Presenting the winners of our 2024 Seed Money Grants! This year we have awarded eight grants of $1,000 each to a diverse group of performers. We will support six focused concerts and two disseminated projects, one of which will be presented primarily online by a pianist in Chicago. Two concerts will be given in upstate New York, one in Athens, Greece, and another in Tokyo, Japan. The instrumentation is varied, with two chamber groups, a solo pianist, a solo cellist, and recitals featuring oboe, bassoon, clarinet, and soprano. All the projects will include open calls for some or all the NYWC composers to be represented.
The winners are listed alphabetically:
2024 SEED MONEY GRANT RECIPIENTS
A longtime, passionate advocate of music by women, pianist Marcia Eckert will present a concert for soprano and piano with soprano Sara Paar, with the possible assistance of violinist Lynn Bechtold, in a concert entirely of music by New York Women Composers to be held in a location in Manhattan. You can visit her website for more information: http://marciaeckert.com/. Eckert is the recipient of our Jonathan Falk Seed Money Grant.
The Athens, Greece-based Galan Trio, comprising violin, cello, and piano, has initiated a multi-year project called “Kinesis,” collaborating with composers across the United States. They will perform a concert called “Women of Our Time,” combining the music of NYWC composers with other music they already have in their repertoire. This concert will occur in Athens, Greece. Visit their website for more information at https://www.galantrio.com/.
Queens-based clarinetist Crystal Gloria Medina (known as Medina), along with pianist Margrit Julia Zimmermann, will perform two concerts in New York City. Her project, called “Evolutions,” seeks to present three centuries of women composers who have written music for the clarinet, adding to the known repertoire for that instrument. Medina is a dynamic performer and communicator on stage; her website is here: https://www.medinaclarinet.com/.
Albany-based cellist Laura Melnicoff will present a concert of solo cello music in the Capitol Region featuring both NYWC composers and other women composers that she is exploring in her repertoire. She intends to livestream and record the concert, and also hopes to make studio recordings of the works that she has selected. You can read more about her on her website: https://lauramelnicoff.com/. She is the recipient of our Hilary Tann Seed Money Grant.
Bassoonist Christin Schillinger, currently on the faculties of Ithaca College and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, has a broad plan focusing on a full concert of music by women composers, featuring a piece she is collaborating on with NYWC member Sally Lamb McCune as well as composers to be chosen through an open call. Her concert will include music for solo bassoon, bassoon and piano, and bassoon and saxophone. She plans to livestream and videotape the concert as well as submit portions of the program for consideration to bassoon and double reed conferences and symposia. You can find out more on her website: https://www.schillingerbassoon.com/.
The Tokyo to New York composer/performer project will present parallel concerts of chosen works for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano at the Martha Graham Studio Theater in Manhattan and the Tokyo Concert Lab Hall in Tokyo. Professional audio and video recordings will be made of both concerts. Read more about this group at http://www.tonadaproductions.com/tokyo-to-new-york-home.html.
Oboist William Wielgus, who recently retired after a long tenure at the National Symphony in order to do his own research and performance projects, will present a recital in Manhattan presenting oboe music by women composers. He is amassing a YouTube playlist of music by women and is eager to perform and disseminate more pieces that are new to him. Access his YouTube playlist here: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC_ySo-Nx590n9zcLVktRSlP3nGYKUI0d and find out more about him on his Facebook page: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063595117388. Mr. Wielgus is the recipient of our Elizabeth Bell Seed Money Grant.
Based in Chicago, pianist Amy Wurtz has gained a following on YouTube for her videos exploring women’s music for piano during Women’s History Month the past two years. Her project for 2025 is to explore the music of New York women composers, past or present, performing one piece each day in March, culminating in a live public-venue program. She plans to include the music of 10-20 NYWC members for this project. She may also include some 4-hand piano works and works for cello and piano, featuring her Wurtz-Berger Duo. You can peruse her YouTube video playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/@AmyWurtz and see her website for more information: https://www.amywurtz.com/.
