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| • March 19, 2010 –
Friday, 7:30 PM, Curtis Bryant's "Divertimento
for Strings" will be a featured work on a program by Georgia
State University School of Music. The University Symphony
Orchestra directed by Michael Palmer
will premiere the four-movement, 16-minute work for string orchestra at
the Rialto Center for the Arts. Admission is free. • February 28, 2010 – Sunday, 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM, the St. Cecilia Consort directed by Charles Whittaker will perform the WORLD PREMIERE of Curtis Bryant's "Fantasy on Divinum Mysterium," for orchestra. The performances will be featured in the morning worship services at First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia. The six minute orchestral fantasy on the Gregorian hymn was composed for the 2008-2010 Atlanta Faith Partners Program sponsored by the American Composers Forum for which Bryant is resident composer. • November 15, 2009 – 10:30 AM, the WORLD PREMIERE of "How Long, O God," a choral setting of Psalm 13 by Curtis Bryant to a poetic rendition by Marcia King will take place at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. The collaboration is the next in a series of works composed for the Faith Partners Residency Program sponsored by the American Composers Forum. The Cathedral Choir will perform under the direction of Kevin Culver and organist Tim Wissler. • October 19, 2009 – Curtis Bryant's "FunFare," a fanfare for brass instruments and percussion was a featured work at the Investiture Procession and Ceremony of Dr. Mark P. Becker, seventh president of Georgia State University. The public event took place at 2:00 PM in the Georgia State University Sports Arena. • September 29, 2009 – NEW YORK RECITAL: Bryant's "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," a song cycle for bass-baritone and piano was a featured work on a recital by Atlanta baritone James Robinson and pianist Jo Kroger at 8:00 PM at Saint Peter's Church, 619 Lexington Avenue (at 54th Street). The text of the five songs is taken from the 1793 mystical book "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" by William Blake. Bryant composed the song cycle in 1983 for American singer Peter Harrower. • September 13, 2009 – The WORLD PREMIERE performance of Curtis Bryant's "Hymn of Wisdom" for chorus SATB, brass quintet and organ was given by First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia. Charles Whittaker directed the performance with Diane Whittaker at the keyboard. The text for "Hymn of Wisdom" is a collaborative adaptation of Proverbs 8:22-36 by Bryant and poet Doug Cumming, professor of Journalism at Washington and Lee University. The composition is the next in a series of new sacred choral works by Bryant in the 2009-2010 Atlanta Faith Partners Residency sponsored by the American Composers Forum. • September 10, 2009 – "Horns for Haiti" founder, organist John Coble joined Dr. Michael R. Brown, trumpet in a benefit concert featuring Curtis Bryant's "Introit and Recessional" at First United Methodist Church, Starkville, Mississippi. A second performance was given in Atlanta at Covenant Presbyterian Church on September 13, 2009 at 1:00 PM. Horns for Haiti is a non-profit group that seeks donations of new or used band instruments for music programs in Haiti. For more information visit the Covenant Presbyterian Church website. • TRAVEL – This summer opened a new chapter in my world exploration with trips to Europe and to China. May 7-21 – EUROPE – Nancy and I celebrated our 30th anniversary with a dream vacation to France and Germany, spending time in Burgundy, Alsace and the Mosel and visiting our friends in Strassbourg and Trier. A highlight of the trip was a concert of vocal music of the Notre Dame School at Notre Dame in Paris. This is where counterpoint and harmony began. Great friends, great music, great food and great wine. Who could ask for anything more? July 18-August 7 MY CHINA ADVENTURE – My 60th birthday present from my wife was a trip to China. The other  excuse for going was the solar eclipse of July 22, which
was viewable in Shanghai (if it hadn't been raining). I traveled
with veteran eclipse chaser Mike Froman, who had prior experience
travelling in China. Our itinerary took us to Shanghai, Yunnan
province, Sichuan, and some of China's ancient capitals, including
Xi'an, Luoyang, Kaifeng, and Nanjing. We visited some of China's
ancient wonders, including Shilin (the Stone Forest), Tiger Leaping
Gorge, the Giant Buddha of Leshan, The Terracotta Army, and the Longmen
Grottos. I took this video in the Bell Tower in the Old City of
Xi'an. Performances are given several times daily in traditional
costumes with traditional Chinese instruments and featuring the great
bells. Click projector  to play
video. For a day by day detail of our adventures in China please
visit our blog: http://www.declipsechina.blogspot.com/
