Chuck Holdeman, composer

"SONATA SCINTILLANTE," COMMISSIONED BY SPARX, THE DUO OF JOAN SPARKS, FLUTE AND ANNE SULLIVAN, HARP WILL RECEIVE ITS PREMIERE AT GORE RECITAL HALL, UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE, NEWARK, DELAWARE, FEBRUARY 21, 2012, 8 P.M. Also on the program will be Holdeman's "Prelude d'Intrigue" for solo harp.

“At the Bend,” song settings of eight poems by W. S. Merwin was premiered at the Round Top Poetry Festival in Texas on April 17, ’09, by Phillip Hill, baritone and Rick Rowley, piano, with Mr. Merwin in attendance. Coincidentally, W. S. Merwin was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry a few days later. 7 of the 8 poems used in "At the Bend" are in his title which won the prize, "The Shadow of Sirius." 

THE PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE WILL OCCUR IN TWO PARTS ON JANUARY 29 AND FEBRAURY 12, 2012 AT ANDREA CLEARFIELD'S SALON, SUNG BY LESLIE JOHNSON WITH PIANIST MIKE DJUPSTROM.

"Six Preludes" for solo harpsichord were premiered by their dedicatee, Tracy Richardson April 22, 2010, First and Central Presbyterian Church, 11th and Market Streets, Wilmington, DE.

THE NEXT PERFORMANCE (ALSO BY MS. RICHARDSON)  WILL BE APRIL 4, 2012 AT 7:30 PM AT THE MUSIC SCHOOL OF DELAWARE, 4101 WASHINGTON STREET, WILMINGTON, DE 19802

“Quintetto,” for bassoon and strings was premiered on July 23, ’09 in Birmingham, England for the International Double Reed Society, with Paris Opera bassoonist Ludovic Tissus, joined by the Boult String Quartet. The French premiere was given October 25, '09 in Bordeaux for L'Association Bassons by Tissus and the Quatuor Promethee. The U.S. premiere was September 17, 2011, for Crossroads Music in West Philadelphia. The performers were the composer, joined by the Dali Quartet.

 

"Petit Concert" for oboe, basset horn, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, and three horns was commissioned by the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and was premiered at the orchestra's Champagne Chamber Series October 27, 2009 concert in the Gold Ballroom of the Hotel duPont, Wilmington, Delaware, and repeated October 29 at the Schwartz Center in Dover, Delaware.The Philadelphia premiere was April 26, 2011, performed by students at the Curtis Institute of Music under the direction of Richard Woodhams.

"Quatuor Excentrique" in three movements was premiered September 15, 2010 for the West Chester University (PA) Visual and Performing Arts Festival.

"Max fait de la Photo" is the name of a 1913 silent film by the legendary comedian Max Linder. Chuck Holdeman wrote and conducted the April 17, 2011 premiere of the score, performed live by the Relache Ensemble to accompany a showing of the film for Philadephia's PIFA Festival. The performance took place at Drexel University's Mandell Theater and included three other commissioned scores for silent films. These works were recorded for eventual DVD release recording in the summer of 2011. For more info, see relache.org

On May 1, 2011 another film event included "Rabbit Nature," a short animated film by Pahl Hluchan. Chuck Holdeman composed and performed his score live for the premiere of this unusual film as part of Wilmington In Transition's (WIT) celebration of local film, co-sponsored by Hearts and Minds Film Initiative on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware. WIT, a project of Delaware Pacem in Terris, and inspired by the international Transition Town movement, is devoted to developing local resilience in response to our mutual concerns for climate, energy, and the economy.

July 30, 2011 saw the premiere of "Music for Three Poems by Reuben Jackson," with the poet reciting and the composer playing bassoon. The performance was for the Vermont Center for Music and Art at Lyndon State College.