New Work - Lux in Tenebris - Performed by American Composers Orchestra
Composers selected from 250 submissions presented in ACO's 27th Annual Underwood New Music Readings. Carlos Bandera, Lily Chen, Scott Lee, Ryan Lindveit, Tomas Peire Serrate, and Liliya Ugay
Composer Carlos Bandera (b. 1993) will have a gorgeous new work—Lux in Tenebris—performed by the American Composers Orchestra at the upcoming 27th Annual Underwood New Music Readings on June 21-22, 2018 at NYU’s Loewe Theater (35 West 4th Street).
Listen to the work here and you will see why we think it is meaningful.
Bandera is fascinated by musical architecture and by the music of the past. His recent music explores these fascinations, often by placing a musical quotation, be it a phrase, scale, or sonority, within dense microtonal textures.
Bandera says:
"Upon first hearing the music of Anton Bruckner, I felt deeply connected to the composer and his work. His Eighth Symphony in particular, with its immense harmonic landscapes, devastating silences, and profound “darkness-to-light” narrative, continues to be one of my greatest influences – no doubt, in more ways than I am even aware of. Lux in Tenebris explores these elements of the Eighth Symphony by allowing Brucknerian light to pierce through a dense micropolyphonic fabric."
ACO’s Underwood New Music Readings give audiences a chance to look behind the scenes of bringing new, diverse orchestral music to life. The first day of Readings, an open rehearsal, is Thursday, June 21, 2018 at 10:30 AM; the second day of Readings is Friday, June 22, at 7:30 PM, during which the new works will be polished and performed in their entirety. ACO Artistic Director Derek Bermel directs the Readings; ACO Music Director George Manahan conducts.
This year, six of the nation’s most promising composers in the early stages of their professional careers are selected from over 250 submissions. Carlos Bandera, Lily Chen, Scott Lee, Ryan Lindveit, Tomas Peire Serrate, and Liliya Ugay represent a broad spectrum of musical backgrounds and sound worlds. One composer will receive a $15,000 commission for a new piece to be performed by ACO during an upcoming season. Additionally, one composer will receive the Audience Choice Award with an associated commission.
Each composer participating in the Underwood New Music Readings receives rehearsals, a reading, and a digital recording of his or her work. Feedback sessions with ACO principal players, mentor composers.