2001 Grantees

American Music Theater Festival/Prince Music Theater
Lady in the Dark, by Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin, and Moss Hart

Grant amount: $80,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With funding from the Philadelphia Music Project, the American Music Theater Festival opened its 2001-2002 season with the first major stage revival of the Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin/Moss Hart musical Lady in the Dark. The production, developed in collaboration with the Kurt Weill Foundation, used original orchestrations and featured Andrea Marcovicci.

Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Penn Presents: West Philadelphia's home for all musics

Grant amount: $80,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts used funding from the Philadelphia Music Project to support the identity of its music program as West Philadelphia's primary resource for cutting-edge presentations of many musics. Guest artists included the Wynton Marsalis Septet, the Marcus Roberts Trio, the Poncho Sanchez Jazz Band, Kenny Garrett, Tania Maria, Cesaria Evora, Burhan Öçal and the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble, Altan, Anoushka Shankar, eighth blackbird, and the Curtis Institute Chamber Ensembles.

Astral Artistic Services
Collaborations and chamber works

Grant amount: $27,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With funding from the Philadelphia Music Project, Astral Artistic Services presented two collaborative programs and two chamber music programs. The programs featured collaborations between Astral resident artists; well-known area ensembles including the Concordia Chamber Players, the Lenape Chamber Players and the Philadelphia Singers; and seldom-performed repertoire including works by Mark-Anthony Turnage and Tina Davidson.

Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
World-class guest artists and ensembles

Grant amount: $60,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia used Philadelphia Music Project support to fund an artistic enhancement project during their transition to the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Guest artists included Mark O'Connor, Sylvia McNair, Jon Humphrey, David Wilson-Johnson, Steven Isserlis, Mstislav Rostropovich, Romeros Guitar Ensemble, Cho-Liang Lin, Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, I Musici, Scott Yoo, Maximiano Valdés, and the Philadelphia Singers. They also presented the world premiere of Luis Prado's Piano Concerto for Left Hand, featuring pianist Gary Graffman.

Choral Arts Society
20th Anniversary Concert: Cherished Chestnuts, Contemporary Colors

Grant amount: $25,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With funding from the Philadelphia Music Project, the Choral Arts Society produced a program of symphonic choral music at the Kimmel Center to mark their 20th anniversary. The concert featured Mozart's Requiem and Mendelssohn's Psalm 42, as well as a commissioned work for chorus and boys' choir by acclaimed composer Howard Yermish.

International House of Philadelphia
Global Divas

Grant amount: $15,000
Grant period: 2001-2000

With support from the Philadelphia Music Project, the Folklife Center of the International House of Philadelphia presented two concerts by two internationally acclaimed female artists, Portuguese fado singer Dulce Pontes and British folk singer Kate Rusby.

Mann Center for the Performing Arts
Summer 2001—25th Anniversary Season

Grant amount: $80,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With support from the Philadelphia Music Project, the Mann Center presented performances representing five distinct musical genres, including a Houston Grand Opera production of Bizet's Carmen; Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra; the Three Irish Tenors; the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Zubin Mehta; and a Gilbert and Sullivan production with the D'Oyly Carte Players.

Opera Company of Philadelphia
Jacques Offenbach's La Perichole

Grant award: $64,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With funding from the Philadelphia Music Project, the Opera Company of Philadelphia produced Jacques Offenbach's La Perichole starring Denyse Graves, Richard Troxell, Robert Orth, Douglas Perry, and Stephen Lord.

Philadelphia Chamber Music Society
Special Events Series

Grant award: $40,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With support from the Philadelphia Music Project, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society expandes its Special Events Series. The series featured world premieres of works by Philadelphia composers Richard Wernick and James Primosch and Australian composer Mary Finsterer. Guest artists included Midori, Pamela Frank, the Arditti Quartet, Anonymous 4, Bolcom and Morris, the Regina Carter Quintet, the Marian McPartland Trio, the Philadelphia Singers, Marietta Simpson, and Lambert Orkis.

Philadelphia Fringe Festival
The Fresh Ears Series and innovative music programming

Grant amount: $30,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

Funding from the Philadelphia Music Project supported seven musical presentations at the 2001 Fringe Festival, including the Fresh Ears Series and performances by Counter)Induction, Emma, IMPROV2, Busy McCarroll, Scrap Arts Music, and John Ferguson.

Philadelphia Singers
A concert of a cappella works

Grant amount: $30,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With support from the Philadelphia Music Project, the Philadelphia Singers presented a concert of a cappella choral works including Sergei Rachmaninoff's Vespers, John Tavener's Svyati, and Thomas Tallis's Spem in Alium.

Pottstown Symphony Orchestra
Music, Magic, and Mischief

Grant amount: $30,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With funding from the Philadelphia Music Project, the Pottstown Symphony Orchestra presented four school performances and two family concerts of “Music, Magic and Mischief” in collaboration with Landis & Company Theatre of Magic. The magician “Alexi” introduced the audience to concepts in the world of music, explaining how music tells a story and plays upon the imagination.

Relâche
Future Sounds

Grant amount: $30,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With support from the Philadelphia Music Project, Relâche has commissioned and presented five new works from composers Kitty Brazelton, Shafer Mahoney, Christian Marclay, Matthew Shipp, and Menachem Wiesenberg.

SRUTI, the India Music and Dance Society
Shashank, Carnatic Flute

Grant amount: $5000
Grant period: 2001-2002

SRUTI used funding from the Philadelphia Music Project to present a recital by Carnatic flutist Shashank.

Strings for Schools
Concerts, conversations, and workshops: The Billy Taylor Trio and John Blake, Jr.

Grant amount: $30,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With support from the Philadelphia Music Project, Strings for Schools presented jazz violinist John Blake, Jr. and the Billy Taylor Trio in a tribute concert to Billy Taylor for the general public, a family concert, and a workshop at Central High School.

University of the Arts
The University of the Arts Big Band guest artist series

Grant amount: $28,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

The University of the Arts has used Philadelphia Music Project funds to support guest residencies, including master classes, clinics, workshops, and lessons and performances with the Big Band at several venues throughout the Philadelphia region, by artists Christian McBride, Slide Hampton, Dave Garibaldi, Robin Eubanks, Carl Allen, Kenny Barron, and Pat Martino.

WHYY
Sunday Showcase: The Philadelphia Orchestra

Grant amount: $80,000
Grant period: 2001-2002

With support from the Philadelphia Music Project, WHYY initiated Sunday Showcase, broadcasting the Philadelphia Orchestra and Opera Company of Philadelphia performances of the 2001-2002 season on WHYY 91FM.

Panelist Biographies

William Bolcom
A student of Darius Milhaud and Oliver Messiaen, William Bolcom was the recipient of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for music as well as of two Koussevitzky Foundation Awards, two Guggenheim Fellowships, several Rockefeller Foundation Awards, the Marc Blitzstein Award from the Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Governor's Arts Award from the State of Michigan. He has received commissions from the Vienna Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Domaine Musical, Saarlandischer Rundfunk, American Composers Orchestra, Saint Louis, National and Pacific Symphonies, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and many others. As pianist and composer, Mr. Bolcom is represented on recordings for Nonesuch, Deutsche Grammophone, RCA, CBS, MHS, Arabesque, Cala, Jazzology, Vox, Advance, CRI, Phillips, Laurel, First Edition, Newport Classics, Omega Vanguard, Argo, Koch Classics, Crystal, New World, Centaur, Folkways, 1m1, and others. As a writer about musical subjects, he is published by Viking, The New Grove Dictionary, and the University of Michigan Press. Mr. Bolcom is Chair of the Composition Department at the University of Michigan School of Music.

Anthony Fogg
Anthony Fogg (chair) was appointed Artistic Administrator of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1994. As Artistic Administrator, he assists Music Director Seiji Ozawa in the planning of repertory and selection of guest conductors and soloists for the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s subscription series at Symphony Hall, Tanglewood, and for all tours. He is also responsible for casting of the BSO’s regular concert performances of operas. Prior to coming to Boston, Mr. Fogg occupied a similar position in his native Australia, planning and programming all concerts presented by the Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland, Adelaide, West Australian, and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras. Mr. Fogg has also served as music advisor for the Adelaide Festival of the Arts, Co-Artistic Director of Musica Nova Festival in Brisbane, and is an Artistic Associate of the Australian Opera. Until 1994 Mr. Fogg was ensemble pianist and Artistic Director of the Seymor Group, Australia’s most established contemporary music ensemble, premiering more that 200 Australian works in addition to commissioning and producing several new music-theater works.

Robert Garfias
Robert Garfias is a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Irvine. He received a B.A. in music and anthropology from SFSU and an M.A. and Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from UCLA. He has served as the national president of the Society for Ethnomusicology. In 1987 he was a White House appointee to the National Council on the Arts where he served for ten years. He is a former member of the Council of the Smithsonian Institution, former dean of the School of the Arts at UCI, and former Director of the University of California Education Abroad Program in Costa Rica. Dr. Garfias has conducted research in Japan; Korea; the Philippines; Mexico and Central America; Burma (Myanmar); Romania; Zimbabwe and Mozambique; Okinawa; and, most recently, Turkey. He speaks eight languages and has written on the music of many cultures as well as on policy concerning the status of the folk and traditional arts in the United States.

Greg Osby
New York-based saxophonist Greg Osby was born in St. Louis and attended Howard University and the Berklee College Of Music. He has performed with Woody Shaw, Jon Faddis, Ron Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner, Lester Bowie, The World Saxophone Quartet, Muhal Richard Abrand, and Jack DeJohnette 's Special Edition. In 1984, Mr. Osby worked with the M-Base project, an organization that he assembled with saxophonist Steve Coleman, integrating all forms of African-American music into a new ecumenical style. Other musicians performing with M-base were Geri Allen, Cassandra Wilson, Graham Haynes, Robin Eubanks, Vernon Reid, Kevin Bruce Harris, Terri Lyne Carrington, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Gary Thomas, Dave Holland, Lonnie Plaxico, and Robert Hurst. Following four solo releases for JMT, Mr. Osby recorded the free-ranging hip-hop album, 3-D Lifestyles, his first of 11 CDs for Blue Note Records as a leader. His subsequent albums have concentrated on acoustic jazz, further establishing him as one of the most imaginative, versatile and adventurous saxophonists of his generation.

Mark Shapiro
Mark Shapiro has served as Artistic Director of Cantori New York for 10 years. He also directs the Monmouth Civic Chorus and is the Music Director of the Chorus at the Mannes College of Music where he teaches in the Opera and Conducting departments. In addition Mr. Shapiro is on the faculty of the Schola Cantorum in Paris and also directs the Paris Choral Adventure. A summa cum laude graduate of Yale College, he has received honors from the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris and fellowships from the Albert Roussel and Yehudi Menuhin Foundations and has served as an Assistant to the Director at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau. Mr. Shapiro has conducted the Cygnus Ensemble at Merkin Hall and the Metro Lyric Opera in New Jersey and was Assistant Conductor for WOZZECK at the Banff Centre in Canada. He can be heard conducting the orchestra in the 1999 Ric Burns documentary for PBS about New York City.

Beverly Simmons
Beverly Simmons earned the B.A., M.A., and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from Stanford University, specializing in performance practices of early music. Her career has included university teaching, performance, broadcasting, management, administration, and concert presenting, all with a specialty in early music. As Executive Director of Early Music America since 1993, she has overseen that organization's growth in staff and budget and launch of a new quarterly magazine. Dr. Simmons serves as panelist and guest speaker at the Cleveland Museum of Art and Cleveland Chamber Music Society as well as at national and regional conferences such as Chamber Music America, the American Choral Directors Association, and the biannual early music festivals in Berkeley and Boston. In addition, she continues to perform as both singer and choral director. As founder of the Case Western Reserve University Early Music Singers in 1978, she directed the group for 21 years. She has sung with the Cleveland Opera Chorus and is currently alto soloist at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and a member of Apollo's Singers of Apollo's Fire: The Cleveland Baroque Orchestra.

Roxalene "Pebbles" Wadsworth
Roxalene "Pebbles" Wadsworth assumed the role of Director of the Performing Arts Center at the University of Texas at Austin in 1992. She previously served as Executive Director of the UCLA Center for the Performing Arts, the nation’s largest university-based performing arts program. Her presence at UCLA was marked by a flair for innovative programming with a focus on multi-cultural events and collaborative efforts between the university and community arts groups. In Austin Ms. Wadsworth oversees a program with a $7.5 budget and 6 performance spaces on the UT campus ranging from a 3,000-seat concert hall to an intimate 200-seat theatre space. Ms. Wadsworth’s artistic vision for the Performing Arts Center integrates academic and public programming and is designed to benefit students, professional artist, and the community at large, shaping Austin into a world-renowned cultural center. Under her leadership the Performing Arts Center is developing into a breeding ground for the commissioning and realization of groundbreaking new performance works by artists from around the globe working hand in hand with students, faculty, and Austin arts organizations. Ms. Wadsworth also served a term as president of the International Society of Performing Arts from 1989-90.

Daniel Washington
Baritone Daniel Washington has appeared with much acclaim in opera, recitals, and oratorio, mainly in Europe but also in the United States. He has sung leading roles in such prestigious venues as the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (London), Opernhaus (Zurich), Staatsoper (Hamburg), Alte Oper (Frankfurt), Theater des Westens (Berlin), Teatro la Fenice (Venice), and most frequently at the Stadttheater in Luzern. He has also been engaged as soloist with orchestras such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Nord Deutsche Sinfonie, Musikverein Wien, and the Czech Philharmonic under such distinguished conductors as Bernard Haitink, Simon Rattle, Charles Mackeras, and John Nelson. Mr. Washington maintained a private voice-teaching studio in Luzern from 1995 to 1998. He currently serves as Assistant Dean (for Minority Services) at the University of Michigan School of Music.