HAROLD SCHIFFMAN - News
Harold Schiffman Receives Honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from UNCG
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Schiffman's Octet (2011) and Concerto (2009) [for Banjo Solo and Orchestra] to be Performed in January
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UNCG MUSIC LIBRARY RENAMED FOR HAROLD SCHIFFMAN
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UNCG Music Library Named for Harold Schiffman
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has announced the renaming of its Music Library to become The Harold Schiffman Music Library. A renaming ceremony will take place in the fall of 2012. |
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Kaitlyn Wagner the Most Recent Winner of the Harold Schiffman High School Composition Competition
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New Harold Schiffman Recording Now Available
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Harold Schiffman's Extravaganza for Three Pianos, Twelve Hands (1998) is welcomed to Mississippi College
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Performers for Extravaganza on stage for a curtain call at the concert's conclusion Left to Right:
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OCTET (2011), HAROLD SCHIFFMAN’S LATEST WORK
1 October 2011
Harold Schiffman and Leah Jones
Tallahassee, Florida
(29 Septbember 2011)
NEW WORK FOR TWO PIANOS
22 July 2011
Harold Schiffman has just completed a new composition for two pianos titled Variations On a West Virginia Fiddle Tune (2011). The work was inspired by the return from total restoration of his beloved 1927 Mason & Hamlin grand. The M & H lives alongside Jane Perry-Camp’s equally beloved Bösendorfer concert grand.
Schiffman learned the theme for the variations, “Over the Waterfall,” from folklore scholar and fiddler Alan Jabbour who in turn learned it from West Virginia fiddler Henry Reed. According to Jabbour, “The tune is an old British tune with an elaborate history, both as an instrumental piece and as the tune for an old ballad.” It has had a number of different titles including “Eggs and Marrowbones.” Under that title it had a rather interesting set of lyrics.
The composition itself consists of the theme and six variations.
Harold Schiffman's newly restored 1927 Mason & Hamlin grand piano
Restoration (2010 - 2011) by Anne Garee, Tallahassee, Florida
Case refinished by Piano Crafters Inc., Plymouth, Michigan
(13 May 2011)
SCHIFFMAN'S NEWEST COMPOSITION: CONCERTO FOR VIOLA AND ORCHESTRA (2011)
24 January 2011
- Concertino for Oboe and Chamber Orchestra (1977)
- Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra (1979)
- Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1982)
- Concertino for Eleven Saxophones (1982)
- Capricci Concertati (1984) [A Double Concerto for Trombone and Violin; with Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, and Percussion]
- Chamber Concertino for Piano and Double Wind Quintet (1985)
- Chamber Concerto for English Horn (1986)
- Variations on “Branchwater,” for Guitar and Orchestra (1987)
- Capriccio Concertante for Alto Saxophone and Band (1987)
- Concerto for Oboe d´Amore and String Orchestra (1988)
- Double Concerto for Horn, Bassoon and String Orchestra (1992)
- Sestetto Concertato (1993) [for Piano; with Oboe, Bassoon, Horn, Violin, Violoncello]
- Chamber Concerto No. 2: In Memoriam Edward Kilenyi (2000) [for Piano, Wind Quintet, and String Quartet]
- Concertino for Flute and String Orchestra (2004)
- Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2006)
- Concerto (2009) [for Banjo Solo and Orchestra]
Ah Ling Neu, viola, presenting the New York première
of Schiffman's Fantasy-Suite for Solo Viola (1980)
Gilder-Lehrman Hall of The Morgan Library & Museum,
New York City (9 March 2008)
Photograph by A.J. Leslie
Violist Ah Ling Neu can be heard performing Schiffman's Fantasy-Suite for Solo Viola (1980), available on the CD Harold Schiffman at 80! (North/South Recordings N/S R 1053).