2023 SEED MONEY GRANT RECIPIENTS Presenting the winners of our 2023 Seed Money Grants! This year we have awarded eight grants of $1,000 each to a diverse group of performers. Unusually, for this period all of the grants were made for focused concerts; most performances will take place in the New York City area, including several in Brooklyn and one in Queens as well as Manhattan. We will also look forward to a concert in Brazil in 2024. All the projects will include open calls for some or all the NYWC composers to be represented. The winners are listed alphabetically: The Astoria Music Project (chamber ensemble): The Astoria Music Project will present a concert titled “Women of New York: Then and Now,” in a concert to take place in Queens as well as a planned second one in a different location, either in Queens or another borough. The group’s instrumentation is flexible, with its core group comprised of soprano, violin, horn, and piano. For more information on the group, visit their website at https://www.astoriamusicproject.com/, their Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/theastoriamusicproject/, and their YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@theastoriamusicproject9811. Tessa Brinkman and Kathleen Supové (flutist and pianist): Here is Tessa and Kathleen’s intriguing description of their proposal: “We are proposing an experience of flute and piano that feels like an imaginative immersive journey rather than a series of separate pieces. We’re interested in the concert experience as a kind of surrealist speculation, often employing fixed media (audio and video) which are by their nature “world-making”, as well as the breadth of our own instruments (as listed above).” The concert will take place in Manhattan at a venue to be confirmed later. For more information on this duo, visit their detailed individual websites at www.supove.com and www.tessabrinckman.com. County College of Morris, Randolph, NJ (Chamber, Wind and Dance Ensembles): The CCM Department of Music, Performing Arts & Music Technologies will present a concert that brings together both faculty and students in various formations, including small chamber groups, dance ensemble, full Wind Ensemble and Big Band. Members may submit works for full wind ensemble, or smaller ensembles drawn from within its instrumentation, as well as works that include piano, guitar, female voice, multimedia, or live dance as added elements. The department’s website can be found at https://www.ccm.edu/departments/music-performing-arts-and-music-technologies/. Cobalt Quartet (saxophone quartet): This saxophone quartet (or subsets of the group, depending on the works chosen) is well-known for its performances of the music of today’s composers. Their concert will take place either in New York or New Jersey. Their website can be found at https://cobaltquartet.com/ and their Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/cobaltSaxophoneQuartet. Dal Sogno Ensemble (chamber ensemble): Dal Sogno takes a contextual approach in their curated concerts, engaging audiences by sharing each composer’s life story, the personal inspirations they felt as they composed each piece, and the historical circumstances that influenced their work. They will feature NYWC composers in a concert that also honors Dutch composers Henriette Bosmans and Rosy Wertheim, notable for their activities and organization of clandestine concerts in Amsterdam during WWII. Their website is currently under construction, but you can visit Dal Sogno clarinetist member Morrie Sherry’s site at www.morriesherry.com. NU Quintet (woodwind quintet): The quintet will present a concert in September 2024 at the DiMenna Center in Midtown Manhattan. They live-stream their concerts as an integral part of their performance approach. You can view their website at https://www.nuquintet.com. Josh Perry and Dennis Sullivan (percussion duo): The duo will present a concert combining the works of NYWC composers and their own compositions, featuring music that incorporates the use of electronics and/or multimedia, including (but not limited to) works with: fixed audio media, live audio electronic processing (analog or digital), fixed video media, and/or live video processing. The concert will take place at MISE-EN_PLACE in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Josh Perry’s website is https://joshperry-music.com/ and Dennis Sullivan’s is https://dennis-sullivan.com/. Ginevra Petrucci (flutist): Supplementing her prior concert with NYWC composers featuring the flauto d’amore, Ginevra will present a recital for flutes (C flute, alto, piccolo, flauto d’amore) and piano, with the support of her colleague Amir Farid, who is himself a keen champion of repertoire of women composers. They plan a recital and recording in New York City in the Fall 2023 with works by women from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, as well as world premieres. Ginevra and Amir’s websites are found at www.ginevrapetrucci.com and www.amirfarid.com.
