Upcoming Concerts and Events

March 21, 2010, 3:00 PM, Paul S. Weaver Memorial Auditorium, Morley Music Hall, Lake Erie College, 391 W. Washington St., Painesville, Ohio; organist Todd Wilson in a recital sponsored by the Cleveland Composers Guild; program to include "Whalefall", in the arrangement for viola and organ; violist TBA.

April 23, 2010, 7:30 PM, Cleveland Composers Guild 50th Anniversary Benefit Concert , St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights. Charles Bernard, Assistant Principal Cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra will premiere an arrangement for solo 'cello of "The Zephyr Waltz" from The Big Bonanza.

"Five Songs on Poems of James Wright" (WORLD PREMIERE) -- Fall 2010 (date and time TBA), Patrick Mason, baritone, will perform a program of new American song at University of Colorado, Boulder.

New orchestral work "ARP 87" (WORLD PREMIERE) --December 2010, Contemporary Youth Orchestra, Waetjen Auditorium, Cleveland State University (stay tuned for further info)

Accolades, Commissions and Recent Activities

The Big Bonanza has been named the first recipient of the NMNE Main Stage Award by Boston Metro Opera. The opera will be presented in full in concert in Boston during the 2010-2011 season (date, time and venue TBA)

On Christmas Eve 2009 the choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Cleveland Heights, under the direction of Karel Paukert, performed "Ave Redemptoris Mater" for a second time, the first performance having been given as part of Lessons and Carols on December 6, 2009. The work is one of a set of Four Antiphons of Our Lady composed this past season, together with an Evening Prayer, all for a cappella SATB choir with texts in Latin.

"Epigram" for string quartet was performed twice by members of the Cleveland Chamber Collective (Takako Masame and Sae Sirigami, violins; Lisa Boyko, viola; Linda Atherton, 'cello) for the first time on October 11, 2009, for the Cleveland Chamber Music Guild, and again on Monday, December 7, 2009, for the Cleveland Composers Guild, at Christ Episcopal Church, Shaker Heights, Ohio. In March of last season the Cleveland Chamber Collective also performed the world premiere of "Four Seasons Gentlemen," an evocative eight-minute work based on an original ink brush scroll painting by artist Mitzi Lai. The artist has posted a video which includes the music on YouTube. A large and appreciative audience attended that concert which was sponsored jointly by the Rocky River Chamber Music Society and the Cleveland Composers Guild.

On February 22, 2009, "Odyssey" for solo viola was performed by violist Christiana Reader on a concert of the Cleveland Composers Guild, at Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights, and in September at Cleveland State University pianist Halida Dinova performed "Corpo Sonoro," the 2007 OMTA Composer of the Year Commissioned work.

In January 2009 Monica composed a new choral piece entitled "Defenceless Under the Night" to a text by W. H. Auden, for SSATB with flute, oboe, percussion and strings.

Soprano Andrea Chenoweth, together with pianist Eric Charnofsky, performed the aria "Oh Will, Come See" from The Big Bonanza in recital on August 22, 2008, at Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church.

The Big Bonanza was heard in its entirety for the first time in a private reading on June 20, 2008, un-staged with piano accompaniment in Mixon Hall, at the Cleveland Institute of Music, under the expert direction of Music Director Steven Byess. The superb cast, consisting of Brian K. Johnson, baritone in the lead role; Andrea Chenoweth, soprano; Herb Lentz, tenor; Ray Liddle, bass; Kimberly Lauritsen, mezzo-soprano; Michael Jankosky, tenor; Lance Ashmore, baritone; and Elijah Bell, treble, were powerfully assisted at the piano by Eric Charnofsky. An excellent new demo recording is now available directly from the composer (please click on the contact optton above). The project was supported in part by a generous grant from The Bascom Little Fund.

On March 30, 2008, the Grammy Award winning Cleveland Chamber Symphony presented the WORLD PREMIERE of "Osa Sinfonia," a new work composed especially for this ensemble, at Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio. The concert was dedicated to Monica's former teacher and friend, the late Dennis Eberhard. In his review for the Plain Dealer Donald Rosenberg comments, " Houghton writes with spare skill, her ear especially keen on ethereal sonorities." Ms. Houghton was awarded a Composer Assistance Grant from the American Music Center in support of this performance.

On April 6, 2008, a recital of all Houghton works took place in Mixon Hall, the beautiful new performance space at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The event, entitled "Music of Monica Houghton, OMTA Composer of the Year," included the WORLD PREMIERES of "Here on Earth" for clarinet, violin, cello and piano; and "In Singing Weather," the complete song cycle based on poetry of Maggie Anderson; along with the CLEVELAND PREMIERES of "Corpo Sonoro," the OMTA Composer of the Year commissioned work; and "Close (Far)" for horn, violin, 'cello, piano and percussion; plus a second performance of "Blue Shuffle" for solo guitar. Performing were CIM faculty members Matthew Bassett, percussion; Don Better, guitar; Eric Charnofsky, piano; Linda Jones, piano; and Richard King, horn; along with guest artists Lindsay Wile Charnofsky, clarinet; Andrea Chenoweth, soprano; Amber Dimoff, violin, Halida Dinova, piano; Leah Goor ,violin; Julie King, 'cello; and Thiago Tiberio, reciter and conductor.

