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By Matthew Westphal
06 Mar 2007
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| Carnegie Hall |
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| photo by Don Perdue |
The Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition, one of the richest and most prestigious prizes in the field, will be making a bigger splash than usual this year.
Until now the honoree for a given year was announced late the previous fall with a press release from the University of Louisville (Kentucky), which administers the prize.
But for 2007, the Grawemeyer is coming to Carnegie Hall. This Thursday, March 8, the name of this year's laureate — who receives a $200,000 prize — will be announced at a special performance in Carnegie's Isaac Stern Auditorium featuring works by previous Grawemeyer winners.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the University of Louisville's School of Music, and to celebrate the occasion, the faculty and administration decided to rent Stern Auditorium for a concert to showcase the school and its students, pay tribute to previous Grawemeyer winners and announce the newest honoree.
The centerpiece of the program is the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra by Czech-American composer Karel Husa — the score which garnered the 1993 prize. Also featured will be works by Witold Lutosawski (who received the inaugural award in 1985), Aaron Jay Kernis (2002), Joan Tower (1990), John Corigliano (1991), Krzysztof Penderecki (1992), and Toru Takemitsu (1994). The University of Louisville Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble will be conducted by Kimcherie Lloyd and Frederick Speck, respectively, with Paul York as cello soloist.
Beginning at 1 p.m. the following day (Friday, March 9), Washington Post critic Tim Page will moderate a panel discussion with several Grawemeyer winners. The symposium will be held at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, located between the Metropolitan Opera House and the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center.
The winner of last year's Grawemeyer (which was announced in the usual way in Louisville) was György Kurtág; the 2005 winner was George Tsontakis.
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