Ohia and Lehua

For those of you in the Boulder area, I am premiering my newest composition Wednesday 4/14 at 7:30pm in Grusin Hall at CU Boulder. This piece was commissioned as part of the Edward Levy prize, which I won in 2009 for Ultradian Bipolar Disorder. If you're not in town, I'll upload a video of the performance soon.

Edward Levy Prize

It was just announced that my Ultradian Bipolar Disorder is the recipient of Colorado's "Edward Levy Prize." The prize is in presented to an outstanding graduate composition in honor of noted Denver businessman and philanthropist Edward Levy. The prize includes a commission for a brand new work, which will be announced as soon as more information becomes available. My sincere thanks to the selection committee and everyone involved!

2009 CoCoCo Competition Winner

I just heard from The Playground Ensemble that my piece Open Me for soprano and piano was selected as one of the winners of the Colorado Composers Concert Call for Scores.  The performance will be on 4/25/09, but I will post more details as they become available.  Thanks to everyone on the selection committee!

Cleveland Concert

If you're in cleveland Wednesday, drop by Amasa Stone at 12:30 for the premiere of my new piece "Harry Potter Returns to Hogwarts".  If you're not around, I'll post a youtube as soon as it's available.  I am also waiting on the youtube from last week's premiere "Novus Ordo Seclorum".

Radio Interview and Other Press

Check out the radio interview I'm doing for Boulder 1190.  It's on Sunday at 7:30pm.  Also, there's a really nifty press release circulating about the premiere.  I've included it below:

CONSTITUTION DAY CONCERT CELEBRATION FEATURES COMPOSITION PRIZE WINNER

A prize-winning composition by a CU-Boulder student that seeks to reflect in music what our founding fathers were feeling when they gathered to write the Constitution will be performed in a concert in celebration of Constitution Day, Sept. 17.

“Novus Ordo Seclorum” (New Order for the Ages), by Hunter Ewen, a master’s student in composition, will be featured in the Pendulum New Music Concert Series on Wednesday, Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The concert, which opens with “Fanfare” by Daniel Kellogg, commissioned and performed by the CU Horn Choir, will be held in Grusin Music Hall. It will be free and open to the public, with a reception following.

Ewen’s piece won the Constitution Day composition competition cosponsored by CU-Boulder’s College of Music and the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement.
When composing the piece, Ewen set out to capture the ethos of the political culture at the time of the Philadelphia convention. On Sept. 17, 1787, 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention adopted the Constitution of the United States of America. The Constitution officially took effect on March 4, 1789.

“There are several unusual elements in this composition, all of which reinforce the sense of community, as well as the idea of stepping off a ledge and diving headfirst into the unknown,” said Ewen, who composed the piece to include a set of live performers underscoring a series of dramatic readings, where music is generated and notated by a computer.


“Their uncertainties about the future of the country translate into our uncertainties about what’s going to happen next, musically,” said Ewen. “Their sense of community becomes are sense of community, their fearlessness becomes our fearlessness.”



Each year the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement undertakes a project to commemorate the constitution. Activities from past years include an art competition, debates, and online quizzes.


“We try to keep it lively and sponsor an activity that will capture people’s imaginations,” said Peter Simons, director of the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement.

Call the College of Music Concerts Box Office at 303-492-8008 for
information about this performance. For more information about the College of Music visit http://www.colorado.edu/music. Information on the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement is available at http://www.colorado.edu/iece.

Alarm Will Sound

I just learned that I was selected to have my newest composition "Ultradian Bipolar Disorder" read and recorded by Alarm Will Sound in January of next year. More details on the reading, as well as the premiere, as events warrant.

Novus Ordo Seclorum

I was recently awarded a large award and commission for my proposal for a premiere celebrating "Constitution day".  I will post a video of the premiere, date TBD.  A summary of my proposal is listed below:

Name: Novus Ordo Seclorum
Instrumentation: 8 Instrumental Musicians, 20-30 Vocalists, Orator, Conductor, Projection
Time: Approx 6-8. minutes
Tech Requirements: Computer, Wireless Controller, Projector

The United States Constitution is often considered the single greatest force in sculpting the landscape of 20th and 21st century politics, locally and internationally. Without blueprint, or precedent, our founding fathers drafted the most significant document of young America, hewn from the hopes and dreams of a nation that craved equality, authority, and liberty. They created. They eschewed tradition. They functioned in wild bursts of imagination and horror. They were artists.

Novus Ordo Seclorum, from the Great Seal of the United States, translates to "new order for the ages". The proposed composition is an attempt to capture the ethos of the political culture at the time of the Philadelphia convention.  The thrill of uncertainty and the joy of human collaboration are embodied in a unique vision, developed by me.  Novus Ordo Seclorum features a set of live performers, underscoring a series of dramatic readings, where the music is generated, and notated, by a computer.