Other springtime events included a performance by the Moore Better Duo on April 24, at Drinko Hall, Cleveland State University, of the art song "Umbrella Drink" based on a poem by Cleveland poet, Gail Bellamy; and on April 20, 2008, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights, organist Karel Paukert and violist Lynne Ramsey gave the premiere performance of the composer's own arrangement for their instruments of the art song "Whalefall" based upon a poem of Elizabeth Bradfield. And on March 29, 2008, baritone Patrick Mason performed the song entitled, "I Dreamed in a Dream," in recital with pianist Mitsumi Moteki, at Ludwig Recital Hall, Kent State University.

Pianist Tuyen Tonnu presented the CLEVELAND PREMIERE of "In the Dunes," in a program of music by members of the Cleveland Composers Guild on February 24, 2008, at Pilgrim Congregational Church, in Cleveland, Ohio. On February 12, 2008, she performed the same work at Illinois State University.

In December, Monica participated in the Opera America Symposium, "Pathways to a Premiere" in Syracuse, New York. The Big Bonanza.

Pianist Halida Dinova presented the WORLD PREMIERE of "Corpo Sonoro" (based on poetry of Maria Davico) in fulfillment of the Ohio Music Teachers Association "Composer of the Year for 2007" commission on November 16, 2007, at the Columbus Airport Marriott Hotel, in Columbus, Ohio. Sonia Brookhart, of Cincinnati read each poem aloud in Portugese in turn between the pieces, creating, together with Halida, a magical effect.

Soprano Andrea Chenoweth and pianist Eric Charnofsky presented the world premieres of "Whalefall" (based on a poem by Elizabeth Bradfield) and "Calypso" ( a selection from the song cycle "In Singing Weather" based on the poetry of Maggie Anderson) on September 23, 2007 at Drinko Hall, on the campus of Cleveland State University, in a concert sponsored by the Cleveland Composers Guild. Both performers were outstanding--one listener was moved to tears, while another said simply, "beautiful!".

On May 14, 2007, the first performance of the final scene from The Big Bonanza took place in Finney Chapel at Oberlin College. The performance featured tenor Samuel Read Levine in the role of Mark Twain, soprano Jenna Hall as Caroline, and baritone Kevin Ray as Dan DeQuille, with Alan Montgomery at the piano. Jonathon Field directed.

"Sky Signs" was premiered by The Cleveland Duo and James Umble, who commissioned the work, on April 29, 2007, at Epworth Euclid United Methodist Church on a concert of the Cleveland Composers Guild.

WCLV FM 104.9 broadcast works of Monica Houghton on the program "Not the Dead White Male Composers Hour," on Sunday, August 19, at 9 PM: "The Tree Serenades," as performed by the Cleveland Chamber Collective "; Dante's View," as performed by the Case Western Reserve University Percussion Ensemble and "We Rise Above Our Little Quarrels," for Vietnamese zither and bamboo flute; and on April 29, 2007: the premiere performances of "Blue Shuffle" by Don Better , "Ghost Temple" by the Oberlin Percussion Group, and "One Morning in September" University Circle Wind Ensemble.

Monica's percussion quintet, "Ghost Temple," was premiered by the Oberlin Percussion Group on April 9, 2007, at Cleveland State University, in a concert sponsored by the Cleveland Composers Guild, with the generous support of the Bascom Little Fund. The Case Western Reserve University Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Matthew Bassett, performed "Dante's View" on the same concert, and again on April 14th in Harkness Chapel on the CWRU campus--the music was described by one fellow composer as "intriguing."

Monica completed a set of eight violin duos, commissioned by violinist Israel Heller.

Don Harry, Principal Tuba of the Buffalo Philharmonic, performed Monica's work for solo tuba, "Mishi Peshu," in recital at Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, on November 27, 2006. This work also received a fine performance from Andrew Welborn, at the Cleveland Institute of Music, on May 17, 2007.

Monica Houghton was awarded a $5,000 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for 2007.

Monica Houghton was named "Composer of the Year for 2007" by the Ohio Music Teachers Association, and received a commission to write a new work for premiere at the 2007 OMTA Convention in Columbus, Ohio.

"Erebus" is now available on CD ( AZICA #71229) under the title "Aubade: Organ Music of Ohio Composers." Recent performances of "Erebus" were given at St. Pauls' Episcopal Church in Cleveland on March 11, 2007, and also in Lincoln, Nebraska, on February 4, 2007, for the Lincoln Organ Showcase series of the Lincoln Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, by Karel Paukert.

