Following a year of outstanding growth for the opportunity, the Evan Erickson Music “2023 Call for Scores” initiative is going on a small tour to highlight the importance of performing music by under-resourced composers. After receiving funding to offer the “Call for Scores” as a commissioning platform in 2023, Evan directly commissioned 3 selected composers in 2023 to write a new work for the Möbius Duo (clarinet & saxophone). With an extended lecture-recital format at the North American Saxophone Alliance 2024 Conference, all three pieces will be premiered live to offer exposure to these composers names and build credibility for the non-profit opportunity. For time, only one of the commissioned works will be performed today as part of CMS. Be sure to sign up for the EEM newsletter at the bottom of this page so you can be notified when the Möbius Duo’s premiere album showcasing these works is released in May, and you can find social media links at the top right of the page (bottom on mobile) to be notified when recordings are posted on social platforms! Click here for the resource link from today’s lecture.
Program
Sketches of Becoming (2024) by Annemie du Plessis - 5’30” (WORLD PREMIERE)
Performed by Evan Erickson, Clarinet, and Becca Tank, Saxophone
Composer Biographies
Annemie du Plessis is currently a Master’s student in music composition at Stellenbosch University, under the direction of Antoni Shonken and Arthur Feder. She grew up playing the viola, violin and piano. While in school, she completed her Unisa and Royal Schools Grade 8 on viola and violin, and was a finalist in the Unisa National bursary competition in 2002. She was awarded abursary by the Institute for Transport Technology to study Industrial Engineering, and obtained her Master’s cum laude from Stellenbosch University in 2008, after which she started working in the Logistics and Supply Chain industry. While working full-time, she continued to play in various orchestras in South Africa and neighbouring countries as freelance violist (including the National Youth Orchestra, Johannesburg Music Initiative as well as Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra). After a personal health crisis, she discovered her passion for writing music, and started taking composition lessons with Melissa van der Spuy in 2020. She then completed a bridging composition course under the supervision of Melissa, Arthur and Antoni in 2021, in preparation for the commencement of her Master’s studies in 2022. Where time allows, she still plays for national shows and ad hoc chamber music groups. In March this year she had the opportunity to get three of her compositions performed at the Stellenbosch Conservatory, as part of the Wood and Water sound experience. This event consisted of a performance and sound installation that she designed and curated. Music composition has played a significant role in her personal recovery journey over the past few years-which has been one of personal discovery, regaining vitality and finding renewed meaning in life.