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN ADDS NEW PIANO MUSIC TO HIS CATALOGUE
20 December 2010
After a nine-year hiatus from writing for solo piano, Harold Schiffman has added Six Little Etudes for Ladye Jane (2010), for piano, to his musical oeuvre, wherein the title's word "Little" points to the etudes' collective performance time of approximately 9 minutes.The etudes all combine melodies with rhythms and harmonies that are interesting, sometimes unexpected, but never outrageous. In that sense, they are as much a study of composition techniques and the combinations thereof as they are studies in physical piano technique. This is not to say that there are no challenges for the pianist technically, challenges that serve to enhance the music's character. Indeed, as is appropriate to the genre, each etude addresses a different element of a pianist's technique. Overall, it is the subtlety of the music that offers the performer the greatest challenge: never to underdo and never to overdo, all the while respecting a variety of inflections, articulations, phrasings, melodies, and rhythms -- all typically set counter to one another, thus in counterpoint with one another, readily challenging the performer to treat each element of each voice appropriately, as is characteristic of contrapuntal writing.
As implied, these etudes are not designed to replace the technical pianistic challenges in the manner of the etudes by Liszt, Chopin, Bartók and so many others, although they are not void of pianistic challenges so that the pianist can well expect to encounter some such challenges. All in all, a gifted younger student could well enjoy gaining, both technically and musically, from these etudes.
As he has other compositions for piano, Schiffman dedicated Six Little Etudes for Ladye Jane (2010) to his wife, pianist Jane Perry-Camp, with the reference, "for Ladye Jane," resuming the model already set in his "Spectrum, My Ladye Jane´s Booke: Eighteen Fugues and Postludes for Piano (1992)."
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES LAUNCH NEW DIGITAL SHEET MUSIC COLLECTION
15 October 2010
The University Libraries at UNCG announce the launch of two new digital collections of manuscript materials relating to music, both the result of gifts by composer Harold Schiffman and Jane Perry-Camp."This is an important collection of works by Greensboro native, Harold Schiffman," says John Deal, Dean of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. “While Harold did not attend UNCG, his early musical education was gained here, and we are delighted that he has chosen to establish this collection at UNCG.” Schiffman’s archive is now available to researchers at http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/Schiffman.php
Deal adds, “Harold and Jane's relationship with with the Albi Rosenthal family, who were friends of Egon Wellesz, also made it possible for UNCG to acquire the Wellesz collection of historically important works, again due to the generosity of Harold Schiffman and Jane Perry-Camp." This collection is also now available at http://libcdm1.uncg.edu/Wellesz.php
Jennifer Motszko, manuscripts curator at the University Libraries, notes, “"Dr. Schiffman is a great patron of the arts and a strong supporter of the University Libraries' digital projects."
Harold Schiffman has composed in virtually all media. His commissions include those from such diverse groups as the Tallahassee Symphony, the International Trombone Association, the Apple Trio, the Concertino String Quartet, the Mallarmé Chamber Players, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Music, as well as from a number of individuals including conductor Richard Burgin, flutist Albert Tipton, soprano Janice Harsanyi, pianist Jane Perry-Camp, and pianist/conductor Max Lifchitz (for North/South Consonance). The North Carolina Symphony and the ARTEA Chamber Orchestra of San Francisco, among others, have premièred his music.
The collection contains approximately one hundred scores of music written by Harold Schiffman from 1944 to 2009. They include orchestral works, ensemble works, piano, harp, and harpsichord pieces, vocal works and songs, and chamber works.
The Egon Wellesz Contemporary Music Collection consists of music scores, books, programs, correspondence, and other documents originally owned by composer Egon Wellesz (1885-1974). The bulk of the collection was donated to UNCG University Libraries' Martha Blakeney Hodges University Archives and Special Collections by Dr. Harold Schiffman and Jane Perry-Camp in 2009. Additional materials were donated by Julia Rosenthal.
Egon Wellesz was an Austrian-born British composer, teacher, and musicologist who composed over 125 works in a variety of performance media. Wellesz was a student of composer Arnold Schoenberg and his collection contains many of Schoenberg's published works. David Gwynn, Digital Projects Coordinator, also notes that “the materials in the Wellesz collection are interesting not only for their musical content but also as examples of early twentieth century graphic design."