The notated music is a tribute to the beautiful new graphical interface of MAX 5.  The score is best described as "Riley's in C, but moving".  Repeated harmonic and melodic patterns writhe and undulate under a series of dramatic readings that transport the listener on a journey through the rich history of the American Constitution.  The procedural modulations are audibly, and visibly, apparent, as the generated music and text will be projected for the musicians as well as the audience to enjoy.  The projection is aesthetic and functional; there are no other scores available. All eyes are on the same target. Everyone looks together.

A conductor will be necessary, but (s)he is employed in a unique and unusual way.  (S)he will not control tempo - but will instead control dynamics, instrumentation, modulation, and the overall flow of the music.  This will be accomplished with the help of a wireless protocol, developed by Ewen, that allows communication between computer and a Nintendo "wii-mote" controller in the conductors hand.  Improvisatory changes are relayed to a computer which will be immediately displayed on the projection.  The remote allows for 11 unique buttons, as well as tracking pitch and roll data (the conductor will be able to make realistic hand gestures on stage).  There is also a force feedback system of vibration and 4 LED's that will allow the computer to relay subtle information to the conductor. The computer will choose from a bank of rhythms, pitches, and quotations and present them to the orchestra to play.

Please find enclosed copies of the necessary drivers and handlers for the wireless system.  The entire rig (drivers, handlers, UI, wireless interface, projection) has been successfully tested for 9 hours, at a distance of 45 feet, without failure.  The technical requirements of this performance are: a computer with bluetooth, wii-mote, and projector.

This project begs involvement. From collaborating musicians, to the wireless conductor, to the audience - everyone who experiences this music will feel exhilaration through uncertainty, civic pride through subject matter, and unity through collaboration.  Thank you for considering my proposal.  I hope you find it worthy of performance.

For those of you still in Cleveland...

I just learned that my piece Maroon and Embrace was selected for the Greater Cleveland Flute Society's Composer's Connection.  The piece will be performed by GCFS members Lisa Heinrich and Sharon Marrell.  The performance will be April 27th, at 7:00pm, at Judson Manor (1890, E. 107th, Cleveland OH).  Thanks to everyone on the selection committee!

Scholarship

I just received a very generous scholarship from the composition department, so thank you to anyone who was responsible!

Congratulations Graduates

As of last week, I am officially an alumnus of Case Western Reserve University. With a BA in Music Composition and a BS in Mechanical Engineering, with honors in Music and the Magna Cum Laude distinction, I'm looking forward (with great enthusiasm) to getting out of the cold for the summer. Congratulations go out to the other graduates--best of luck in your future endeavors!

Anish Shah '91 Memorial Award

I'm pleased to announce that I was chosen as a 2007 recipient of the Anish Shah '91 Memorial Award from Case Western Reserve. The award is for "an outstanding senior in mechanical and aerospace engineering based on academic achievement, extracurricular activities and community service." Thank you to the selection committee and everyone who made this award possible

Go Buffaloes!

I just accepted a generous offer from the graduate school at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Starting in August, I will be an MM candidate in the composition program at CU. Look for more details here later.

GammaUT Award

Today I learned that I was a winner in the GammaUT 2007 Conference call for scores for Laplace Transformers. My sincere gratitude goes out to the panel that selected me--as well as Ben Rose and Marc Plotkin (the percussionist and recording engineer associated with the demo recording). If you're going to be in the Austin Texas area at the end of March, stay tuned as I will be posting more details about the conference and the performance as they become available.

Fred Hale Vose

I've been asked to share some information about the Case Alumni Association (CAA) award I recently won:

The Fred Hale Vose Prize and Scholarship Fund was originally established as the Fred Hale Vose Prize in 1945 by a Case alumnus. The prize is presented annually to the graduating mechanical engineer demonstrating the greatest promise for professional leadership and is named to honor Dr. Vose.

Honors!

Today I learned that the music faculty had unanimously voted to award me departmental honors status. This is especially cool because I didn't know this even existed until last month. I know several recent graduates who had the necessary requirements, but did not apply for departmental honors because they did not know about it. In fact, I don't remember anyone ever graduating with departmental honors in music. Perhaps this will be the impetus for the music department to reevaluate how they advertise this honor.

A.W. Smith Award

After opening my bill for this semeter's tuition, I was surprised to learn that I had received the A.W. Smith award, which pays full tuition for my last year at Case! Many thanks to anyone involved. I'm not sure who was responsible, so if you were, please let me know.

Hamelin Poster Competition

With special thanks to Dr. Gary Ciepluch, my faculty sponsor for the Intersections SOURCE Poster Symposium, we would like to announce that the "Hamelin, After the Rats" poster won 1st place in the "Arts" category of the competition.

Hamelin Poster

Look for me at the "Intersections SOURCE Poster Symposium". I will have a booth with a poster for the Hamelin piece. The Alizarin video game is also being presented there, so look out for that too!

Alumni Award

Today I learned that the CSE Alumni Association will present a very generous award which will help cover my tuition next year. My thanks go out to everyone on the selection committee and the alumni association for honoring me with this award.

Kennedy Award

Today, after my quartet performed my Alma Mater arrangement, I was awarded the Kennedy Award for excellence in musical creativity from the Case Western Alumni Association.