Primavera

Festival of Contemporary Arts
and Digital Media

April 26–30, 2010, UCSB

April 28 — Ensemble for Contemporary Music

Las Très Marías

This all-UCSB effort by ECM ties Primavera’s mission of self-discovery to the tradition of the Argentine cowboy, the gaucho.    The “three Marias” were the three stones [bolas] he twirled above his head on a leather lasso.   Here is a program divided three ways—sure to capture interest, without going over anyone’s head.

Primera Bola:
Clarence BARLOW:  Six Quatrains  for Viola Quintet
                                    Glockenspiel for Jens

Eliot BURK:  String Trio

Seconda Bola:
Justin WEAVER:  Organ Sonata (II: Allegretto senza rigore)

Scott W. PERRY:  Selections from the Preludes, Inventions and Canons
                             [dedicated to J. Haladyna]

Tercera Bola:
Joel HUNT:  Variations on a Dream

Leslie A. HOGAN:   Questions of Travel
            for mezzo-soprano and ensemble, on a text by Elizabeth Bishop

The University of California–Santa Barbara’s Ensemble for Contemporary Music, directed by Dr. Jeremy Haladyna, is the resident contemporary music ensemble for the UCSB Department of Music. Its members include outstanding student and faculty performers. Formed in 1992, it has performed to high acclaim both on campus and in the Santa Barbara community.

“The ECM is the place to go for new music.” — Santa Barbara Independent

“When it comes to the sparse portions of contemporary music available in Santa Barbara, eager ears tend to lean toward UCSB, where its Ensemble for Contemporary Music presents several academic concerts each year.” — Santa Barbara News Press

“The Ensemble for Contemporary Music continues to play an important role in the musical life of Santa Barbara.” — Santa Barbara Independent

“This important event (New Music Festival) has quietly worked wonders over the past several years. Among the composers brought to town for past festivals are Milton Babbitt, Mel Powell, Lou Harrison, and Henry Brant.” — Los Angeles Times

Jeremy Haladyna, Director

Jeremy Haladyna holds prizes and academic qualifications from three countries. He is a diplòmè of the history-rich Schola Cantorum on Paris’ Left Bank. He also holds the Master’s degree with Distinction from the University of Surrey (U.K.). He has taught undergraduate composition at UCSB since 1991 and was awarded the Ph.D. in composition in 1993. In addition to his responsibilities with ECM, he teaches orchestration and is on the faculty of the College of Creative Studies, UCSB. As pianist, composer, conductor and organist, he has long been committed to the espousal of new music. Prizes from the Friends of Lili Boulanger and Britain’s MCPS Ltd. bear witness to his creativity, and his own music has recently been heard at St. John’s Smith Square, London; South Bank Centre, London; St. Paul’s Cathedral, London; BMIC, London; and the National Museum of Art, Mexico City. His On The Mat of The Jaquar Priest, written for Jill Felber, appears on Neuma records.