The sheet music has been digitized and placed online with the exception of several works that are not currently in the public domain. For more information, contact David Gwynn, Digital Projects Coordinator of the University Libraries at 336.256.2606 or by email at jdgwynn@uncg.edu
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN RECEIVES DOUBLE REVIEW FROM FANFARE MAGAZINE
25 September 2010
Fanfare Magazine's September/October 2010 issue contains a combined review of two of Harold Schiffman's recent recordings: Harold Schiffman: Orchestral Works (N/S R 1050) and
Starting with his comments about the cover of the Harold Schiffman at 80! recording, the discerning Mr. Schulslaper found the subtleties of Schiffman's style that brought together a folksiness with a strongly "sophisticated" grasp of the totality and structure of music and of music's varied meanings and means of communication, be they serious or humorous. Mr. Schulslaper clearly has a vast knowledge of and understanding of the musical repertoire from both the past and the present, and he uses that knowledge not to glorify himself, but to express the depth he found in Schiffman's work. Perhaps the critic's closing statement best serves his large view and his grasp of the essence of Harold Schiffman's music. This concise remark brings together his thoughts and projects them to the reader in a single straight-forward statement: "Summing up, Schiffman is a versatile composer whose talent is apparent in whatever idiom he chooses to express his very musical personality. Definitely worth hearing."
To read tne entire review Click Here
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN IS INVITED SPECIAL GUEST FOR COMPOSITION FACULTY CONCERT
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBORO
15 March 2010
On 23 February 2010, Harold Schiffman's song cycle Blood Mountain (2007) was given its North Carolina première at the invitation of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Music. The performance honored Harold Schiffman as the special guest composer who joined the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's composition faculty in their annual Faculty Composition Concert.
Soprano Gayle Seaton, for whom the song cycle was written, and pianist Jane Perry-Camp performed the work for the audience in the School of Music's Recital Hall. This was the cycle's second performance by the two artists, who presented its world première in the Gilder Lehrman Hall of The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City on 9 March 2008. The song cycle's Prologue and succeeding six movements were set to text from Black Shawl, a volume of poetry by Kathryn Stripling Byer, Poet Laureate Emerita of North Carolina -- a text whose setting in the North Carolina mountains was equally sensitively and appropriately matched by Schiffman's musical treatment of it.
Programs from the performance of Blood Mountain at the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
(23 February 2010)
Composer Mark Engebretson of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (where he is both Associate Professor of Composition and Director of the A. V. Williams Electronic Music Studio) offered this assessment of the composition heard that evening:
"THANK YOU so much for participating in our Faculty Composers Concert last night! I found your piece, Harold, to be intense, moving, and very beautiful. Jane and Gayle, your performance was riveting. I am really pleased we were able to include Blood Mountain on the program."
![Photo of Soprano Gayle Seaton, composer Harold Schiffman, pianist Jane Perry-Camp at Georgia's Blood Mountain, with the State of Georgia's official marker describing the historical events that took place there (20 February 2010) [Photographer unknown]](graphics/harold_schiffman_photo433_hjgaylebldmtn.jpg "Photo of Soprano Gayle Seaton, composer Harold Schiffman, pianist Jane Perry-Camp at Georgia's Blood Mountain, with the State of Georgia's official marker describing the historical events that took place there (20 February 2010) [Photographer unknown]")
Soprano Gayle Seaton, composer Harold Schiffman, pianist
Jane Perry-Camp at Georgia's Blood Mountain, with the
State of Georgia's official marker describing the
historical events that took place there
(20 February 2010)
[Photographer unknown]
The audience showed every sign of agreeing with composer Engebretson's assessment.
It might be noted that Schiffman's presence as a composer is recognized by the same university in the establishment of the Harold Schiffman High School Composition Competition, an annual award created to help promising young composers further their training and their success as composers. Scholarship assistance is awarded to the distinguished student winner of the competition.
NOW OUT ON CD! MUSIC FROM THE NEW YORK CELEBRATION OF
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S 80th YEAR!
9 January 2010
To celebrate the composer's 80th birth year, North/South Consonance presented a special program to honor Harold Schiffman on 9 March 2008 — an all-Schiffman concert in the Gilder Lehrman Hall of The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City.
