Summary of Dissertation Recitals Three Programs of Harp Music

Abstract

Three harp recitals were given in lieu of a written dissertation. My dissertation traced innovation on the harp. In particular, I focused on extended techniques. I examined composers’ social networks to help musicians better understand the development of extended harp techniques. In my doctoral recitals, I featured pieces that showcase a variety of extended techniques that come from a wide range of interconnected composers. My first recital was centered on networks of composers contributing to 20th-century innovation on the harp. My second recital continued this conversation, but with additional emphasis on premieres and electro-acoustic performance. My third recital featured innovative chamber works for harp and mezzo-soprano. Saturday, November 15, 2014, 8:00 p.m., Stamps Auditorium, Walgreen Drama Center, The University of Michigan. John Elam, piano. Germaine Tailleferre, Sonata for Harp; Jean Cras, Deux Impromptus Pour Harpe; Carlos Salzedo, Scintillation; Alberto Ginastera Harp Concerto, op. 25. Thursday, April 2, 2015, 8:00 p.m., Stamps Auditorium, Walgreen Drama Center, The University of Michigan. Jamie Bastian, trombone; Nadine Dyskant-Miller, flute; Peter Formanek, alto saxophone; Christine Hedden, fídíl; Alex Koi, voice; Andrew Peck, bass; Amanda Ross, trumpet; Benjamin Landen, percussion; Christopher Tabaczynski, tenor saxophone. David Lang, wed*, trans. Jennifer R. Ellis; Elliott Carter, Bariolage; Benjamin Britten, Suite for Harp, op. 83; Luciano Berio, Sequenza II; Jennifer R. Ellis, Disk*; Angélica Negrón, Technicolor for Harp and Pre-Recorded Electronics; Jennifer R. Ellis, Weav-Weav-Weaving, III. “And The Harp Strings Spoke”; Christine Hedden, Kitchen Dance*; Alex Koi, Violet. Asterisks denote premieres. Monday, May 18, 2015, 7:30 p.m., Center for Fiction, 17 E. 47th St., New York, NY. Brandon Patrick George, flute; Megan Ihnen, mezzo-soprano. Kaija Saariaho, Ariel’s Hail; William Grant Still, Mol’e; John Cage, In a Landscape; Joseph Schwantner, Wild Angels of the Open Hills.AMUMusic: PerformanceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147592/1/jerellis_1.pd