Pierre Jalbert and Marcus Maroney Take Copland House

Less than one hour north of New York City is "a dwelling of particular historical interest" (The New York Post) -- the home where Aaron Copland lived from 1960 until his death in 1990. Copland is one of the most celebrated and influential American composers.

Aaron Copland was born in November 1900 in Brooklyn. He performed his first public performance as a pianist when he was 17 years old. In 1925, Copland performed his first major orchestral work, Symphony for Organ and Orchestra at Aeolian Hall. He's best known for his groundbreaking ballet scores, Billy the Kid, Rodeo, and Fanfare for the Common Man.

The Copland House serves as an artist retreat. "It's a wonderfully quiet and simple place, surrounded by trees, near the Hudson River, about 30 miles north of New York City," Pierre Jalbert said. "It's a great place for reflection and work." 

 Pierre Jalbert

Musiqa co-founder and composer Pierre Jalbert's first retreat at the Copland House was in 2000. Jalbert expected his recent time there to be quiet, productive, and free from distractions, just as he experienced it the first time around. 

"My time there turned out to be productive, but very different from my first time there," Jalbert said. "Back in 2000, I was under a deadline to finish a piece, and it was in June when the concert season is over, so I spent most of my time at the house working/composing." During that time, the concert season was in full swing, so Jalbert attended many of them and met with several people in the music industry.

Every year, about eight composers are selected to stay at the Copland House, one at a time. Its support for composers includes all-expenses-paid residencies; post residency awards and performances that further advance their work; fiscal sponsorships; and composer commissions.

"This residency is all about doing your creative work," said Jalbert. "Other residencies I've done, such as with orchestras, usually involve a busy schedule of rehearsals and concerts. There was an education component to this residency too, as I did some master classes at one of the local music schools."

During Jalbert's 2013 residency, he developed a relationship with Copland House’s Artistic and Executive Director Michael Boriskin, an internationally-active pianist and prolific recording artist, when he first stayed there 13 years ago. "They have an ensemble in residence, music from Copland House, and I've worked with the ensemble a number of times over the years,” said Jalbert. Boriskin and Jalbert are currently working on a CD project together.

Marcus Karl Maroney

Musiqa’s Artistic Board member and composer Marcus Karl Maroney also served as an artist-in-residence at the Copland House. Before his first residency in 2004-05, Maroney worked as a legal assistant at a law firm.

“My first residency came at a point when I was deciding whether or not to continue composing, a real crisis point in my career,” said Maroney. “I was considering law school, but gave one last final “push” of applications to various organizations, including the Copland House. Fortunately, several of the applications happened to pan out, which reignited my drive to compose and teach.”

During his first residency at the Copland House, Maroney was notified that he’d been chosen as a finalist for a position at the University of Houston. However, he couldn’t go to the interview until the last week of his residency.

“Of course I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a great job at a great school,” Maroney said. On the second to last day of his Copland House residency, Maroney was travelling to a concert in New York City.  “I got the offer from David White,” he said. “It was an excellent exclamation point on a very productive residency.”

Maroney stated that during his second residency, his life was more stable, while he was “in a state of flux” during his first. Maroney feels that these two moods can be seen in the pieces he worked on during his stay.

Since Maroney went to graduate school and taught in the general area of the Copland House, the residencies gave him a great chance to reconnect with schoolmates who stayed in the Tristate area and made great strides in their careers. “In turn, they introduced me to new performers and organizations in and around New York City and New Haven, and I’ve put them in contact with individuals and organizations here in Texas,” said Maroney.

This summer, Maroney plans to travel around the country for various performances. He has two small chamber commissions to complete and several scores to edit. Jalbert will be headed to Maine for the Seal Bay Music Festival in June and to San Antonio in July for a few performances. In August, Jalbert plans to go to Tanglewood, where his son will be playing clarinet in the orchestra for the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) program. The BUTI program is recognized internationally as the premiere summer training program for aspiring high school-age musicians.

