Face the Music performs “Tell Me Everything” by Julia Wolfe, “Still Life with Avalanche” by Missy Mazzoli, and music by fellows of Luna Composition Lab’s inaugural year.
“We want to inspire young women to compose,” says Lydia Kontos, Kaufman Music Center’s Executive Director. “Compositions by women are still under-represented in classical music, and in particular, in orchestral programming. By providing mentors and role models, creating a generational link, and giving young women composers the invaluable opportunity to see their works performed, we hope to give talented girls the confidence to make their vibrant, diverse compositional voiced heard.”
Kaufman Music Center has teamed up with acclaimed composers Missy Mazzoli, Ellen Reid, Reena Esmail and Kristin Kuster to launch Luna Composition Lab, a new program intended to inspire girls and young women to compose. Female composers continue to make up the small minority of professional composers who are consistently performed, recorded and celebrated. We experience a lack of role models and a lack of encouragement to compose at an early age.
“Young women in their teens have few female composer role models, and are, in both direct and subtle ways, discouraged from entering the field,” says Luna Composition Lab co-founders Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid. “We believe that by connecting young women with established female professionals we can provide positive role models, foster confidence, and give these young women an outlet for unique self-expression.”
About Face the Music
The only youth orchestra in the U.S. dedicated to the creation and performance of music by living composers,Kaufman Music Center’s Face the Music has taken its place as a full-fledged player in New York City’s vibrant contemporary classical scene, rapidly becoming what The New York Times has called “a force in the New York new-music world.” NYC’s favorite youth new music ensemble performs at venues across the city and beyond, including Merkin Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, BAMcafé, Queens Museum, Roulette and WNYC’s The Greene Space. Face the Music is the only youth group among the Legacy Partners for Kronos Quartet’s exciting new commissioning initiative “Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire.” The recipient of an ASCAP Aaron Copland Award, Face the Music has been featured in Chamber Music Magazine,The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Daily News and on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” About Kaufman Music Center
Kaufman Music Center is New York’s go-to place for music education and performance. It’s where music lovers, from curious fans to renowned performers, come together to explore their musical passions. Founded in 1952 as a community music school, today’s Kaufman Music Center is one of the city’s most vibrant cultural organizations, combining world-class teaching with electrifying performances.
