Meet the 2015 Cone Institute composers

Get to know the exciting emerging composers of the 2015 NJSO Edward T. Cone Composition Institute before the NJSO performs their works on a special concert on July 16 at the Richardson Auditorium in Princeton.

Read exclusive Q&As with Shuying Li, Brendan Faegre, Luke Carlson, and Reinaldo Moya!

Composer bios and program notes

Luke Carlson

The Philadelphia Inquirer has called the music of composer and conductor Luke Carlson “magical” and “otherworldly;” The New York Times has called Carlson’s work “personal and strong.” His compositions have garnered multiple honors, including first prize in the 2014 MACRO competition and multiple prizes from Network for New Music; he was a composition fellow at the 2013 Aspen Music Festival. He received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and currently lives in Philadelphia. www.lukecarlsonmusic.com

Carlson’s Institute composition, The Burnished Tide, is the recipient of the 2013 Druckman Prize, a commission from the Aspen Music Festival that premiered in the summer of 2014 under the direction of Robert Spano. Carlson says: “Wanting to compose a work of continuous energy and vibrancy, I took my inspiration from the idea of a visual artist’s excited urgency in attempting to capture an image during the fleeting period of time known as the ‘golden hour,’ the time of day when the setting sun imparts long shadows and rich colors. The work flows in a single arc, consisting of distinct but connected sections of intensity, introspection, playfulness and aggressiveness. Utilizing a variety of orchestral colors and instrumentations, my intent is to project a sense of relentless energy and unbridled excitement.”

Brendan Faegre

Portland, Oregon, native Brendan Faegre is a composer, educator, bandleader and percussionist. His music draws inspiration from jazz and rock drumming, Hindustani classical music and contemporary concert music. Faegre’s works have been performed internationally at festivals including Huddersfield, Gaudeamus, Beijing Modern and Cabrillo. He has received commissions from groups such as the New York Youth Symphony, Debut Orchestra, Slagwerk Den Haag, Ensemble Klang and the David Kweksilber Big Band. www.brendanfaegre.com

Of his Institute composition, Faegre says: “Inspired by the ideas and music of Beck Hansen, Dirt to Gold takes ‘worthless’ sounds and transforms them into powerful, meaningful music. This transformation happens many times throughout the piece, and on many different levels. Abrasive thumps and squeaks crystallize into cool grooves, ever-shifting rhythms gradually settle into clear patterns, and aluminum foil makes several high-profile appearances in the orchestra.”

Shuying Li

The Seattle Times has hailed award-winning composer Shuying Li as “a real talent here waiting to emerge” with her “skillful orchestral writing, very colorful language and huge waves of sound.” Her compositions have been performed by Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Orkest de ereprijs (Netherlands), Avanti! Chamber Orchestra (Finland), ICon Arts Ensemble (Romania), Cecilia Quartet (Canada) and Opera From Scratch (Canada), among others. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, where she will start pursuing a doctorate degree in September. www.shuyingli.com

Li says: “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night was inspired by Dylan Thomas’ poem. However, the music itself was more independently developed. There are two themes—one is introduced in a vague and hidden way and suppressed until the climax arrives; while the other is varied and presented many more times through the work. These two themes finally mingle together. The whole process is also a realization from the dark to the bright.”

Reinaldo Moya

Venezuelan-American composer Reinaldo Moya is the recipient of the 2015 McKnight Composers Fellowship, Van Lier Fellowship from Meet the Composer and Aaron Copland Award from the Copland House. A member of the faculty at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, he graduated from The Juilliard School with both master’s and doctoral degrees, under the tutelage of Samuel Adler and Robert Beaser. In conjunction with librettist Mark Campbell, Moya has been commissioned by the Minnesota Opera to write a new work for their Project Opera, to be premiered in 2016. www.reinaldomoya.com

Of his work Siempre Lunes, Siempre Marzo, Moya says: “The title of this work refers to Melquíades, the Gypsy’s room in Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. In this room, time passes in a very peculiar way: it is always Monday, and always March. This piece is then based around the figure of Melquíades, who is one of the most intriguing characters in the novel. This orchestral work is not programmatic or narrative. Instead, each movement can be seen as a vignette inspired by the various aspects or episodes related to Melquíades.”