jon magnussen / composer

Recent News

MAY

ETHEL (Cornelius Dufallo and Mary Rowell, violins; Ralph Farris, viola; Dorothy Lawson, 'cello) premiered the unplugged version of Outta This World on May 13 at the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert in LaGuardia Performing Arts Center...  what seriously awesome performers!  Jon led the pre-performance audience interaction/improvisation with a great assist from those intrepid ETHEL specialists.  Fun, fun, fun...

APRIL

Commissioned by the HYS in celebration of the HYS' 45th and Maestro Henry Miyamura's 25th anniversary with the HYS, KE AO was premiered at Blaisdell Concert Hall on April 11 by the HYS, Honolulu Symphony Chorus (Esther Yoo, dir.) and ho`opa`a chanters from Halau Hula Ka No`eau (Michael Pili Pang, kumu hula) -- a terrific first performance.  Bravi, tutti!!!  See the following HYS Facebook photo links:   Pic 1  Pic 2

MARCH

Thanks to a generous Meet The Composer award, Jon will participate in ETHEL Foundation for the Arts' presentation of Outta This World on May 13 at the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert in LaGuardia Performing Arts Center.

DECEMBER

Thanks to a generous award from ACF's ENCORE program, ETHEL will perform Jon's first string quartet (it's been 11 years since Outta This World's premiere!).  ETHEL will be performing the "unplugged" version in May.

The Honolulu Symphony Chorus, directed by Esther Yoo, presented Psalm 23 for SATB chorus and organ, at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Honolulu, with John Renke at the organ.

The Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus, directed by Nola Nahulu, presented the Hawai`i premiere of Christmas Bells for 3-part treble chorus and piano, atKawaiaha'o Church in Honolulu.

NOVEMBER

The Symphony Chorus joined with the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus to present "A Festival of Psalms", which featured the Honolulu Chamber Choir's premiere of Psalm 23 for SATB chorus and organ at Kawaiaha'o Church on November 25, with Buddy Naluai at the organ and conducted by HSC artistic director Esther Yoo.

AUGUST

Jon contributed some original music for this TV version of State of Aloha which premiered on PBS Hawai`i on August 27.  Directed by Anne Misawa of the Academy for Creative Media (University of Hawai`i at Manoa), the feature-length version will show at the Hawai`i International Film Fest (October).

Originally composed for solo voice and piano, these new arrangements are scored for SSAA and SATB with piano/organ (approximately 4 minutes in duration).

MAY

Commissioned by the Halekulani Corporation in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Halekulani Hotel redesign, the Honolulu Symphony Brass Quintet (including 2 fine percussionists!) premieres Fanfare for Halekulani at Halekulani Hotel, Coral Ballroom.

One of the final performances of the 2008-09 year for HYOC -- Nola and those young ladies do a great job!

MARCH

Performances took place at Kamehameha Schools Kea’au Performing Arts Center, Kea`au, Hawai`i Island, and featured students from Kea`au Elementary and Kamehameha Schools, Kea`au.

DECEMBER

Performances launch 2008-09 education season with collaborating public and independent schools from O`ahu and Hawai`i Island.  Hawaiian Medley is based on the late Nola Beamer's Pupu Hinuhinu and Kahuli aku, and scored for symphony orchestra with 2-part children’s choir and 2-part recorder choir.

NOVEMBER

Based on Song of Solomon 2:10-13 from the Latin Vulgate Bible, the 5-minute choral work for 4-part treble chorus and piano was composed for Nola Nahulu and Hawai'i Youth Opera Chorus' Na Leo Kuho'okahi ensemble for the November premiere at the Hawaii Music Teachers Association annual state convention.  Many thanks to the HMTA and Music Teachers National Association for generous support of this project.

Jon conducts high school and advanced treble voices in Benjamin Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols" at the Festival;  also on the Festival program is Jon's newCanticum.

SEPTEMBER

Click here to hear the 5-minute work for 3-part treble chorus, treble solo and piano, based on Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's pro-peace/anti-war poem from 1863. (Recording courtesy of Cornell University Chorus and director Scott Tucker.)

Based on Song of Solomon 2:10-13 from the Latin Vulgate Bible, the 5-minute choral work was composed for Nola Nahulu and Hawai'i Youth Opera Chorus' Na Leo Kuho'okahi ensemble for the November premiere at the Hawaii Music Teachers Association annual state convention.  Many thanks to the HMTA and Music Teachers National Association for generous support of this project.

AUGUST

Visit the OUP page here.

JULY

    

Albany Records released Jon Magnussen:Music for Limón Dances this month.  Very special thanks to the Institute for Advanced Study, Fowler Merle-Smith Family Charitable Lead Trust, Larry Magnussen, Lois Magnussen, and the Aaron Copland Fund for Music Recording Program of the American Music Center for helping make this recording possible.  The CD is available now at these online retailers: www.albanyrecords.com,  www.arkivmusic.com, www.hbdirect.com, www.target.com [over the coming weeks, online retailers will grow to include Amazon.com, iTunes, Audio Lunchbox, MTraks, Napster, Rhapsody, Naxos, and Chandos.]

Upcoming Performances

• December 13, 2009: Psalm 23  for SATB chorus and organ -- Honolulu Symphony Chorus, St. Andrews Cathedral, 7:00 pm

• March 8, 2010: New Work commissioned by Chamber Music Hawaii, Paliku Theater (Honolulu) at 7:30 pm

• March 15, 2010: New Work commissioned by Chamber Music Hawaii, Doris Duke Theater (Honolulu) at 7:30 pm

• April 11, 2010: New Work commissioned by Hawaii Youth Symphony, Blaisdell Concert Hall
  4:00 pm

• May 13, 2010: Outta This World (for string quartet) New York, TBA

Recent Performances

• April 17, 2008: Honolulu Symphony premieres Hawaiian Medley with over 1,000 O`ahu school children singing and playing recorders and led by the amazing Stuart Chafetz.  Performance in the Honolulu Symphony brings Hawaiian-language songs Pupu Hinuhinu and Kahuli aku (from the late Auntie Nola Beamer), to Honolulu Symphony Youth Music Education Program performances across the state.  Scored for for 2-part children’s choir, 2-part recorder choir, and symphony orchestra. 

• March, 2008: The Limón Company performs Psalm in the Budapesti Tavaszi Fesztivál.  See the next stops on the tour here.

• Psalm returns to the Kennedy Center January 16 and 17, 2009, in a Limón Company performance celebrating the centenary of José Limón's birth.  

• November 15, 2008: Canticum performed in the 13th Annual Na Leo Pili Mai Choral Festival by Hawai'i Youth Opera Chorus' Na Leo Kuho'okahi ensemble 
• Canticum for 4-part treble chorus and piano, commissioned by the Hawai'i Music Teachers Association (HMTA), premiered on November 10, 2008 by Hawai'i Youth Opera Chorus' Na Leo Kuho'okahi ensemble

• December 5, 2007:  Dances Ebb, Dances Flow world premiere performance at the North South East West Festival 2007, by Ebb and Flow Ensemble (Robert Pollock, piano; Iggy Jang, violin; Joanna Morrison, 'cello; Scott Anderson, clarinet) at KHPR's Atherton Studio, Honolulu, in cooperation with Hawai'i Public Radio (thanks to theArgosy Foundation for supporting the 2006 commission)

• July 25, 2007: Kahea at the American Dance Festival, by Rachel Berman, choreographer with Patrick Makuakane, kumu hula 

• April 15, 2007: NameSongs performed by pianist Blair McMillen, of Da Capo Chamber Players, performed at Wolfensohn Hall, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ

(26 September 2008)

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