This recording offers the compositions heard at that concert, recorded in the same order in which they were heard on that concert, and by the same musicians who had performed them in New York. The photographs accompanying the musicians’ biographies in the CD's booklet were all taken during that concert. These musicians from the March performance gathered again in January of 2009 to make this permanent record of the music heard in New York.
One may sense in these works Schiffman's purely human "laid back" style, as if pickin' and grinnin' in the North Carolina mountain tradition on the porch of his mountain house. Even Schiffman's melodic contours are frequently reminiscent of that same Appalachian mountain tradition, as one of Schiffman's mentors, Roger Sessions, pointed out: melodies starting high, and thereafter descending. As may be suggested even within that melodic descent, not all is happy and "laid back," for one can also find in Schiffman's music a serious, even tragic, feeling reflective of a loneliness and at times a melancholy that can be part of the lives of those who have inhabited and do inhabit those mountains, lives not without peril. The full range of human experience is offered in the music, as in the beautiful mountains.
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN ADDS TWO NEW WORKS TO HIS CATALOGUE IN 2009
17 October 2009
The year 2009 brought two new instrumental works from the pen of Harold Schiffman: one a concerted piece for ten instruments and the other a concerto for banjo and orchestra.
The Serenata Concertante (2009) is for a chamber ensemble consisting of a wind quintet and a string quintet. Commissioned by Max Lifchitz and the North/South Consonance Chamber Orchestra to celebrate North/South Consonance´s Thirtieth Season, the four-movement work was completed on April 9, 2009 in Tallahassee, Florida. Serenata Concertante (2009) joins other works written for the North/South Consonance Chamber Orchestra, such as Schiffman's Sestetto Concertato (1993), Chamber Concerto No. 2: In Memoriam Edward Kilenyi (2000), and Concertino for Flute and String Orchestra ( 2004). The new work will be premièred in New York City on 18 May 2010.
Schiffman's Concerto for Banjo and Orchestra (2009) was written for the internationally acclaimed banjoist Ken Perlman. The orchestra consists of strings and woodwinds (the latter, one player to a part). The Concerto's traditional three-movement format opens with an Allegro molto movement, followed by a Lento movement, and concluded with a dance marked Vivace. The work was completed on August 23, 2009 in Graham County, North Carolina.
Harold Schiffman with banjoist Ken Perlman.
Suwannee Banjo Camp, O'Leno State Park, Florida
(19 March 2006)
Not only is soloist Ken Perlman known for his virtuosity on the clawhammer banjo, but he is also regarded as the leading collector and archiver of authentic Celtic fiddle tunes in their purest forms, as can be found on Prince Edward Island in Canada, where they have been preserved since their arrival from their homelands across the Atlantic. Too, Ken Perlman is known as a teacher of "old time" clawhammer banjo, as is evident from his writings (with instructional CDs in addition to his performance CDs) and from the number of his international workshops and classes, as well as the summer banjo camps he has founded and directs throughout the United States. The banjo tablature for the concerto's solo part is edited by Ken Perlman.
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S NEWEST CD PROPOSED FOR THREE GRAMMY AWARDS
26 September 2009
Harold Schiffman's most recently released CD, Harold Schiffman: Orchestral Works, has been proposed for Grammy awards in three categories:
Best Classical Album:
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Best Orchestral Performance:
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Best Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra:
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The Grammy awards are named for the trophy:
a small, gilded gramophone statuette.
The trophy is made by Billings Artworks
Photograph from Wikipedia
Since first awarding the honor in 1958, The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (aka NARAS or The Recording Academy) has voted each year to select that year's Grammy Award winners.
No matter the final results, it is a clear honor for one's work to be proposed to represent some of the year's most "outstanding achievements in the music industry."
Further details may be found on various websites, such as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award from which some data provided here were obtained.
Harold Schiffman standing in front of the
Florida State University Broadcast Center,
1600 Red Barber Plaza, prior to his
interview for its 3 April 2009 broadcast.