Monica was one of six Composer Fellows at the Virginia Arts Festival John Duffy Composers Institute which will took place in Norfolk, Virginia, May 15-28, 2006. Readings were presented of two scenes from The Big Bonanza, based in part on the life and writings of Dan De Quille, with a libretto by Jon Christensen. Mark Twain is but one of the colorful characters in this new American opera set in Virginia City, Nevada, during the heyday of the Comstock Lode. For more details on the opera, visit The Big Bonanza area of this site.

Tuyen Tonnu was eloquent in her premier performance of "In the Dunes" (2005), in recital on Wednesday, May 10, 2006, at SUNY Stony Brook.

"The Tree Serenades" was heard in concert on Sunday, May 7, 2006, on the Lloyd Max Bunker Recital Series at Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church, Cleveland, in a peformance by members of the Cleveland Chamber Collective-- Mary Kay Fink, flutes, Takako Masame, violin, Linda Atherton, 'cello and Nicholas Underhill, piano--together with guests Sandra Simon, narrator, Thomas Reed, clarinets, Benjamin Winters, percussion, and Andrew Rindfleisch, conductor, for what turned out to be a sublime rendition of this evocative work, with texts by the composer.

"String Quartet No. 1" was heard again in concert on Tuesday, March 14, 2006, in Kulas Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music, with Ruth Marie Bridge and Nazig Tchakarian, violins; Jin Yu, viola; and Micheal Kaufman, 'cello performing. The concert was presented by Fortnightly Musical Club.

Pianist Diana Fanning gave an impressive performance of "Sonata for Piano" (1998) at Pilgrim Church in the Tremont area of Cleveland, on Sunday, February 19, 2006. Ms. Fanning has performed this work at the American Church in Paris, France, and in Munich, Germany, and in various locations throughout New England. Following Ms. Fanning's performance in Montpelier, VT, Times Argus arts critic Jim Lowe decribed it as "a substantial work that is at once clearly contemporary and quite accessible. The sonata is grand and pianistic, and made particularly interesting by its attractive elusive tonality."

Don Better premiered his commissioned work for solo guitar, "Blue Shuffle," on September 25, 2005, at Cleveland State University, on a concert of the Cleveland Composers Guild. One listener described the piece as "egoless...a string of antique beads." Consisting of nine segments inspired by common phrases or associations with the word "blue" (examples include "patch of blue," "black and blue, " and "little boy blue"), neither the performer nor the audience knows ahead of time in what order the segments will be performed. This gives rise to a particularly keen sense of "being in the moment" as the performance unfolds. - Download "Blue Shuffle", (9.78 MB mp3)

"Erebus" was heard in recital at the Cathedral of St. Bavo in Ghent, Belgium, on August 11, 2005, with Karel Paukert performing. One listener wrote, "the piece was very well recieved--it sounded spectacular in the Cathedral space!"

"Glancing at Flowers" received a performance on July 27, 2005, by the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Warren Friesen, in Weber Hall, on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Duluth. One audience member told the composer afterwards, "This is the kind of music I love to hear!"

The New York based ensemble "Fireworks" gave the world premiere performance of "Dante's View," for soprano sax, percussion and amplified string bass, in a public performance on July 2, 2005, at Beall Hall on the campus of the University of Oregon, in Eugene, Oregon, for this years' Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium. Monica participated fully in the Symposium, presenting three of her recent works to the more than fifty composers assembled.

"One Morning in September," a new work for symphonic winds based on the events of September 11, 2001, recieved its premiere performance on February 20, 2005, from the University Circle Wind Ensemble under the direction of Gary Ciepluch. Referring to it as a "masterful composition, creatively and expertly scored," Dr. Ciepluch went on to describe the work as "a significant addition to the repertoire, effective and memorable for the conductor, players and audience...with sounds and colors rarely heard in a wind band piece...an exciting work most worthy of study and performance."

"We Rise Above Our Little Quarrels," a new work for two traditional Vietnamese instruments, dan tranh (zither) and sao (bamboo flute), recieved its world premiere at the Hanoi Opera House in Hanoi, Vietnam, on January 2, 2005, under the supervision of the renowned musicologist and conductor Phong Nguyen, who said afterwards to Monica, "People love your work!" See photos...or...Listen to the performance (mp3 4.1 MB)

Monica's "String Quartet No. 1" was performed on May 14, 2004, at the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival in the Peoples' Republic of China. Monica was the sole American composer represented on the program which also featured music by well-known composers from Australia, Germany, France, Korea and China. Previously in March, Monica had spent nearly three weeks visiting at the Shanghai Conservatory as Composer in Residence. "I was fortunate to be able to visit the world famous Shanghai Kun Qu Opera Troupe, in addition to spending time at the Conservatory, where I listened to student works, met many distinguished faculty, and gave a lecture on the topic of "Finding the Form." Conservatory students conducted a reading of a newly composed scene from The Big Bonanza, in which the character Zhang sings of how he came to Gold Mountain to seek his fortune in Chinese folk song style with erhu accompaniment. Click here to see the photos!