Peter Askim: News

The LONG-awaited West Coast premiere of singer/songwriter/guitar legend Richard Thompson's "Cabaret of Souls" comes to Royce Hall as part of the UCLA Live series.

A talent show set in the underworld (think American Idol in Hell...), "Cabaret" is part oratorio, part theater and unlike anything you've seen before. Featuring Richard Thompson, Harry Shearer (Spinal Tap, The Simpsons), Judith Owen, Deborah Dobkin and Pete Zorn and the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra, conducted by Peter Askim.

Fresh from the U.K. premiere at London's Royal Festival Hall, the show is not to be missed! Tickets should sell out, so get yours in advance!

Peter Askim's latest recordings are now available for purchase and download on Amazon.com, Apple's iTunes Music Store and CD Baby. Recently released recordings of Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony and Music from the Film "Absaroka" have been added to previously available recordings of "Songlines", the full length CD "Moving, Still", "Spring Essence" (with Soprano Judith Kellock) and "To Make A Prairie". Just search for Peter Askim at any of the above sites.

As part of his role of Composer-in-Residence at the 2010 Elan International Music Festival, the music of Peter Askim will be featured on three concerts of the Dallas festival.

With the Festival Orchestra, Askim will conduct his "For A Star Filled Night" on June 18 and his "As Glaciers Thaw..." on June 26. In addition, his solo viola work "Aus einem April" will be performed by St. Petersburg violist Maria Paterakis on June 25.

All concerts take place at the Highland Park Presbyterian Church, 3821 University Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75205-1781.

The soundtrack for the award-winning Western, "Absaroka" was composed by Peter Askim and performed by the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra. A hybrid of classic film music, Western soundscapes and contemporary classical music, with a voice of its own. Music from the winner of the 2010 Wyoming Short Film Contest is now available as an MP3 Download at:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/PeterAskim1

The Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra's performance of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5, led by their Music Director Peter Askim, has been released and is available for purchase online at CD Baby. Available as a download, the recording is also available as a CD/DVD deluxe package.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/peteraskim3

World renowned jazz bassist and composer Rufus Reid will perform in the World Premiere of his new work for orchestra. The premiere will be performed by the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra with their Music Director, Peter Askim on May 7 and 8, 2011.

A recipient of a Guggenheim Award, Reid's new work blends and blurs the boundaries of jazz and classical orchestral music.

The Premiere will be part of the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra's annual New Music Concert, which will feature several other World Premieres and works of the last 15 years. Stay tuned for more info!

http://www.ascap.com/playback/2010/06/faces_places/jazz/RufusReid.aspx

Peter Askim has been commissioned to write the required work for the 2011 Primrose International Viola Competition, to be held May 31-June 4, 2011.

Founded in 1979 as the first international competition solely for violists, William Primrose served as chair of the jury for its inaugural year. The competition consists of three rounds: preliminary, recital and concerto. The recital round features a world premiere by American composer Peter Askim, which all participants must prepare for competition.

http://www.primrosecompetition.org/

Writer/Director Patrick Mignano's short film, with an original score by Peter Askim, took First Prize at the 2010 Wyoming Short Film Contest. A dark Western, the film's score was recorded by the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra, with the composer conducting.

Visit the Wyoming Short Film Contest to view the film:
http://www.wyomingshortfilmcontest.com/

Time, Eternity, Infinity... is the annual New Music Concert by the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra and its Music Director and Composer-in-Residence Peter Askim. A meditation on the different meanings, sensations and experiences of time and its passing, the program will feature renowned jazz pianist/composer Vijay Iyer (www.vijayiyer.com) performing the West Coast Premiere of his "Interventions" for Piano, Electronics and Orchestra, commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra.

The concert will also include the World Premiere of Lawrence Dillon's "Figments and Fragments" (commissioned by the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra and the Richard P. Wilson Fund for New Music) and the World Premiere of Peter Askim's "Still Points: Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra", (featuring Tucson Symphony Principal Trombonist Michael Becker), based on T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets".

Also on the program are Pierre Jalbert's exquisite "Les espaces infinis" and Aaron Jay Kernis's driving "Too Hot Toccata".