Tallahassee, Florida
(31 March 2009)
WFSQ-FM AIRS TWO-HOUR PROGRAM OF HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S MUSIC
24 May 2009
The Florida State University's classical music station, WFSQ-FM, broadcast on Friday, 3 April 2009 a two-hour program of Harold Schiffman's compositions, interspersed with the composer's introductions of the works being broadcast. Host Dan MacDonald set the "stage" for the broadcast as if taking place on the porch of a mountain home, replete with rocking chairs. Mr. MacDonald's conversation with the composer (and briefly with Jane Perry-Camp, the pianist in two of the works aired) was succinct but casual. The works broadcast were Overture to a Comedy (1983); Symphony No. 2: Music for Győr (2008); Fugue and Postlude No. 12 from Spectrum, My Ladye Jane's Booke (1992); Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1982); Blood Mountain Suite for Orchestra (2008); and Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2006).
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S NORTH/SOUTH RECORDINGS TO BE DISTRIBUTED INTERNATIONALLY THROUGH NAXOS
2 May 2009
As of April 1, all North/South Recordings featuring Schiffman compositions are available for streaming and downloading at http://www.classicsonline.com/composerbio/Harold_Schiffman/. Commencing June 1, 2009, the Naxos network will distribute all of North/South Recordings' new releases throughout the United States, Canada, and Latin America. That distribution will include Schiffman's most recent release: N/S R 1050, Harold Schiffman: Orchestral Works, a CD that had been selected as a "Featured Addition" among the highlighted albums recently added to Naxos Music Library (http://www.naxosmusiclibrary.com).
With North/South Recordings having joined Naxos' group of other leading independent labels, accessibility to all ten of Schiffman's CDs recorded (to date) on that label will widen exponentially and be readily available for listening and downloading internationally through Naxos' ClassicsOnline. In fact, word has already come in that Harold Schiffman: Orchestral Works has been discovered on the Naxos website in Hungary -- without any prompting from the USA!
As a reminder, all the North/South CDs remain available through the North/South Recordings web site (http://www.northsouthmusic.org) and other retail web sites (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Arkiv, etc). In Europe, the CDs are still being distributed through the Swiss Musiktraum (N/S R).
The full effect of Naxos' distribution and availability of Schiffman's music on North/South CDs will mean that his music will be heard farther and wider than ever before, along with the public's enjoyment of it!
 Katalin Koltai, guitar Photograph by Júlia Szilágyi HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S LATEST CD: Harold Schiffman: Orchestral Works
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COMPOSER HAROLD SCHIFFMAN AT THE GYŐR CITY HALL
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 Harold Schiffman with Dr. Viktor Németh, Minister of Culture for the City of Győr, at the conclusion of the ceremony honoring Mr. Schiffman in the Győr City Hall's Blue Room - displaying the Dr. Pál Kovács Medal (the City of Győr's Silver Medal) and the Mayor of Győr's Certificate of Appreciation, both presented in front of the ceremony's colorful backdrop displaying the City's Coat of Arms. (16 October 2008) Photograph by Constance H. Kotis |
 The Győr City Hall's main façade facing Szent István út (16 September 2007)   The City of Győr's Silver Medal, The Dr. Pál Kovàcs Medal, presented to Harold Schiffman in appreciation of his contributions to the cultural life of Győr (16 October 2008) |
 The City of Győr's Certificate of Appreciation to Harold Schiffman (16 October 2008) |
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Translation by Szidónia Juhász |
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Composer Harold Schiffman Greeted at the City Hall
News / Győr (16 October 2008)
http://www.Győr-online.hu/index.php?mod=news_read&newsid=18035
In the name of the City of Győr, Dr. Viktor Németh, Chairman of the Committee for Education, Culture, and Sports, and representing City Hall, greeted Composer Harold Schiffman on the occasion of his eightieth birthday this Thursday at the City Hall. Mr. Schiffman was awarded the City's Silver Medal for all the work he has done for Győr's musical life and for increasing our city's reputation.
Harold Schiffman studied at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, as well as at Berkeley and in Tallahassee. His mentor, Ernő Dohnányi (Ernst von Dohnányi), whom he met at the Florida State University, was his greatest influence. One of Dohnányi’s famous sayings became Schiffman’s “credo”: “No matter what else the music may do, it should always be beautiful.”
