Eroding, for sextet  (2017)

Maria Luisk, alto flute; Michael Moy, bass clarinet; Matt Keown, vibraphone; Sophiko Simsive, piano; Kyungah Oh, violin; Yiqiu Chen, cello

Over thousands of years the glacial river Hvítá in Iceland has carved a deep gorge into the surrounding rock. At one particular twist in the river, the erosion has left several huge pillars of hyaloclastite rock, which look as if they were flung haphazardly into the riverbed. In fact they were revealed slowly over time from the process of the river carving away their surroundings. In Eroding, the players create a dense mass that gets worn down over time in order to reveal the spiky formations beneath the surface.

Eroding

Laura is an Italian composer living in Düsseldorf, Germany. She studied composition at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Turin, where she received her Master degree with highest honors. In 2018 she completed her post-Master studies in composition at the Robert Schumann Musikhochschule in Düsseldorf; in 2021 she received a Master of Music in choir conducting from the same institution. She studied piano with Professors M. Campajola, M. Immormino and G. Guida; choir conducting with Professors D. Tabbia and T. Nuoranne, composition with Professors G. Colombo Taccani, J. Sanchez-Verdù and A. Colla. 

Her music has been performed in Europe, England, Australia, the U.S. and Japan at festivals and venues such as Beethoven Fest Bonn, Schumann Fest Düsseldorf, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Oper Leipzig, Usedom Choral Festival, London Italian Culture Institute, Mise-En Festival, MiTo Settembre Musica, Schumann Fest Bonn, Unione Musicale di Torino among others. 
Her music made appearances in the albums “Augen” (with the piece “Climbing” for 12 female voices, 2021 Motette Psallite Verlag), “Elements” (with the piece “Vorrei” for sextet, 2023 Genuin Records – awarded the Preis der deutschen Schallplatten Kritik), and “Meridiane – spoken” (with the pieces “Aremu Rindineddha” and “Fimmine fimmine” for female sextet, 2025 Sjaella Ensemble).

Laura has been awarded prizes and recognitions in the field of composition: First Prize and InauditaMusica Prize at the International Composition Competition of Festival Fiati (2014, Novara, Italy), finalist composer at the Areon Flutes International Composition Competition (2016, California, USA), selected composer at Risuonanze Call for Scores (2016, Trieste, Italy) and at Mise-en Music Festival (2017, NYC, USA), finalist composer at Kaleidoscope Orchestra Call for Scores (2017, L.A., USA). She has also been awarded several scholarships in composition and choral conducting, including DMR Grant Program Neustart Kultur, NRW-Künstlerstipendium, Fondazione CRT - Master dei Talenti Scholarship for top graduates, DAAD Full Scholarship in composition, DAAD Full Scholarship in choral conducting. In 2023 she was selected for the prestigious artistic residency at Bogliasco American Foundation. From 2023 to 2025 she has been working as a Composer in Residence at Sjaella Ensemble. In 2024 she has been awarded the Förderpreis der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf.

Laura worked as a piano teacher and choir conductor at Stimmgewandt Studio für Gesang and as a music theory and composition teacher at Rheinische Musikschule Köln. She founded the Italia Altrove Choir, which she conducted from 2019 to 2024. From 2022 to 2024 she was assistant artistic director for the contemporary music festival “Schönes Wochenende” at Tonhalle Düsseldorf. Schönes Wochenende at Tonhalle Düsseldorf. Since 2024 she is mainly working as a freelance composer.

HYBRID MUSIC FOR MUTANT PEOPLE !
Musicians & Performers from St Louis.
(Isolune & Black Litchee)

WE ARE THE BLIND GENERATION, YES A KIND OF MISCONCEPTION, WE GO RIGHT, WE GO BRIGHT, WE GO THROUGH THE DISCONNECTION !

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Zach Hicks is a composer and flutist based in Boston. His music has been performed and recorded by the Cassatt String Quartet, the Manhattan Symphonie, and the NEC Philharmonia under the direction of Maestro David Loebel. Zach has been commissioned by members of the Vermont Symphony and Jefferson Symphony, and the piano studios of Victor Rosenbaum and Jihye Chang, among others. His piece Lost in Translation for solo baritone saxophone will be premiered by saxophonist Claire Salli at the North American Saxophone Alliance 2020 Biennial Conference in March.

As a flutist, Zach has performed around the world with the NY Youth Symphony, the Union City Philharmonic, the Brooklyn Metro Chamber Orchestra, and Utopia Opera. He is the youngest winner of NYU Steinhardt’s Woodwind Concerto Competition, and has participated as a finalist in competitions across the United States, such as the San Diego Flute Guild’s Young Artist Competition and the Jefferson Symphony’s Young Artist Competition.

Zach is currently pursuing a Masters of Music Composition at the New England Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of Stratis Minakakis. He completed his undergraduate studies in flute performance with Soo-Kyung Park at NYU Steinhardt as a Gale and Ira Drukier Music scholar. His other principal teachers include Kati Agócs and Justin Dello Joio for composition, Lyle Davidson for harmony, and Frances Brodeur for flute.

Eroding

Fjóla Evans