Performances are Saturday May 8 at 7:30 p.m. (Idyllwild Arts Foundation Theater, 52500 Temecula Rd, Idyllwild, CA) and Sunday, May 9 at 5 p.m. (REDCAT Theater at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 631 W. 2nd St., Los Angeles, CA)

Peter Askim will conduct the European premiere of singer/songwriter/guitar legend Richard Thompson's "rock oratorio" Cabaret of Souls on June 11, 2010. The performance is at London's acclaimed Royal Festival Hall and is the opening concert of the Southbank Centre's Meltdown Festival, curated this year by Richard Thompson.

We hope to see our U.K. friends there at what promises to be a major happening!

For more info, go to:

http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/music/gigs-contemporary/tickets/richard-thompsons-cabaret-of-souls-53048

Writer/Director Patrick Mignano's film "Absaroka" has just been completed and is now available to view on the web. The full orchestral score was composed by Peter Askim and recorded by the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra.

The film is entered in the Wyoming Short Film Contest. To view the film and hear the music, go to http://www.wyomingshortfilmcontest.com/entries/41797

Vote for the film by clicking on the stars at the bottom of the clip.

It's been a busy, busy time, full of many exciting collaborations, performances and recordings. There are more to come - very soon! Please see details below for two exciting upcoming New Music projects in the next month. Hope you can make them if you're "in the neighborhood!"

This past year saw collaborations with cellist Matt Haimovitz, Kronos Quartet, Grammy-nominated soprano Tony Arnold, phenomenal pianist Melvin Chen and the premiere of choreographer Deborah Brockus' Pas de Deux on my composition As Glaciers Thaw...

My CD Moving, Still has been on regular rotation on New York's classical radio station WNYC and was featured on Terrance McKnight's Evening Music.

Two exciting CD projects have recently appeared with the completion of CDs of my Violin and Piano music (featuring the performances of Timothy Fain, Andrew Armstrong, Todor Pelev and Douglas Ashcraft) and the release of the new Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra New Music CD, featuring World Premiere performances of the music of Richard Danielpour, Christopher Theofanidis and Stephen Dankner (with the phenomenal cellist Matt Haimovitz). This CD is not available in stores and is available as a premium for donations to the Idyllwild Arts Academy!

The past year also saw performances of my music in Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Honolulu, and at Pomona College, Brigham Young University, Yale, among others, and my E 'Ike Mai: Behold for chorus and chamber orchestra was just premiered by the Hawaii Pacific University Chamber Orchestra and International Chorale.

Upcoming Performances:

Please join us if you are able for the upcoming New Music Performances. The Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra presents two world premiere performances this upcoming Saturday and Sunday in Idyllwild and Los Angeles, respectively. I will be conducting the World Premiere of Bruce Adolphe's new Violin Concerto, with Eugene Drucker (Emerson String Quartet, author of The Savior).

On June 10, I will be conducting the World Premiere performance of Cabaret of Souls, the new "rock oratorio" by singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Thompson (one of Rolling Stone's 20 Greatest Guitarists of All Time!). The performance will take place at the International Society of Bassists convention in State College, PA, and will featured bass great Danny Thompson and Harry Shearer (of Spinal Tap fame). Stay tuned for the future release of the CD of this phenomenal project!

Peter Askim's composition for solo double bass, "Edge", is a required work for the Scottish Bass Trust's Double Bass Solo Competition. The competition is part of "String Fest" at the Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, March 18-22, 2009.

The competition is open to bassists ages 16-30, and the judges for the competition include Tom Martin, Tim Cobb, Jeff Bradetich and Iain Crawford.
More information is available at:
http://www.scottishbasses.com/

ISB Publications, the publishing arm of the International Society of Bassists, has just published "Edge for Solo Bass", the required piece for the 2003 ISB Solo Competition, and "Eight Solitudes for Bass and Piano", winner of the 2002 ISB Composition Competition. Both are available at http://www.isbstore.com.

In the July 2008 issue of The Strad, Peter Askim was named one of the "Modern Masters" of the double bass world, selected as one of the "figures from the 20th and 21st centuries who have played pivotal roles in the double bass's continuing development". See the Press/Reviews section of this website for more.

Peter Askim is the guest on Episode 80 of podcaster Jason Heath's Contrabass Conversations. Follow this link to hear an interview with Peter and a recording of his bass concerto "Islands".
http://contrabassconversations.com/2008/05/23/cbc-80-peter-askim-interview/

The recent performances of the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra with Matt Haimovitz were a huge success. Haimovitz performed both the Ligeti 'Cello Concerto and the West Coast premiere of the fantastic new "Klezmer Fantasy for 'Cello and Orchestra", written for him by Stephen Dankner. Audiences were enthralled by his imaginative and moving performances of both works. The concerts also included the World Premieres of two new works commissioned by the Idyllwild Arts Academy. "Idyllwild Crown" by Grammy-nominated composer Christopher Theofanidis is a four-movement powerhouse of a work that left the audiences breathless, as did Peter Askim's new "Songlines", based on the book about the Australian Aboriginies by Bruce Chatwin.

