Gemma New back for HPO closer
Chalk up another award for Gemma New.
The HPO music director was one of 10 recipients of a 2019 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, her second such award since 2017. The mission of the foundation, named in honour of the late Hungarian-born conductor Georg Solti, is to support and encourage young American conductors at the beginning of their careers.
“I plan to use this award to pursue career development in both symphonic and operatic conducting,” wrote New to The Spec adding that she was not at liberty to reveal the amount of the award. The New Zealandborn, U.S.-based New is also resident conductor at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and music director of its youth orchestra, and will be principal guest conductor at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra next season.
On Saturday, May 11, New will lead an 84-member HPO at its mainstage season closer in FirstOntario Concert Hall. The bill consists of “Orion” by the late Canadian composer Claude Vivier, and Gustav Mahler’s mighty “Symphony no. 5.”
“This program will be a magnificent finale to our season, where our musicians’ talents shine on full display, and the music drips with fantasy and drama, the ultimate adventure,” gushed New.
This will be New’s first crack at Mahler’s “Fifth.” Less than two weeks later, she’ll be tackling some other works for the first time with a 17-member HPO at the season closing instalment of their Intimate & Immersive series on Thursday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cotton Factory, 270 Sherman Ave. N.
Hamilton native Liam Ritz recently composed “Chamber Dances” as part of his six-month term as the HPO’s first ever composer fellow.
“Hailing from Hamilton, Liam impressed us with his materials when we were seeking an HPO composer fellow for this season,” wrote New. “This is an HPO commission. It will be a première performance. In this piece, the instrumental lines ‘dance’ and interact with each other in differing roles ranging from supportive, reactive, imitative, and combative.”
American composer Chris Cerrone’s 20-minute song cycle on texts by Kay Ryan, “The Pieces that Fall to Earth,” was commissioned by the L.A. Philharmonic and premièred by them with soprano Hila Plitmann under John Adams in 2015.
“I fell in love with this piece as cover conductor for John Adams at the L.A. Philharmonic and I have been wanting to program it ever since,” wrote New. “I was struck by the beauty of the music, and how the meaning of the text jumped out so viscerally from both the soprano and the orchestra.”
Carla Huhtanen is the scheduled soprano soloist in the Cerrone.
Canadian composer Zosha di Castri’s “Cortège” was premièred at the 2010 Acanthes Festival in France. According to New, “‘Cortège’ gives the perfect colour palette, swinging between cool calm and swirling, luminous action.”
In his program notes to his eight-minute “God Save the Human Cannonball” from 2009, Montréal-born composer Paul Frehner wrote that, “In this piece I’m trying to musically capture the thrill of being blasted from a cannon, flying through the air and having a feathery-light landing.”
Tickets for Intimate & Immersive are $25. Call 905-526-7756 or visit www.hpo.org.
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Friday, May 3 from 1 to 2 p.m., the Hamilton Public Library’s Central Branch, 55 York Blvd., launches the Hamilton Music Archives in the Hamilton Room, 1st floor. Collections from Opera Hamilton, Hamilton Savoyard Operatic Society, Royal Hamilton College of Music, September Seventh Entertainment Ltd., Hamilton Opera Company, Hamilton Musical Arts Society, and the Royal Court Entertainers. Guest speaker: Spec music editor Graham Rockingham. Musical guests from noon to 12:30 p.m.: HPO’s Horn Duo. Music movie at 2 p.m.: “Rush: Time Machine.” Call 905-546-3200.
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Saturday, May 4 from noon to 4 p.m. and Sunday, May 5 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Church of the Ascension, 64 Forest Ave., the Hamilton Centre of the Royal Canadian College of Organists, coincident with Doors Open Hamilton, presents a “Great Bach-a-Thon” featuring 23 local musicians including organists Richard Hansen, William Renwick, Chris Hunt, John Laing, Michael Bloss, Fred DeVries, Simon Walker, Simon Irving and Janice Beninger in the music of J.S. Bach. Free admission.
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Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m. in MacNeill Baptist, 1145 King St. W., Laurel Forshaw and the Strata Vocal ensemble present “What Is Love?” Program: Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs,” on texts by the aforementioned Ms. Plitmann, with violinist Cecilia Chang and pianist Timothy Lo, plus works by Chatman, Debussy, Rusby, Rutter, Sirett, and others. Tickets: $20, under 35 $10.