, and recording on her Divine Grandeur CD, it has been performed across the country by numerous choruses. If you would like to hear it in advance, a scrolling score and recording is available here.

Adonai Ro'i (Psalm 23) Virtual Recording
2021-11-11 12:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
The University Singers, conducted by Michael Slon, made this virtual recording of Adonai Ro”i, my setting of Psalm 23, during the COVID Pandemic. It is now live here. Published by Hal Leonard on Judith Clurman”s Music of the Spirit Series, and recording on her Divine Grandeur CD, it has been performed across the country by numerous choruses. If you would like to hear it in advance, a scrolling score and recording is available here.

Zipper Music for 2 Zipper Players & 2 Controllers
2021-11-09 20:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
Zipper Music Quartet is part of my Quotidian Series, inspired by the sounds around us that we often ignore. In this case, I was fiddling with a zipper on my vest and noticed the fascinating variety of timbres and rhythmic patterns that I could create. I decided create a piece for amplified zipper players and interactive electronics. This score allows from two to as many zipper players as equipment will allow. Also, there can be 1 MIDI controller for the entire ensemble or, as in this case, 1 controller per zipper player. The latter provides a more robust interactive timbral counterpoint.
Composer/technologist/performer Max Tfirn created the Max patch in consultation with me, a process with a great deal of delightful experimentation and I am delighted that he is performing with his Electronic Music Ensemble at Christopher Newport University. As is the case with other pieces in this series, the graphic notation is accessible to those without training in traditional musical notation. Instead, the notation I developed requires attention to the typical parameters of music, such as types of gestures, density, timbre and collaboration.

Backstory II with Flutist Lindsey Goodman in Conversation & Performance
2021-11-01 19:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
Flutist extraordinaire Lindsey Goodman joins Judith for Backstory II: a conversation about composing for flute, focusing on two pieces, For the Fallen and Penelope”s Song. Lindsey has recorded both of them, and Judith, as a flutist in her early years, has lots to say about creating for this instrument and about these particular pieces. You”ll also experience Lindsey”s compelling performances of both! Join us on YouTube, where you”ll be able to chat with us both during the discussion and performances.

Cellist Adam Hall performs For the Birds
2021-10-09 19:30 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
When I composed For the Birds, I did not realize the terrible number of birds dying due to habitat destruction, building hits and climate change. In the years since, the problem has further worsened. I wanted to remind us of the extraordinary beauty and variety of birdsong, in this case of the Yellowstone Region, a favorite locale of cellist Madeleine Shapiro who commissioned the piece and recorded it on her “Sounds Nature” CD. Joining of the voices of the birds to those of the cello speaks to the transformative power of music, and remind us of the intertwining of our lives with those of the animals we live among. I am grateful to naturalist Kevin Colver who kindly shared his excellent recordings as source material.

Chai Variations on Eliahu HaNavi: Backstory & Digital Premiere with Judith Shatin & pianist Nathan Carterette
2021-08-29 19:30 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
To join us for this special premiere, log onto YouTube here. Extraordinary pianist Nathan Carterette joined me to discuss the piece. As the composer, I found his thoughts captivating. He referenced both the Biblical Elijah as well as the challenge of deciding on the ordering of the 18 variations. There is a lot of back and forth as we delve into the background of the piece, its meaning to each of us, and my decision to empower the performer to participate directly in the composition”s shape. You can order Poets of the Piano: Acts of Faith here. And you can find out more about the piece and order it here.

Chai Variations on Eliahu HaNavi: Backstory & Digital Premiere with Judith Shatin & pianist Nathan Carterette (Copy)
2021-08-29 19:30 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY

Shatin & the Flute: Interview in the Flute Examiner
2021-08-25 22:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
This in-depth interview in the Flute Examiner covers a lot of territory: Judith”s call to a life in music; her inspirations, commissioning process, advice to young composers and much more! Flute and piano, both of the instruments she studied as a child, have both remained central to her and figure in a large body of her music. Further, her collaborations with flutists, including Lindsey Goodman, Patricia Spencer, Renee Siebert and Julia Bogorad, all enriched her understanding of the instrument, as did her own experimentation and exploration of the ever-expanding repertoire. Her flute music has been performed and recorded by Lindsey Goodman, Patricia Spencer, and Laurel Zucker while performances also include Mehrdad Gholami”s interpretation of Ruah at the Aspen Music Festival. Judith, together with composer Timothy Vincent Clark, was also instrumental in the creation of The American Flute, a volume with an array of contemporary pieces for adventuresome high school and college students.

Aspen Contemporary Ensemble plays Secret Ground
2021-08-10 18:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
The Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, directed by Timothy Weiss, performs Secret Ground at the Aspen Art Museum on August 10 at 6:00 p.m. Secret Ground was inspired by Martin Buber’s I and Thou, and its title is a quote from that source. To me, it suggested both the exploration of reciprocal relationships among the members of the quartet, and the notion of the intense presence of music, the vitality of communication in the moment. The title also refers to the traditional musical notion of the “ground,” a repeating bass line that weaves the structure together. Here, the “ground” is more hidden, and refers to the underlying pitch structure around which the four instrumental parts are built. Secret Ground was recorded by Da Capo Chamber Players on Dreamtigers, a portrait CD of Shatin”s chamber music.

Violist Patricia McCarty performs Penelope's Song
2021-06-26 19:00 - 23:50 (America/New_York) | NY
Violist Patricia McCarty performs Penelope”s Song in the original version for amplified viola and electronics made from processing recordings of Charlottesville-based weaver Jan Russell at the beautiful Keene Arts Center in Keene, NY. Penelope”s Song was inspired by the Odyssey, but focuses on Penelope, Queen of Ithaca, left to fend off would-be suitors and manage as best she could while Ulysses fought in the Trojan War and was then waylaid for another decade after evoking the wrath of Poseidon. She used craft and fortitude that is barely touched on in the telling of the story, and I wanted to respond by focusing on the telling of her weaving by day and unravelling by night as she staved of suitors who would be king. You will find more info here. Other versions of Penelope”s Song, are also available, as are recordings of the versions for flute, soprano sax and clarinet.
