Eastern Music Festival (EMF), Greensboro’s nationally recognized classical music festival and summer educational program, will feature guitarist Jason Vieuax for the Joseph M. Bryan Festival Orchestra Series: New Perspectives on Saturday, July 23rd at 8PM in Dana Auditorium, Guilford College.
The New Perspectives performance will highlight the world premiere of How to Love by Avner Dorman featuring guitarist Jason Vieaux as the soloist. Other works on the concert include pieces by living composer Paul Frucht titled Dawn which was composed to honor the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting, and Symphony No. 10 in E minor by 20th century composer, Dmitri Shostakovich.
Living composer, Avner Dorman, is known to be “wide-ranging, appealing, and breathtakingly virtuosic,” as mentioned by The Washington Post. The Israeli native draws on many cultural and historical influences that explores new-found emotional impact in new territories.
Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux is described by NPR as “perhaps the most precise and soulful guitarists of his generation.” Jason’s multiple appearances for San Francisco Performances, Caramoor Festival, Ravinia Festival, PCMS, 92nd Street Y, Domaine-Forget, and many others, have helped to cement his reputation as one of the world’s leading guitarists. Performing new works has been a passion of Jason’s that has fostered premieres of works by many notable composers, including Avner Dorman’s intricate and soulful piece, How to Love.
Avner Dormans’ How to Love, originally written for guitar and string quartet or string orchestra, named after “How to Love” by Thich Nhat Hanh, with four movements that are titled after the six mantras that the author outlines at the end of the book: “I am here for you, I know you are there, and I am happy, This is a happy moment, and You are partly right”. Avner Dorman writes, “How to Love speaks to the essentials of mindfulness and how to love. How to love oneself, how to listen and understand, be happy, and even disagree.” The journey of embracing imperfection in order to love each other fully is explored throughout all the movements.
Dawn, by Paul Frucht, was inspired by the composer’s love for one of his teachers that passed away in the Sandy Hook Shooting. Frucht writes that, “Dawn Hochsprung was an incredible person I had the fortune of meeting when I was a student at Rogers Park Middle School from 2000- 2003, where she was an assistant principal. I worked with both her and her husband, George, as a member of the National Junior Honor Society. When the tragic events occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14th, 2012, I, like everyone else in the Danbury area, was shocked and deeply saddened. Dawn and Geroge had always stuck out in my mind as not just outstanding teachers, but some of the most caring, genuine, and positive people that I had come across during my time growing up in Danbury. I felt immediately compelled to write something in memory of her and the other twenty-five people who lost their lives that day.”
He goes on to say, “I titled the piece Dawn not simply because it is dedicated to her, but because the nature of Dawn’s actions on the day of shooting are the inspiration for the character of this piece. When she became aware that her school was in danger, her immediate response was to protect the children of the school. She put herself in harm’s way in an entirely selfless act in an effort to save the lives of her students. Her legacy is one of selflessness, positivity, and extraordinary courage. This piece celebrates that legacy.”