Evan will give a presentation sharing the story and resources of his annual "Call for Scores" opportunity, which has received over 400 submissions from around the world and received over $9,000 in funding, aiming to inspire and show other instrumentalists how easy and important it is to seek, discover, and create their own unique impact on the music world. As musicians, we are in a privileged position that many people across the world are not able to be in due to their financial situation, geographical location, age, luck, etc. In today's digital age, it is easier than ever to be in contact with these under-resourced musicians to make a difference in their lives. Evan will dive into just how easy, approachable, and necessary it is for musicians to create opportunities that promote new music and support unknown composers looking to share their musical voice.
With an extended lecture-recital format at the North American Saxophone Alliance 2024 Conference, all three commissioned pieces from the Evan Erickson Music “2023 Call for Scores” will be premiered live by the Möbius Duo to offer a live performance and exposure for these composers, offering a platform to advocate for this community of composers.
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 (along with a new work by Evan, himself!), 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 (South Africa) - 5’30” (WORLD PREMIERE)
Performed by Evan Erickson, Clarinet | Becca Tank, Saxophone
Folk Dialogues (2023) by Pouria Nasiri (Iran) - 10’ (WORLD PREMIERE)
Performed by Evan Erickson, Clarinet | Becca Tank, Saxophone
Composite Portrait (2023) by Alessandro Adamo (Italy) - 7’30” (WORLD PREMIERE)
Performed by Evan Erickson, Clarinet | 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.
Pouria Nasiri is an Iranian composer and researcher hailing from Shiraz, in the Fars province. He began playing the violin at the age of 10, while studying computer engineering at Shiraz University, he immersed himself in the study of music composition. Subsequently, he pursued a Master's degree in composition at the University of Art in Tehran. His compositions are strongly influenced by Iranian musical elements, combining traditional Iranian music with contemporary composition techniques. In addition to his expertise in composition, he founded and directed the "Shahr-e Raz National Music Ensemble," conducting pieces composed by Iranian composers. Alongside his composition work, he actively engages in music research, particularly focused on Iranian music. Currently, Pouria is actively involved in teaching various subjects, including solfège, ear training, fundamentals of composition, form and analysis, harmony, and musicology. He has also lectured at the "Fazel University of Art and Culture" in his hometown. During his leisure time, Pouria dedicates himself to studying Iranian and world history, philosophy, art history, political science, and sociology. Additionally, he enjoys playing board games, hanging out with friends, and watching movies.
Alessandro Adamo
Born in Campobasso (Italy) in 1995, he began his studies at the Conservatory of Music of the same city at the age of 14 and graduated in classical percussion in 2018. Driven by the desire and the curiosity to explore musical languages, from the same year to July 2023 he’s been studying composition, graduating at the Campobasso’s Conservatory of Music. During his studies, he composed for various instrumental ensembles, using different styles, languages and constructive procedures: chamber duets, pieces for orchestra or solo instrument and ensemble; among the most important writing experiences, a piece for string quartet in 2021. In recent years, he has been particularly fascinated by the mixture of colours from two important musical traditions, classical and jazz, which has influenced some of his latest works. This interest arose throughstudying and especially listening to past and contemporary composers who include this mixture of timbres in part of their music. He has been commissioned by concert associations to write compositions for chamber ensembles. In 2021 and 2022, he won two awards in international composition competitions, taking first prize in the ‘Ninth International Online Jean SibeliusFest Composition Competition’ (Torku, Finland), in the student category, and fourth prize in the ‘Maestros Vision Awards International Composition Competition’ (Beijing, China), the only Italian among the winners in the ‘Young Artist Category, Chamber Music’. As a percussionist, he has performed in concerts held mainly in southern Italy and in various majorcities such as Naples and Venice, drawing valuable learningsfrom working with talented and experienced artists. He’s currently continuing his studies and compositional activity, fascinated by the possibilities offered today by the variety of musical languages.