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Manhattan, NY — November 21, 2013, at 7 pm, the 50 ninth graders at the newly-opened Special Music School High School will give the world premiere of (S)hort (M)essage (S)ervice: (H)idden (S)igns by pioneering composer, educator and electro-acoustic violist Martha Mooke. This piece for orchestra and chorus “contains old (Morse) code and new (SMS) code at times blatantly, other times more obscurely,” says Mooke, whose inspiration for the piece came when she received an SMS (Short Message Service) text message while pondering the acronym for “Special Music School High School” (SMSHS).

The program also includes Mooke’s Ode to Ganymede (World Premiere) and Quantum for Quartet, plus world premieres of new works by Special Music School High School student composers: Henry Alonso’s Classical Things for Martha Mooke, Julian Galesi’s Got There and a preview of a new piece by Zachary Detrick at the post-concert reception.

(S)hort (M)essage (S)ervice: (H)idden (S)igns was commissioned as part of Composers & Schools in Concert’s Commissions in Concert program, which pairs teen ensembles in grades nine through twelve with professional composers who create a piece specially for them. The ensembles rehearse the piece with the composers and perform the world premiere.

This concert is the culmination of the first ever composer residency at Special Music School High School, a new public school for musically gifted teens that emphasizes improvisation, composition, music technology and contemporary music in addition to building a strong classical foundation. It is unusual among NYC public arts high schools in offering a composition major along with composer residencies that give young musicians the opportunity to work with established composers.

On June 1, 2013 at the Marquette University Varsity Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Composers and Schools in Concert will present the world-premiere performance of a new piece created by composer Geoffrey Gordon for the Milwaukee High School of the Arts Chamber Orchestra and Concert Chorale under the direction of Pablo Amaya III and Raymond Roberts.

When: June 1, 2013
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Marquette University Varsity Theatre
1324 W, Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53201

“I believe that CSIC can make a huge impact in the lives of high school music students. These commissions are just one way that CSIC is working to make a difference,” said Katy Luo, CSIC’s Program Director. If schools are interested in learning more about our commission program or would like to sign up for one, the first step is to visit the CSIC website and submit a registration form.

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Composers and Schools in Concert (CSIC) launched in 2011. Led by CSIC Director Lisa Oman, it is the only organization in the United States dedicated to providing high school age students the opportunity to work with a professional composer. Through music collaborations, students are offered invaluable insight into the career of composition.

The nonprofit organization, Composers and Schools in Concert (CSIC) is hosting their first annual Holiday Benefit Concert on Saturday, December 1, 2012. CSIC invites everyone to come enjoy an eclectic program of music performed by celebrated CSIC board members, student composers, and special guests from the Bay Area music scene. CSIC invites Bay Area music teachers and professional composers to learn about their programs and to discover how composers and schools are working together in support of music education and the creation of new music.

“Our holiday concert represents what our nationwide programs strive to do, which is to have students and composers collaborating together” shared Lisa Oman, Founder. A festive evening is planned with celebrated composers — also representing Composers and Schools’ board members — performing alongside student composers.  Composer-Performers include Steve Horowitz, John Woodall, Katy Luo, Nick Benavides, and Victor Salvo and student composers include Anais Azul and Clark Nichols from John Adams Young Composers Program at The Crowden Music Center. Many special guest artists will also be joining the program including Theresa Wong, Kit Walker, Mariana Ingold, Danny Clay and the Friction Quartet.

All proceeds from the Holiday Benefit Concert will support CSIC’s music education programs. Composers and Schools in Concert is a nationwide nonprofit community arts provider that connects professional composers with youth music programs to promote awareness of contemporary music and to provide students with the opportunity to study the compositional practices of our time.  By bringing composers into the classroom, CSIC strives to deepen students’ overall relationship to the culture of music, introduce composition as a possible career and encourage students to create!

When: December 1, 2012
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Studio 55 Marin 1455 East Francisco Blvd., San Rafael, CA
Info: (916) 248-5541
Tickets are available online by donation only. 
Purchase tickets at www.composersandschools.com

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About Composers and Schools in Concert

Composers and Schools in Concert (CSIC) launched in late 2010 to give high school music students the opportunity to work closely with professional composers.  Led by CSIC Director Lisa Oman, it is the only organization in the United States dedicated to providing high school-age students with the experience of working with a professional composer. Through musical collaborations, students are offered invaluable insight into the career of a professional composer.

On November 15, 2011, Lisa Oman, founder and executive director of Composers and Schools in Concert, (CSIC), fulfilled a personal and organizational goal when she presented a check to Josh Murray, Director of the Rio Americano High music program.

The money was half the ticket sale revenue from CSIC’s premiere event, Commissions in Concert 2011, which was held on October 27th and paired renowned composers with high school music ensembles for a single night of original music. Rio Americano High was one of two high schools on the bill for the world premiere event; the other half of the ticket revenue will go to Berkeley High, which shared the stage. The high schools achieved transformative musical collaborations with acclaimed composers and musicians Christopher Caliendo, Omar Thomas, and Steve Horowitz, and Fred Frith.

CSIC’s mission– to help revive gutted music programs and develop the next generation of American artists, by bringing acclaimed composers into schools for musical collaborations– will only be further accomplished through similar events throughout the country. “One of the primary reasons I launched Composers and Schools in Concert was because I was concerned about diminishing support for school music programs,” says Lisa Oman. She is thrilled to present checks to the Rio Americano and Berkeley High music programs, the direct result of their collaborations and subsequent concert with the composers. “What I want people to get from this is that it really works—composers and schools working together can make money. This event, the commissions, the great new music and the money it raised for these two high schools, is the proof,” says Oman.

Audio recordings of the world-premiere pieces, as well as a video recording of Commissions in Concert 2011, are available online at http://composersandschools.com. A live performance of the Steve Horowitz piece can be heard on December 15, 2011 at 7:00 PM PDT at Hertz Hall on the University of California, Berkeley campus performed by the Berkeley High Concert Orchestra.

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