• April 5, 2009, 7:30 PM – Curtis Bryant's "Song of Songs," three Biblical songs for soprano, flute and piano were featured on a Senior Recital given by soprano Laurel Aberle. The performance was given at Georgia State University School of Music, Kopleff Recital Hall. • April 1, 2009, 7:00 PM – World premiere of Curtis Bryant's new Lenten Vespers Service: "Redeemer Evening Prayer" at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 731 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, Georgia. The 25-minute musical "service of light" includes the Hymn of Light, Thanksgiving for Light, Psalm 121, Magnificat, Nunc Dimittis and Gloria, as well as an organ prelude and postlude. Additional services featuring some of the above selections were held on Wednesdays during Lent: March 4, March 11, March 18, and March 25, all at 7:00 PM. The service music is in partial fulfillment of the Atlanta Faith Partners Residency sponsored by the American Composers Forum. Bryant collaborated with several Atlanta poets in the creation of poetic settings of traditional texts. They include Marcia King and Bill Allen as well as Doug Cumming, professor of journalism at Washington and Lee University. The performing forces include choir, organ, flute and handbells. • November 16, 2008, 8:15 PM – Curtis Bryant's "The Lamb" was featured on a Tuesday evening performance by the University of West Georgia Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Kevin Hibbard. The concert took place in the Townsend Performing Arts Center and was free to the public. • October 26, 2008, 3:00 PM – The world premiere of Curtis Bryant's "Alien Landscape" for two pianos, eight hands was featured on a piano ensemble program at Powder Springs Baptist Church, Powder Springs, Georgia. The program was sponsored by the Greater Marietta Music Teachers Association (GMMTA) in cooperation with Southern Keyboards of Marietta, GA. The GMMTA commissioned Bryant to create the new composition for intermediate piano students as the featured work for this concert. The use of the extreme range of the keyboards and the landing of NASA's Mars Phoenix at the time he was working on the composition gave Bryant the idea for the title of the 3-minute piece. • ATLANTA FAITH PARTNERS RESIDENCY – Curtis Bryant has been chosen as the Composer-in-Residence for the Atlanta Faith Partners project sponsored by the American Composers Forum. Beginning in September, he will work with three Atlanta congregations – Cathedral of Christ the King, First Presbyterian Church, and Lutheran Church of the Redeemer – to write new works unique to each congregation, as well as several pieces that all three will share. The participating congregations were chosen on the basis of their interest in and commitment to performing new music, their diversity, and their potential congruence. Established in 1992, the Faith Partners residencies are emblematic of the American Composers Forum's efforts to build bridges between composers and already existing audiences that have lacked exposure to contemporary music but are highly receptive to it. Several congregations that participated in the program have continued to commission new works with their own funds following the conclusion of the residency period, indicating that the program has sparked a durable enthusiasm for new music. • June 20, 2008, 7:30 PM – The opening scene from Curtis Bryant's  opera "The Anarchist"
was featured
Friday on a program of the Harrower Summer Opera Workshop at Georgia
State University. The scene was directed by David
Grabarkewitz with musical direction by Nina Shuman. Baritone
Stephen McCool and tenor Wesley Morgan were the featured
soloists.
The libretto of "The
Anarchist" by Allen
Reichman is an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's
1907 novel "The Secret Agent."
• May 8, 2008 – Bryant's "Ragtime" for string orchestra received a performance by the Lovinggood Middle School orchestra, directed by Barbera Secrist. The performance was given at Hillgrove High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. Ragtime is published by Neil A. Kjos Music Company in San Diego. • March 30, 2008, 3:00 PM – Cantare Youth Choirs of Atlanta directed by Paulette Sigler performed Bryant's Jubilate Deo on their Spring Concert at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, 1770 Johnson Ferry Road in Marietta, GA. An encore performance will be given on Tuesday, April 1 at 7:00 PM at Sandy Plains Baptist Church, 2825 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta, GA. • March 23, 2008 – Easter Sunday – The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Gwinnett (UUCG) Adult Choir directed by Kevin McKinney performed Curtis Bryant's "The Lamb," an a cappella setting of the William Blake poem from "Songs of Innocence." Bryant composed "The Lamb" in 2003 for the Gregg Smith Singers after attending the Adirondack Festival of American Music. The score is published by Lux Nova Press. • March 9, 2008 – Performance of Bryant's "Fantasy on American Themes"  by the Etowah
Youth Orchestras, Gadsden, Alabama, directed by Michael R.
