1999-2007 - Music-USA.org

the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Currently, he is Adjunct Professor of Music Theory at Moorpark College.
, I
Joe Lawrence, born in Long Beach and raised in a suburb of Seattle, has been performing and teaching
in Los Angeles since 1985. He is on call as a solo pianist, rehearsal pianist for operas, musicals and
voice classes, accompanist, arranger and teacher. Graduating &om California State University, Northridge,
he studied piano under Dr. Charles Fierro and Ms. Francois Regnat. He studied composition under Dr.
Daniel Kessner. Currently, he is on stlaff at Los Angeles Pierce College as dance class accompanist.
Also, Mr. Lawrence is music director at Mt. Hollywood Congregational Church where he is the pianist
and choir director. I
Stephen Yip was born in Hong Kong, '1 971. He obtained his bachelor degree with first-class honors in
music composition at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. In the summer of 1995, he at-
tended Aspen Music festival with a fellowship. In 1997, he attend the Asian Composers' League in
Manila, Philippines as a representative of Hong Kong and the same year, he came to the United States
to begin graduate studies at Rice University, Houston, Texas with Professors Ellsworth Milbum and
Arthur Gottschalk. He received the Doctorate of Musical Arts in composition in 2000. Dr. Yip has
served as Music Director at Notre Dame Church 1999-2003 and as one of the music panelists for the
Cultural Arts Council of Houston 2001-2003. Now he serves Christ the Redeemer Church as Music
Director. His Flute Concerto, "Shun" :won the "Haifa International Composition Prize" in the year of
2003 in Haifa, Israel.
Ghost Orchid was inspired by a Japanese floral design exhibition, "Origin on Ikenobo" in Houston.
One of the floral designs in Ikenobo's style is "Shoka," which originates in the 18th century. It is simple
and traditional. However, it has unlimited possibility to create natural beauty. It uses only one theme
with three materials: flower, leaves, and branches to express life's perpetual change and renewal. The
passage of leaves through branches, arid buds, to open blossoms suggests the flow of time from past, to
present, to future. In this composition, flute, bassoon, and piano are my basic materials. And I tried to
There -are four sections linked together in this piece, without break. In the first section, it starts in a
moderate and flowing tempo with different long and short melodic lines. The second section is more
sustained, simple and siciliana dance style. The third section is fast and emotional. It has a contrasting
idea, which emphasizes short notes. The final section is slow and calm.
Max Lifchib was awarded first prize' in the 1976 International Gaudeamus Competition for Perform-
ers of Twentieth Century Music held in Holland. Trained at The Juilliard School and Harvard Univer-
sity, Mr. Lifchitz has appeared in concert and recital throughout the US, Latin America and Europe. His
latest CD, Diversions CNorth/South Recordings No. 1026). elicited the followine comments from
Gramophone Magazine: "Lifchitz has devised a charmingprogramme ofpreviously unrecordedpieces . . .
His affectionate playing provides surprising emotional weight ... Beautifully recorded album ... Recom-
mended "
Ethnic Mosaic was written in 1978 with the assistance of a Meet the Composer grant. It is in three
movements performed without pause. The first movement features the bassoon; the second, bassoon
and flute; and the third, flute, bassoon and piano. Its language is very eclectic, incorporating musical
materials commonly perceived as contradictory and mutually exclusive. Elements culled from these
contrasting sources appear and reappear at unexpected moments in the musical discourse. The music is