2022 SEED MONEY GRANT RECIPIENTS Presenting the winners of our 2022 Seed Money Grants! We awarded seven grants, two foreign (Belgium and Argentina) and five domestic (one of these is actually both, a concert in New York to be repeated in Tokyo, Japan). One grant is in a disseminated format, and the rest are focused grants. The winners are listed alphabetically: Donna Weng Friedman, pianist: Ms. Friedman will present a two-part concert event called “Five Composers and a Pianist.” The first portion will be a 50-minute concert of works by NYWC composers, three of whom (Beata Moon, Kim Sherman, and Stefania De Kenessey) have been chosen, with an additional two composers to be selected through an open call. The second portion of the event will be a 30-40-minute panel discussion with the composers. The venue will be in New York City, with Steinway Hall and the National Arts Club under consideration. The target date for this event will be March 2023. Her website is here: (https://www.newschool.edu/mannes/faculty/Donna-Weng-Friedman) Javier Oviedo, saxophonist: Mr. Oviedo, Executive Director of the Classical Saxophone Project, will present a 90-minute solo recital at the National Opera Center’s Scorca Hall accompanied by Dr. Suk Hee Hong entitled “New York Faces.” The live concert will be supplemented by a videotaping that will be available to view on the Saxophone Project’s YouTube and Instagram platforms. More information about the Classical Saxophone Project is available on their website, www.classicalsaxproject.org. Milica Paranosic, composer (project with NYWC composers Lynn Bechtold and Ann Warren): This unique concert in coordination with Ms. Paranosic’s “Secret City” art projects will be in four parts, with compositions by Lynn Bechtold (played by Miolina, her violin duo with NYWC member Mioi Takeda), Ann Warren, and Ms. Paranosic, along with a fourth composer chosen through an open call. Each segment will include a mini “set design” created out of abandoned or discarded objects, be co-coordinated by Paracademia, and be performed either at Gallery MC or The Bernie Wohl Center/Goddard Riverside. Ms. Paranosic’s multi-faceted website is https://milicaparanosic.com/ Thomas Piercy, clarinetist and hichiriki player: Mr. Piercy, along with pianist Tengfu Irfan and a cellist, will perform twin 90-minute concerts in New York and Tokyo, including the works of Tokyo-based composers Kyoko Hirai, Miho Sasaki, Yu Kuwabara, already selected NYWC composers Elisenda Fabregas, Nina Siniakova, and Lora Al-Ahmad, as well as two more NYWC composers to be selected from an open call. His website is here: http://www.thomaspiercy.com/ and his project information is here: Sergio Puccini, guitarist: Mr. Puccini, whose celebrated career spans 45 years, will present a concert in Rosario, Argentina at the Museo Castagnino or similar venue which will also be streamed live. The concert is tentatively scheduled to take place in October 2022. He will be choosing his repertoire for the concert through an open call. His website is currently undergoing maintenance, but here is a substitute for now: https://ppsites.wixsite.com/sergiopuccini Françoise Vanhecke, soprano: Ms. Vanhecke’s project is an online streamed concert for the coming season at toitoiDROME http://drome.wtf/, an artist-run media space and collective based in Zendelingenstraat 38 A – 2140 Borgerhout (Antwerp, Belgium), consisting a physical space and headspace for experimentation and critical thinking, with additional plans to repeat the concert in a series of live concerts in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Brazil, and the U.S. The instrumentation will consist of voice, either solo works or with the addition of piano and electronics, to be chosen through an open call. Her website is http://www.francoisevanhecke.com Alexander Wu, pianist and chamber ensemble director: Mr. Wu, who is a pianist and the Co-Founder/Artistic Director of the Millennium Chamber Players, will curate a disseminated series of concerts from this summer through spring of 2023 called “Made in America – Music Then and Now,” including the works of five NYWC members that his group has not previously performed. The project essays the evolution of America’s musical roots, tradition, and popular culture of the past three centuries, up to and including current compositions. His group’s website is https://www.millenniumchamberplayers.org/.
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