Last updated 11/27/2009 OTHER RECENT PERFORMANCES
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Daniel Adams received the world premiere of Camouflage for contrabass solo and percussion trio on November 23 in Tampa, Florida at the College of Fine Arts of the University of South Florida. The USF Percussion Ensemble, conducted by Robert McCormick, performed Camouflage. The contrabass soloist was Dee Moses, principal double bassist of The Florida Orchestra.
Hamiruge, the Louisiana State University Percussion Group performed Camaraderie for timpani solo and percussion ensemble on November 12 as part of the New Literature for Percussion Ensemble session at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The performance was conducted by Brett Dietz with Shawn Galvin as solo timpanist.
The Unison Piano Duo presented three performances of Double Helix in October of 2009. The piece was performed at the University of Iowa, Knox College, and Western Illinois University on the 17th, 18th and 19th respectively. The members of the Unison Piano Duo are Du Huang and Xiao Hu.
Road Traversed and Reversed a marimba duo composed by Daniel Adams was performed by Lee Hinkle and Robert McCormick on June 16 at the Hillsborough Community College Ybor Performing Arts Center in Tampa, Florida. The concert was part of the "Homemade Music Symposium", a music business seminar sponsored by the Hillsborough Community College School of Visual and Performing Arts.
The Nassau-Suffolk Wind Symphony performed Concerto for Timpani, Percussion, and Winds at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Greenvale, (Long Island) New York on May 10. The solo timpanist was Steven Blutman and Joel M. Levy conducted the performance. Nassau-Suffolk Performing Arts presented the concert.
Adams served as a Composer in Residence for the Leechburg Pennsylvania Area High School Music Division on May 5 through May 7. The Leechburg Area High School Percussion Ensemble performed the world premiere of his Concerto for Euphonium and Percussion Quintet, a work commissioned by band director and percussion ensemble conductor Rob Reams. Dr. Brian Meixner, a member of the music faculty at Slippery Rock University, played the solo euphonium part. Dr. Adams presented lectures to the band and music theory class during his residency and he conducted a music composition tutorial in conjunction with the gifted program.
Double Nostalgia for tenor saxophone solo received its premiere at the Houston Composers Alliance Concert held in Cullen Hall on the campus of the University of St. Thomas, Houston on March 2. The performer was Richard Nunemaker. Double Nostalgia was also performed on March 13 by Todd Oxford at the South Central Chapter Meeting of the College Music Society held at the University of Oklahoma, Norman.
On April 7 Horace Alexander Young premiered Serpentine Glow for bass flute solo at the Texas Southern University Fine Arts Faculty Recital. The recital was held in the Rhinehart Auditorium, Houston, Texas.
Fanfare for Tomorrow for brass quintet was performed by Gary Wurtz, trumpet, Garrett Martin, trumpet, Charles Gavin, horn, Chris Eaton, trombone, and J.D. Salas, tuba at the 2009 Conference of the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Composers, USA NACUSA Texason February 21, 2009.
Diffusion Two for snare drum quartet was also performed at the Texas NACUSA conference by percussionists Scott Harris, Mike Craft, Jason Morgan, and Chris Vasquez. The conference was held at the Stephen F. Austin School of Music, Nacogdoches, Texas.
Diffusion Two received four additional performances during the spring of 2009. On April 7 it was performed by The University of Memphis Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Frank Shaffer. On March 30 the Georgia State University Percussion Ensemble performed Diffusion Two at the Fulton County High School Night of Percussion held at on at Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia and at the Rialto Center for the Arts in Atlanta on April 14 with Stuart Gerber as artistic director. On April 15th Diffusion Two was performed by the Sam Houston State University Percussion Ensemble (Huntsville, Texas) directed by John Lane as part of the SHSU 47th Annual Contemporary Music Festival.
Two Antiphonal Portraits for 12 percussionists was performed on April 2 at West Chester University of Pennsylvania with Robert McCormick as guest conductor.
Between Stillness and Motion for piano solo was performed by guest artist Christopher Oldfather at the C.A. Roberson Theatre at the Tarrant County College Southeast Campus, Arlington, Texas on April 17 as part of the Texas Chapter of The National Association of Composers / USA recital of solo piano compositions by composers from Texas and Long Island.
Daniel Adams is the author of two entries published in the Oxford University Press Encyclopedia of African-American History 1896 to the Present. The titles of the articles are Composers and Miami.
The entry on composers begins with the early contributions of Harry T. Burleigh and other early twentieth century African-American composers who wrote music based on Negro spirituals. The article traces the development of African-American music through the twentieth century and addresses the unique challenges and obstacles that Black composers faced in presenting their music to the general public. The contributions of William Grant Still, Scott Joplin, Ulysses Kay, Hale Smith, and others are discussed and a section on African-American women composers includes mention of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds. The article concludes by acknowledging the diverse influences on modern African-American classical music.
The entry on Miami discusses the social, political and cultural aspects of life in the city since its incorporation in 1896. There is discussion of educational desegregation, Jim Crow laws in Miami Beach, and the historic entertainment venues in Miami's "Colored Town" where musicians such as Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Josephine Baker performed. The tense relations between law enforcement and Miami's black community is discussed with a particular emphasis on the 1980 riots that followed the acquittal of four police officers accused of beating black motorcyclist Arthur McDuffie to death. The article concludes with a discussion of African-Americans' co-existence with Miami's diverse immigrant population.
On March 14 Daniel Adams served on a panel entitled "Music in a Changing Society" at the South Central Chapter Meeting of the College Music Society held at the University of Oklahoma, Norman.
Etude in Two Places for snare drum solo has been published in a collection of snare drum music released by Bachovich Music in association with the Massachusetts Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society.
Adams's Concerto for Marimba and Percussion Ensemble was cited in an article by Geary H. Larrick entitled "The Concerto on Percussion: Discussion and Bibliography"published in the Winter 2008-09 issue of theJournal of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors.
The Solo Snare Drum: A Critical Analysis of Contemporary Compositional Techniques, originally published by HoneyRock, has been republished by Daniel Adams,the author. It is available from Steve Weiss Music.
Daniel Adams received an ASCAPLUS Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors,and Publishers for 2009-10.
The library of the Percussive Arts Society,located in Indianapolis, Indiana, has established the Daniel Adams Collection. The collection is an archive consisting of the composer's sketches, notes, and several original manuscripts. Additional information is available at the PAS website
Percussive Arts Society