I hope that this letter finds you well! This spring, I have found a renewed sense of artistic strength in creative and entrepreneurial communities in the U.S. and abroad that I was privileged to work with. Fellow artists and institutions alike seem ready to put an empathic mirror to the challenges of our time. I'm inspired by this work and curious about what's to come. Here's a sampler of my past season's highlights, as well as a selection of upcoming events. I hope that you can join me.
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I am thrilled to have been commissioned to write music for the world premiere of Panta Rhei - my first ever composing for dancers from the home turf (!) - which took place at the Sarajevo National Theater on March 30th 2022! Created in collaboration with the National Ballet Ensemble led by the fierce and beautiful choreographer Belma Čečo Bakrač, this contemporary dance triptych features 30 minutes of electroacoustic music I wrote and produced in a delightful frenzy. The story of the show includes everything from greed-driven actions to love-bound destinies, and from fetuses to soaring artificial intelligence. Magical and sobering at once, it searches for signs for a possibly better version of ourselves in the future we (can) create. The premiere received a standing ovation and a glowing review in Radio Sarajevo magazine:
“this musical work unlocks the imagination and leads us into the future”
“master of electroacoustic music'
Read the review HERE. Watch the official trailer HERE.
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I am happy to announce; as recipients of the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) Round Three 2022 Grant, Sylvan Winds and myself are embarking on a brand new sonic journey! I’ll be composing a new piece for wind quintet and electronics to be premiered next fall, and featured on the quintet's upcoming release. My huge thank you goes to Sylvan Winds for their spearheading of this project, and congratulations to all the other excellent colleagues who also received the grant. And thank you, NYSCA!
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On Thursday May 12 2022 at 7:00pm music from my album EXTENSION will be presented in 5.1 surround sound as part of the 10th Annual CompCord Festival - 'Science'. Composers Concordance (“Enterprising new music organization” - The New York Times), lead by Gene Pritsker and Dan Cooper, has been for many years a home away from home for a slew of genre-busting NY composers, including myself. Happy to reconnect with everyone in the emerging post-pandemic world! On the program are also works by William Anderson, Benjamin Louis Brody, Dan Cooper, Velizar Iordanov, Mark Kostabi, Alex Nadzharov, Rushaniya Nizamutdinova, Craig Pallett, Gene Pritsker, Marina Vesic, and Alice Shields.
Kostabi World 225 W 22nd St. Manhattan Tickets & info HERE.
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On Sunday May 14 2022 at 7:30pm, the Leschetizky Association's Live Music By Living Composers returns to Tenri Cultural Institute with a superbly curated concert of contemporary classical music. Come hear the sublime Marija Ilic perform my work Over Water Over Stone for piano and electronic sound, with video art by Igor Molochevski. Many excellent pieces and performers on the program - excited for this one!
43A West 13th St. Manhattan
Watch the video announcement HERE.
On Wednesday June 22 2022 at 1pm my piece The Beginning will receive its NYC premiere at the New York City Electronic Music Festival 2022 featuring one of my all time favorite electric violin-viper players Susan Aquila. This past fall, I was honored to join the Board of Directors of the Electronic Music Foundation Institute (EMFI). The institute has curated a tribute concert for Joel Chadabe (1938-2021), one of the pioneers of electronic music in America (and the Institute’s founder) which will be presented at NYCEMF. EMFI composer/performers presented are Bob Gluck, Warren Burt, Caroline Meyers, Marc Battier, Laetitia Sonami, Mary Simoni, Tom Beyer and Ben Chadabe. Loreto Theater 12 Bleecker St. Manhattan
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On Sunday August 5 2022 at 9pm I'll be in Split, Croatia, for the performance of one of my signature works 'Once You Are Not a Stranger' for string quartet and electronic sound. I am delighted to be part of the Split Summer Festival in an evening of contemporary classical music curated by ARtHESIS and featuring works by Mirko Krstičević, Blaženko Juračić, Ivan Božićević and Vlado Sunko!
Šetalište Ivana Meštrovića 39 Split Tickets & info HERE.
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On Thursday June 30 at 8pm maestra Samra Gulamovic will lead The Sarajevo Philharmonic in the performance of my piece Machina in Dubio for orchestra and electronic sound. The piece, part of a three movement symphony started in Sarajevo in 1992 and finished in New York in 2021, is about a machine that can predict human behavior. Due to a glitch, instead of hope, the machine writes a program about doubt, attracted to the very thing it once aimed to rule. Also on the program are two pieces by Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25, also known as the 'Classical', and Symphony-Concerto in E minor, Op. 125 (sometimes referred to as Sinfonia Concertante) for cello and orchestra featuring Isak Haračić on cello. Excited about this one! Obala Kulina bana 9 Sarajevo Tickets & info HERE.
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June 23 - 26 2022, I will serve as one of the organizers/lecturers in the Second Humanities and the Arts (HARTS) Symposium held in Sarajevo entitled Interdisciplinarity as the Basis for Research Design. The event is part of the 13th Days of the Bosnian-Herzegovinan American Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS) with the aim of connecting Bosnian and Herzegovinian scientists, artists and professionals in North America, Canada and Australia with the homeland. It promises to be one of the largest scientific gatherings in the Balkans to date. I am looking forward to four days of lectures, culture, friendship, and good coffee in my hometown!
The Rectorate of the Sarajevo University Obala Kulina bana 7/II
Register for the conference HERE.
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(The Idependent) showed me some love in the days after the Panta Rhei premiere. Grateful for the opportunity to reflect on life, work and plans for the future, and more importantly, to write this music and contribute a small part in what looks to be a national house’s renaissance! (For the Google Translate enthusiasts, Google does a decent job with the article).
As always, thank you for staying connected!
Wishing you a beautiful summer,
Svjetlana
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