2007 Earplay
Donald Aird
International Composers Competition
Application
San Francisco: Earplay announces the winning composition of the 2007 EARPLAY DONALD AIRD MEMORIAL COMPOSERS COMPETITION. Trio Wortschatten by Hèctor Parra Esteve (Spain) is the winning composition and carries a $1,000.00 cash prize with a performance during Earplay’s 23nd season. The violin, cello, and piano composition was selected from 169 entries from 27 countries by a panel of composers and performers specializing in contemporary chamber music. The panelists also selected six finalist compositions: Trio (d’après Schoenberg) by Patricia Alessandrini (U.S.); Balladei by Christopher Bailey (U.S.); Vortici by Allesandra Bellino (Italy); Trio: Fantasy in 5 Parts on Fumeux Fume of Solage by Christopher Dietz (U.S.), Agitato Intenso by José-Luis Hurtado (Mexico), and Aftertouch by Vera Ivanova (Russia-U.S.) Earplay’s conductor, Mary Chun observes about the winning composition, The aching beauty and complex lyricism of Hèctor Parra’s Trio Wortschatten can be heard as a melding of Schoenberg with Debussy and a 21st century twist.
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Trio Wortschatten (2004) by Hèctor Parra (Spain) contrasts two musical flows with the violin and cello propelling the musical action with the piano creating the harmonic space. Later in the work the roles reverse and the piano is more assertive with percussive action.
Hèctor Parra (Barcelona, 1976) studied in the Conservatorium of Barcelona and later studied composition with David Padros, Brian Ferneyhough and Jonathan Harvey, as well as with Michael Jarrell at the Haute École de Musique in Geneva. He received a Master in Composition from the Paris-VIII University, Annual Cursus on Composition at Ircam and Post-Cursus in the CNSMD Lyon.
Hèctor Parra has received commissions from the French government, the Ircam-Centre Pompidou, the Spanish Ministry of Culture as well as the Berlin Academy of Arts, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Strasbourg Festival and Klangforum Wien among others.
Ensembles that have performed his work include The Ensemble Intercontemporain, the Arditti Quartet, Ensemble Recherche, Musikfabrik, the Philarmonic Orchestra of Liège, National Orchestra of Ile-de-France and Holland Symfonia have premiered his work at the international festivals of Lucerne, Avignon, Agora-Ircam, Stuttgart Opera House, Philharmonie Luxembourg,Strasbourg, San Sebastián and Berlin to name a few.
In 2005 he was unanimously awarded the “Tremplin Prize” given by the Ensemble Intercontemporain and was finalist in the International Gaudeamus Competition. In 2002 he won the “INAEM Prize for Musical Composition” (The National Institute for Performing Art s and Music of Spain). Editorial Tritó publishes his music. Currently, he is professor of Electro-Acoustic Composition at the Conservatorium of Zaragoza (Spain) and composer in research at Ircam in Paris.
Past Earplay Donald Aird Memorial Competition winners:
Massimo Lauricella (2001)
Shintaro Imai (2001)
Christophe Bertrand (2002)
João Pedro Oliveira (2003)
Vincent Chee-Yung Ho (2004)
Fredrik Fahlman (2005)
Mitru Escalona-Mijares (2006)
Earplay concerts feature the Earplayers, a group of seven outstanding Bay Area artists who, as a group, have developed a lyrical and ferocious style. Led by Conductor Mary Chun, theEarplayers are: Tod Brody, flute and piccolo; Peter Josheff, clarinet and bass clarinet; Terrie Baune, violin; Ellen Ruth Rose, viola; Thalia Moore, cello, and Karen Rosenak, piano.
Founded in 1985 by a consortium of composers and musicians, Earplay is
dedicated to the performance of new chamber music offering audiences a unique
opportunity to hear eloquent, vivid performances of some of today's finest chamber
music. For more information, please visit www.earplay.org.
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