Islands: Concerto for Double Bass and Strings was just featured on Terence McKnight's show Evening Music on WNYC, New York's Classical Public Radio Station. A description of the broadcast and a link to the information:
Impermanence
Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Terrance McKnight samples a track from the CD release of Meredith Monk's celebratory and moving meditation on life, Impermanence. Also, bassist/composer Peter Askim performs his Concerto for Double Bass and String Orchestra, and we anticipate the upcoming new production of "Satyagraha" at the Metropolitan Opera with an excerpt from Philip Glass's "Symphony for Eight."

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/eveningmusic/episodes/2008/04/08

International Society of Bassists President Rob Nairn gave "Moving, Still" a glowing review in the latest edition of "Bass World". Nairn calls "Islands: Concerto for Double Bass and Strings", "certainly one the most engaging concerti written for the bass in recent years, and says of Askim's orchestral works, "Peter’s textures and soundscapes (perhaps born of his diverse experiences and influences) exhibit an amazing array of colors, yet with a clarity, transparency and directness that are unique."

Of "...but the rain... for Shakuhachi and 21-String Koto," Nairn writes, " Its haunting textures manage to sound urgent and intense, with some fascinating and complex rhythmic sections and a dramatic emotive climax."

Read the full review under the Press/Reviews link.

The CD "Moving, Still" has been getting overwhelmingly positive reviews in such publications as The New Mexican, Double Bassist Magazine and Bass World magazine.

Some highlights:
" "Islands", a big concerto for double bass and orchestra, is a colorful, energetic, and gripping tone painting of four Hawaiian islands. "As Glaciers Thaw ..." for string orchestra is a brilliantly orchestrated and heartfelt composition, mammoth in conception but perfectly detailed in sound and presentation."

Craig Smith, Santa Fe New Mexican

There is a driving force behind Peter Askim’s music that reflects the energy in his approach to composition and performance. "Moving, Still" shows the breadth of this imaginative musician’s abilities as composer, conductor and performer, an enigmatic mixture of skills that inform his regular existence... Rather than a limiting palate, for Askim the bass provides no end of colour and contrast.

Matthew Power, Double Bassist Magazine

See the Press/Reviews page for more complete critical response.

The CD Moving, Still is available for download on eMusic.com.

The Double Bass and Piano version of Peter Askim's Bass Concerto "Islands" is the International Society of Bassists' first publication under its new publishing arm. Order from http://www.isbstore.com. Available in solo and orchestral tunings.

Moving, Still is now available for purchase online from the International Society of Bassists
http://www.isbstore.com

The new CD "Moving, Still" is now available for purchase at amazon.com, cdbaby.com and peteraskim.com and for download at iTunes. Search for Peter Askim.

The new CD "Moving, Still" features works by composer Peter Askim for a diverse range of ensembles and performers. Featuring such renowned artists as Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center flutist/conductor Ransom Wilson, conductor Naoto Otomo and the Tokyo Symphony, pianist Douglas Aschraft and members of Orchestra Asia-Japan Seizan Sakata and Reiko Kimura. Composer Peter Askim also appears as both conductor and double bassist on the newly released recording.

Works include "As Glaciers Thaw..." for String Orchestra (commissioned by the Iolani Concert Orchestra), "Islands: Concerto for Double Bass and Strings" (commissioned by the Iolani Concert Orchestra and the Tam Young Arts Chair), "Meridians" and "Moving, Still" for Orchestra (Commissioned by Idyllwild Arts), "...but the rain..." for Shakuhachi and 21-String Koto (Commissioned by Orchestra Asia-Japan), Edge for Solo Double Bass (Commissioned by the International Society of Bassists) and Eight Solitudes for Double Bass and Piano (winner of the 2002 International Society of Bassists Composition Competition).

Blending the rhythmic drive and power of rock and minimalism with the expressive lyricism of Neo-Romantic music and the textures of modernism, Askim's music cuts a new, emotionally-charged and personal path through the contemporary music landscape.