Amy Williams
composer and pianist |
The compositions of Amy Williams have been presented at renowned contemporary music venues in the United States and Europe, including the Ars Musica Festival (Belgium), Gaudeamus Music Week (Netherlands), Dresden New Music Days (Germany), Musikhøst Festival (Denmark), Festival Aspekte (Austria), Festival Musica Nova (Brazil), Subtropics Festival (Miami), Spring Festival of New Music (UK), Sound Field Festival (Chicago), Music Gallery (Toronto), North American New Music Festival (Buffalo), LA County Museum of Art, and Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. Her works have been performed by leading contemporary music soloists and ensembles, including The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble Aleph, Duo Diorama, Dinosaur Annex, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, North/South Consonance, Monarch Brass Ensemble, CUBE, Empyrean Ensemble, Maverick Ensemble, California E.A.R. Unit, International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Due East, pianists Yvar Mikhashoff and Amy Dissanayake, bassist Robert Black, and a piano concerto for Ursula Oppens and the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. As a member of the Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo, she has performed throughout Europe and the Americas, including the Ojai Festival (California), NUMUS Festival (Denmark), Jordan Hall (Boston), Merkin Hall, Miller Theatre, Americas Society, Symphony Space (New York City), Musica Contemporanea Ciclos de Conciertos (Buenos Aires), Musik aus Solitude (Stuttgart), FORUM (Hamburg), Cutting Edge (London), UNAM (Mexico City), Unerhörte Musik (Berlin), Köln Triennale, and Wittener Täge für Neue Kammermusik. The Duo’s debut CD of Conlon Nancarrow's complete music for solo piano and piano duet (Wergo) has garnered much critical acclaim. Wergo released CDs of the music of Stravinsky in 2006 and Varèse/Feldman in 2009. Ms. Williams has also recorded for Mode, Albany and Hat-Art. She has won the Wayne Peterson Composition Prize (Sextet ), Audio Inversions Composition Prize (Cineshape 1), Thayer Award for the Arts, an ASCAP Award for Young Composers (verre-glaz), and grants from the American-Scandinavian Foundation, American Music Center, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, Pro Musica Viva (Germany) and Meet the Composer. She was the recipient of a 2008-2009 Howard Foundation Fellowship for composition. Ms. Williams holds a Ph.D. in composition from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where she also received her Master's degree in piano performance. She has taught at Bennington College (1997-2000) and Northwestern University (2000-2005) and is currently Assistant Professor of Composition at the University of Pittsburgh. |
RECENT WORKS: "Cineshape 4" for solo piano (2010). In progress. "Cineshape 5" for flute, percussion, piano and string quartet (2009). In progress. "Univocity" for saxophone quartet (2009) "Crossings" for one piano, four hands (2009). Commissioned by the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society. "Brigid's Flame" (2009). Version 1 for organ solo with choir. Version 2 for solo piano. Commissioned by the Music and Architecture Project at Calvary Episcopal Church. "Cineshape 3" for flute, cello and percussion (2008). Commissioned by Vox. "Cineshape 2" for piano quintet (2007). Commissioned by the Duquesne Contemporary Ensemble. "Pulse Stream" for orchestra (2006). Commissioned by the Music Library Association. "First Lines" for flute and piano (2006). Commissioned by Andrea Ceccomori and Elitza Harbova. Available on VDM Records (Italy). "Wrest" for violin and piano (2005). Commissioned by Duo Diorama. "Refined Art" for solo piano (2005). "Sala Luminosa" for piano and chamber orchestra (2004). Commissioned by the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. "Astoria" for piano (2004). Commissioned by Amy Dissanayake. "Cineshape 1" for flute and percussion (2003). Commissioned by the CUBE Ensemble. "JB Montage" for brass ensemble (2003). Commissioned by the International Women's Brass Conference. "Abstracted Art I and II" for piano duet (2001-2002). "Sextet" for piccolo, bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano and vibraphone (2001). |
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Compositions | |||
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Astoria for solo piano (Amy Dissanayake) |
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| Astoria for solo piano (Amy Dissanayake).mp3 - complete | |||
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Astoria (2004) uses a transcription of Astor Piazzolla's tango, Movimiento Continuo, as a point of departure. The block-like, sectional structure is taken, with each section gradually condensed. Some of Piazzolla's harmonic progressions, repeated rhythmic patterns, ornamental gestures, and melodic fragments are re-organized, transformed and combined with original material. The Piazzolla reference, though never too obvious, should remain. The piece is dedicated to Amy Dissanayake. | |||
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Cineshape 1 for alto flute and percussion (Due East) |
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| Cineshape 1 for alto flute and percussion (Due East).mp3 - complete | |||
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Cineshape 1 (2003) is the first in a series of pieces for various instrumental groups that are inspired by films. In this case, the film is “Chunhyang,” the epic Korean tale of a virtuous woman who is sentenced to death for spurning the Governor’s advances while waiting for her husband to return from his lengthy studies. The film is narrated by a singer and lone drummer using the ancient Korean operatic tradition of pansori—a stylized art form incorporating storytelling, dance and music. There are no direct references or quotations of this powerful traditional music, however, and the film plot is never incorporated programmatically into the piece. The inspiration is more abstract and structural: percussive emphasis of the lyrical/vocal flute line, moments of pentatonicism, a gradual increase in intensity, breathlessness. Cineshape 1 was commissioned by the CUBE Ensemble. | |||
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First Lines (#6, #8, #9, #11) for flute and piano (Alberto Almarza and Walter Morales) |
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| First Lines (#6, #8, #9, #11) for flute and piano (Alberto Almarza and Walter Morales).mp3 - excerpt | |||
| First Lines (#6, #8, #9, #11) for flute and piano (Alberto Almarza and Walter Morales).pdf - excerpt | |||
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First Lines was composed in the spring of 2006, while I was in residence at the Bellagio Center on Lake Como, Italy. The piece was inspired by Bellagio—the place and its residents—in a very direct way. As I was perusing the library, I noticed numerous titles of books of poems that were suggestive of music and time. I began reading these books and I was struck by the ability of a strong poem to instantly pull the reader in, to create a richly developed atmosphere in the very first line. I began to imagine how this same effect could be achieved with music. That set me on the course of writing a series of miniatures—each piece lasting between 10 and 90 seconds and inspired by a different poem. The poems I was most attracted to were written by women, all former residents of Bellagio. The piece is dedicated to Andrea Ceccomori and Emanuele Arciuli. | |||
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Sextet (Empyrean Ensemble) |
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| Sextet (Empyrean Ensemble).mp3 - complete | |||
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Sextet moves between two sound worlds: one marked by chaos and fierce independence and the other by an abandonment of individual identity. The opening has four solos presented simultaneously, with each instrument striving to be in the spotlight. Whenever there is a moment of peaceful collaboration, the piano instigates another divisive statement of uncoordinated solos. As the piece progresses, the distinction between these two contrasting materials becomes less defined, until all instruments are working together. There is no agreement between the players about how to end the piece: a strongly conclusive unison gesture in the flute, clarinet and piano makes one emphatic closing; the strings have a sustained fade out (after one more soloistic outburst from the violin); and the at first assertive chimes solo gradually sputters out. | |||
©2009 by Amy Williams
All Rights Reserved
Amy Williams is a member of Society of Composers, Inc. SCI is dedicated to the promotion of composition, performance, understanding and dissemination of new and contemporary music.