Download the album booklet - Boston Modern Orchestra Project

alasdair mccondocHie
ers have included leon Kirchner, ross Bauer, tison street, andrew imbrie, thomas Benjamin,
and George edwards. His chamber music compilation string Works and his cantata the
humble heart are available on compact disc from albany records.
John Shoptaw was raised in the missouri Bootheel, the
state’s poverty belt, where his first jobs included picking
cotton and stacking lumber in the local mill. He began college
at southeast missouri state teachers’ college, and graduated
from the university of missouri at columbia, with a degree in
physics. He returned as a special student, and received undergraduate
degrees in english and comparative literature. upon
graduating, he won the university award in Greek and latin
language. mr. shoptaw attended graduate school at Harvard
university, winning there a merit and a Whiting Fellowship.
He received his phd from Harvard in english and american
literature. His dissertation, on the poetry of John ashbery, on
the outside Looking out: John Ashbery’s Poetry, was rewritten
and published by Harvard university press.
after graduating from Harvard, he taught in the english department at princeton university,
where he received the andrew W. mellon preceptorship, and at yale university, before
he transferred with his wife (a professor in classics at yale) and daughter to the english
department of the university of california, Berkeley, where he now teaches american
poetry and poetry writing. since his study on ashbery, he has published articles in the lyric
theory (e.g., “lyric cryptography,” Poetics today) and on american poetry (e.g., “listening
to dickinson,” representations). since joining the uc Berkeley english department, mr.
shoptaw has shifted his primary focus to creative writing, the first result of which is his
libretto for our American cousin. He is currently finishing his first book of poems, navigator, a
sequence dwelling on the mississippi river basin. some of these poems have been published
in journals such as the chicago review and new American Writing. He also recently collaborated
with sawyer on a setting of “itasca,” a poem from navigator, recounting the discovery
of the source of the mississippi river, for four choreographed singers and electronics. it premiered
at the center for new music and audio technology at uc Berkeley and was performed
at amherst college in october 2006.
mallorie chernin is director of choral activities at amherst college in amherst,
massachusetts, where she coaches, teaches conducting, and conducts four choirs: the
concert choir, Women’s chorus, men’s Glee club, and madrigal singers. a native of
milwaukee, Wisconsin, ms. chernin completed a Bachelor of music degree in music
education at the university of Wisconsin in madison. she holds a master of music degree in
choral conducting from Westminster choir college located in princeton, new Jersey. prior
to becoming director of choral activities at amherst college in 1986, ms. chernin served
on faculties at the eastman school of music in rochester, new york, smith college, and
Hampshire college. in addition to her position at amherst college, ms. chernin is in frequent
demand as an adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor.
Janna baty (Laura Keene/mary Dundreary), soprano, has performed worldwide under
the direction of prominent conductors including James levine and seiji ozawa. praised
by the boston Globe for her “rich, viola-like tone and a rapturous, luminous lyricism,’’ ms.
Baty has won several international competitions, including the XXi concurso internacional
de ejecución musical “dr. luis sigall” (chile). she has appeared with the Boston
symphony orchestra, the los angeles philharmonic, daejeon philharmonic (south Korea),
Hamburgische staatsoper, l’orchestre national du capitole de toulouse, royal philharmonic
orchestra, and the tanglewood music Festival. Her opera roles have included the duchess
(Powder her face), alice Ford (falstaff), and anna and elvira (Don Giovanni). ms. Baty can be
heard with the Boston modern opera project on the critically acclaimed naxos release reza
Vali: flute concerto/ Deylaman/ folk songs (set no. 10).
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