Summer news

Parthenia, the wonderful viol consort I have been working with since 2009, has been getting great reviews for their new CD, Nothing Proved, which includes my two pieces A flower on the farther side and From a fairy tale. Fanfare magazine says:

While all of the compositions on offer are excellent, in light of the Hildegard being included I was particularly drawn to Frances White’s From a Fairy Tale. The juxtaposition of narratives, spoken and played, the first suffused with field recordings depicting the empty pastorality of its protagonist’s existence, is quite moving. Following on from it, the musical portion blends ancient and modern harmonies, and the viol timbres afford a beautifully multilayered historical bent to the music that speaks to the lofty goals the performers set for themselves.

American Record Guide says (of one of my pieces):

The most stunning works incorporate electronics. White’s Flower on the Farther Side is a haunted response to the Marian chant by Hildegard that precedes it, using electronic drones to augment the tangled viol counterpoint.

And, of the whole CD:

This music is in a class of its own—don’t overlook this album.

I’m so honored to share CD space with Tawnie Olson and Kristin Norderval, two magnificent composers; and of course its a dream to have my music played by the incomparable Parthenia!

In other news, my work for violin, electronic sound, and video The Old Rose Reader has been traveling in Italy!  Mari Kimura, the superb violinist who commissioned it, played it on her Italian tour this past June: it appeared on her programs in Sardinia, Salerno, and Rome.  The Old Rose Reader has a very special place in my heart, and I’m so delighted that this piece, written almost 15 years ago, still has such a vibrant life.

Finally, I’m thrilled to announce that the Momenta Quartet received a New Music USA Project Grant to fund the creation of new works by me and by my brilliant friend and colleague Elizabeth Brown! My piece, The book of evening, will be for shakuhachi and string quartet; Elizabeth’s Babel will be for string quartet, electronic sound, and sculpture (created by Lothar Osterburg).  These works will be premiered in December 2019 on a concert on the renowned Interpretations series.  They’ll be presented along with my work for quartet and narrator And so the heavens turned (text by James Pritchett, read by Thomas Buckner), Elizabeth’s gorgeous quartet Just Visible in the Distance, and her new work for shakuhachi Dialect.