Written by Mia M. Smith

Musiqa's Artistic Director Anthony Brandt on Deep Sky Objects

Anthony Brandt, Musiqa's Artistic Director, took the time to answer some questions about Musiqa's season opening concert, Deep Sky Objects, which will take place at the Hobby Center on September 22.

Could you please explain the theme of the concert Deep Sky Objects and the artistic elements of music, poetry and dance it weaves together?

In Deep Sky Objects, as in all Musiqa concerts, contemporary artforms mix. Our guest composer Sebastian Currier, author Sarah Manguso and choreographer Tina Bohnstedt and the dancers of Houston Ballet II are coming together with us to create a truly special evening highlighted by exceptional, world-class performances.

Musiqa received a grant to commission the musical work Deep Sky Objects* as a world premiere. Why did Musiqa select Sebastian Currier to create the commission?

Several years ago, Musiqa performed Sebastian’s Verge on one of our Downtown Series concerts. As our Artistic Board weighed whom we wanted to approach for a commission, we were all drawn to Sebastian’s electrifying writing.

Sebastian is an internationally acclaimed composer. What are some of his accomplishments in the world of music?

There isn’t a Nobel Prize in Music Composition but the closest thing is the Grawemeyer Award, an annual international award. Sebastian won the Grawemeyer in 2007, joining a very elite group of composers. His work has been championed by the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Berlin Philharmonic. Sebastian has written for some of the world’s great ensembles; we’re thrilled he’s written a piece for us.

About Sebastian's collaboration with Sarah Manguso for the libretto; have they worked together before?

Sebastian and Sarah are longtime friends but this work represents their first collaboration. They so much enjoyed working together on this piece that they collaborated again on Sleepers and Dreamers, a work for orchestra and chorus that was recently premiered to great acclaim in Chicago.

A noted author and a poet, Sarah wrote the lyrics for Deep Sky Objects as a tale of intergalactic romance. Can you tell us a little about the story?

After 35 years of traveling through space, Voyager 1 is about to become the first human-made object to leave our solar system. The distance it has traveled is unimaginable—it will take it another 10,000 years to reach the nearest star. Sarah’s poetry movingly captures the immensity of these distances and the questions we all ask when we contemplate it. The libretto begins close to Earth—with satellite, clouds and storm—and gradually moves further and further away, eventually reaching out to the far corners of space.

What is it about the instrumentation and vocals of Deep Sky Objects that make it unique?

To suggest a dialogue between the earthly and the celestial, Sebastian had the interesting idea of juxtaposing soprano voice and piano quintet—an ensemble rooted in the classical tradition—with electronic samples inspired by 1950s science fiction soundtracks. The synchronization of live and electronic is quite intricate and the blends it creates very unique.

The second world premiere on the concert is a ballet commissioned from the Houston Ballet. Ballet master Tina Bohnstedt is choreographing the dance to two works by Sebastian Currier. What will the audience be able to expect?

The dance will be brilliant, and we have the special privilege of having the composer present at the premiere. Tina has chosen two movements from Sebastian’s Quartetset for string quartet: Divided and Scatter-brained. The Houston Ballet’s Nathan Haworth is doing the lighting.

The concert also features Secret Alchemy by Musiqa composer Pierre Jalbert and works by contemporary composer Lera Auerbach. How do these works reflect the theme of the concert?

Musiqa’s Pierre Jalbert has written a substantial body of chamber music: he received the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's prestigious Stoeger Prize for Chamber Music several years ago, among his many other awards. His Secret Alchemy likens the creative process to the methods of a medieval chemist. Lera Auerbach is a dynamic, Russian-born composer whose music has been performed by the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra and numerous ensembles worldwide. Selections from her fiery and evocative violin and piano preludes open the concert.

Thank you, Tony, for this insightful commentary on Musiqa's upcoming concert.

*This commission has been made possible by the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program, with generous funding provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund.