Annual American Composers Update
Emma Lou Diemer
Emma Lou Diemer resides in Santa Barbara, CA, where she
is Professor Emeritus of the University of California,
Santa Barbara. She has been guest composer at the California
State Univ., Stanislaus Hildegard Festival of Women in
the Arts 1999 (Mar.) organized by Ginger Covert Colla
and Deborah Kavasch; and at the Lawrence Univ. Festival
of Contemporary Piano Music, organized by Kathleen Murray.
Premieres
At the Hildegard Festival, the combined ACDA Women's Festival
Choruses, led by Patricia Hennings, gave the first performance
of
O Viridissima Virga (text by Hildegard), for
women's choir, organ, and optional percussion. At the
Festival of Contemporary Piano Music, Kathleen Murray
presented
Serenade/Toccata, Jan. 1999.
Variations
on "Rendez a Dieu" premiered at The American Cathedral,
in Paris, May 1999 with organist Joan DeVee Dixon. Written
for the dedication of new buildings,
Bless the Lord,
O My Soul, for choir, congregation, brass quartet,
and percussion, was heard first at the First Presbyterian
Church, with conductor Julie Neufeld, Feb. 1999 in Santa
Barbara. The AGO Regional Convention, June 1999 in Sacramento,
CA included the premiere of the anthem
O Give Thanks
to the Lord, for choir, congregation, and organ, with
conductor David Deffner at the Cathedral of the Blessed
Sacrament.
Performances
At the same convention, Diemer soloed in
Concerto in
One Movement for Organ and Chamber Orchestra, conducted
by Eugene Castillo. The Hildegard Festival (see above)
included
La Rag, with the California State Univ.
- Stanislaus Wind Ensemble, led by Edward Harris, and
Seven Somewhat Silly Songs, with Kavasch, soprano,
accompanied by pianist Stephen Thomas. Charlene Archibeque
conducted the San Jose (CA) Univ. Concert Choir and Orchestra
in Diemer's
Gloria, Dec. 1999. Under the baton
of guest conductor Gisele Ben-Dor, the Grand Rapids (MI)
Symphony Orchestra presented
Santa Barbara Overture,
Mar. 1999. The Tulsa SAI Alumnae Chapter's American Musicale
featured
Aria and Scherzo, with Sue Amstutz, flute,
and Ava Butts, piano, May 1999.
Publications
Serenade/Toccata; O Viridissima Virga; both by
Hildegard Music Co.
Psalms for Percussion and Organ or Piano;
C.
Alan Publications.
Psalms for Flute and Organ or
Piano; Seesaw Music Corp.
Psalm 122 and
Psalm
1 for Bass Trombone or Tuba and Organ or Piano;
Ensemble
Publications.
O Give Thanks to the Lord;
The
Sacred Music Press.
Bless the Lord; anthem
for choir, congregation, organ, and optional brass;
Santa
Barbara Music Publishing Co.
Recordings
Concerto in One Movement for Piano; Betty Oberacker
and the Czech Radio Symphony, Vladimir Valek, conductor;
MMC
Recordings.
Four Chinese Love-Poems; Anne Marie
Church, soprano, and Linda Sweetman-Waters, piano; Josara
Records. Dixon, organ; Emmanuel Brass; Sue Lowcock Harris,
flute; Michael Matteo, Brian Tychinski, and Scott Sexton,
percussion; John Anthony, trumpet; and Bryan Anton, bass
trombone;
www.joandeveedixon.com.
The Psalms of Emma Lou Diemer, Vols.
I and II.
Further Information