Gagliardo. • March 1, 2008 – PERFORMANCE IN AVERY FISCHER HALL. Curtis Bryant's "Fantasy on American Themes" was performed at the National Orchestra Cup Festival held in New York's Lincoln Center. The White Pine Middle School 8th Grade Orchestra of Saginaw, Michigan, Directed by Iris Haynes will feature Bryant's "Fantasy" on their program at this prestigious event. • February 23, 2008 – PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF SCHEDULE! – Bryant's Sonata for Violin and Piano was featured on the closing concert at the SCI National Conference in Atlanta at Georgia State University School of Music, Kopleff Recital Hall (8:00 PM). Violinist Christos Galileas will be joined by pianist Brandt Fredriksen in the performance of the three movement work. • January 25, 2008 – Curtis Bryant's "Fantasy on American Themes" was one of the featured works on a program at the 2008 Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids. The White Pine Middle School 8th Grade String Orchestra of Saginaw, Michigan, directed by Iris Haynes was guest performing group at the conference. The young musicians will be giving a second performance of "Fantasy" on March 1 in Avery Fischer Hall in New York at the National Orchestra Cup Festival. • January 13, 2008 – Bryant completed the musical score for a new short film "A Dark Gift" produced and directed by Nicholas Lance for the Georgia Tech Campus Movie Fest. The dark drama features several arrangements of Bryant's Nocturne for piano. To view this film and another short by Nick Lance click the mini-projector: • November 13, 2007 – Performance of Curtis Bryant's "Fantasy on American Themes" for string orchestra by the Murfreesboro Youth Orchestra, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • April 24, 2007 – The Department of Music at the University of West Georgia performed Curtis Bryant’s cantata "The Builders" on a centennial choral concert at the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts with the UWG Concert Choir & Chamber Singers and the UWG Wind Symphony, directed by Kevin Hibbard. Bryant’s setting of "The Builders" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was commissioned in 1989 for the dedication of the Performing Arts Center. • ATLANTA PREMIERE: April 17, 2007 – The Atlanta premiere of Curtis Bryant’s "The Laughing Monkeys of Gravity," a song cycle based upon poems from the collection by award winning Atlanta poet Stephen Bluestone was featured in a piano and voice only performance on the neoPhonia Concert Series at Georgia State University. The cycle is also scored for soprano with a chamber ensemble of flute, clarinet & alto sax, percussion, violin, cello and piano. Former GSU School of Music faculty member Chery Brendel sang the challenging soprano part in this cycle with Lisa Leong taking on the equally challenging piano part. The text depicts some of the legendary film comedians, including Laurel and Hardy, Lou Costello, the Three Stooges and Charles Chaplin. The program, directed by Dr. Nickitas Demos, was performed in the Kopleff Recital Hall on the Music for Our Time series.  •
March 18, 2007 – Dr. Michael R.
Brown, trumpet joined organist John Coble in a performance of Curtis
Bryant's Introit and Recessional
for Trumpet and Organ in the 11:00 AM service at Covenant
Presbyterian Church in Atlanta. The team of Brown and Coble
performed the Georgia premiere of Bryant's Introit and Recessional last
year at the American Guild of Organists Members' Recital on March 14,
2006 at First Presbyterian Church, Marietta, Georgia. Dr. Brown is
head of the Department of Music Education and Professor of Music at The
Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi. John
Coble is Organist and Director or Music at Covenant Presbyterian
Church in Atlanta.• Feb 18, 2007 – Feature Article in Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Atlanta composers (including Curtis Bryant) by Pierre Ruhe. • November 30, 2006 – Dr. Tom Gibson led members of the GSU Pep Band and GSU Brass and Jazz ensembles in a recording of a new basketball theme song by School of Music part-time instructor Curtis Bryant. Bryant composed the song, entitled "Go Panthers!" for use as title and credits music for upcoming game broadcasts. The song is scored for live performances by the Pep Band at Panthers games. Digital audio editing was completed by GSU School of Music student Michael Reddick in the Center for Audio Recording Arts facilities. It is anticipated that Bryant's new theme song will be used for the 2007-2008 season broadcasts on CSS (Comcast Sports South), produced by Chris Davis. • OPERA NEWS: "The Anarchist" November 17, 2006 – A new scene from Curtis Bryant’s opera-in-progress "The Anarchist" received a performance by students of Georgia State University School of Music on the Fall Opera Scenes showcase in Kopleff Recital Hall. Soloists included Katie Baughman, Maria McDaniel and Melanie Czaykowsky. The scene was directed by W. Dwight Coleman, coordinator of voice and opera studies, and Peter Marshall provided musical direction. The libretto, by New York forensic psychiatrist Allen Reichman, is based upon the 1907 novel “The Secret Agent” by Joseph Conrad. Two additional scenes from "The Anarchists" received staged performances at the Harrower Summer Opera Workshop, June, 2005 and in the Opera Scenes Recital at Georgia State University, November, 18, 2005, directed by W. Dwight Coleman. Click here for a sample aria  "Stevie, My
Darling," sung by soprano Sindhu Chandra Geidd with
pianist Peter
Marshall. More samples can be heard on the Opera Page. • PREMIERE OF "In a Dream"March 26, 2006 – Curtis Bryant's "In a Dream" for chorus SSA(B), band and orchestra received a world premiere at Ridgeview Middle School located in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The 6-minute composition was commissioned for the celebration of the school's 20th anniversary. The work is a setting of an original text by Bryant highlighting the school's strengths in its diversity. • "A Peasant's Hope" at WYSIWYG Film Fest Bryant scored this medieval tale produced by Pet Project Films with an ensemble of Atlanta based musicians. It was recently featured in a San Francisco film festival.  •
CURTIS BRYANT RECEIVES 7th EMMY
NOMINATIONAtlanta, Georgia - May 6, 2005 - "Briars in the Cottonpatch" received two regional EMMY nominations as part of the annual Southeast EMMY competition. The nominations were announced in May by the Southeast Chapter of NATAS (National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences). "Briars" received nominations in two individual categories: • WRITING -
Michael Booth
• MUSIC
COMPOSITION – Curtis Bryant
"Briars" also aired nationally on
PBS in February, 2005 as part of Black History Month.
(To see a schedule of national listings click
here.) Back to top |
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