In the past ten years Harold Schiffman has visited Győr seven times to record his music with the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra. His Symphony No. 2: Music for Győr is his tenth orchestral piece to be recorded here. Mr. Schiffman said he first came to our city 27 years ago, stopping by for lunch only, but for the past ten years he has been a returning visitor of Győr. He said that the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra is his favorite orchestra, which, four years after recording it, is premièring Schiffman's cantata titled Alma on October 16. Alma's European and Hungarian première starts at 7 pm tonight in the Richter Hall.
Translation by Szidónia Juhász
Harold Schiffman Was Greeted at the City Hall
16 October 2008 (Győr)
http://www.gyor.hu/index.php?hlid=6984
Composer Harold Schiffman, who turned eighty this year, has come to Győr seven times over the past ten years with the specific aim of making recordings of his music here. He has now been awarded the City’s Silver medal, which was handed to him by Dr. Viktor Németh, Chairman of the Committee for Education, Culture, and Sports…
The composer was greeted by Dr. Viktor Németh, Chairman of the Committee for Education, Culture, and Sports. As he said, it fills our City with pride that he keeps adding to the richness of Győr’s cultural life and increases its reputation around the world. Mr. Schiffman was awarded the Dr. Pál Kovács Silver Medal this Thursday at the City Hall.
The composer expressed his gratitude for the recognition and acknowledgement. He remembered how he first visited Győr twenty-seven years ago, just for a brief lunch at the railway station then. The true relationship started ten years ago, and he confessed that he loved our city very much, and that the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra was his very favorite orchestra.
Mr. Schiffman turned eighty this year. He studied composition at the University of North Carolina and at Berkeley. Among his teachers the greatest influence on him was the Hungarian composer and pianist Ernő Dohnányi (Ernst von Dohnanyi). He studied under him for two years between 1957-59, and the two then became colleagues for another year, until Dohnányi’s death. Schiffman claims he inherited new musical thoughts as well as Hungarian traditions from his master. He takes his “credo” from Dohnányi: " No matter what else the music may do, it should always be beautiful".
This is the seventh occasion in the past ten years that Mr. Schiffman has come to Győr, with the aim of making orchestral recordings of his pieces, as organized by the Kiraly Music Network. His Symphony No. 2: Music for Győr is his tenth orchestral composition to be recorded with the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra. All the pieces having been recorded here have been released on CDs in the United States. The CD leaflets always include nice and detailed descriptions of the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra, thus making their name better known around the world. Music critics have written internationally in praise of these recordings, all of which have been done with conductor Mátyás Antal, bearer of the Liszt, Bartók and Pásztory Prizes.
At 7 pm on October 16 the Richter Hall will host a special event: four years after making a recording of it, the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra along with the National Choir is giving a European and Hungarian première of Harold Schiffman’s cantata titled Alma. The piece was written for and dedicated to the conductor Mátyás Antal.Translation by Szidónia Juhász
© 2008 NetHír Kft., All Rights Reserved
18 October 2008
“No matter what else the music may do, it should always be beautiful.”*
Article concerning the ceremony in the Győr City Hall, appearing in the Győri Közélet
(18 October 2008)
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN IN GYŐR
Dr. Viktor Németh, Chairman of the Committee for Education, Culture, and Sports, and representing City Hall, awarded composer Harold Schiffman the City’s Silver Medal this Thursday at the City Hall. The composer, who turned 80 this year, has come to Győr for the seventh time to make a CD recording. His Symphony No. 2: Music for the City of Győr, is his tenth orchestral piece to be recorded by the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra. All of Mr. Schiffman’s works recorded so far have been released on CDs in the USA. Thursday night at the Richter Hall the orchestra premièred his cantata titled Alma, which was written for and dedicated to conductor Mátyás Antal.Translation by Szidónia Juhász
2 October 2008 Szidi by the banks of the Little Tennessee River, North Carolina on 12 March 2008 A hearty welcome to our new Hungarian visitors! We are delighted to add the Hungarian versions of our website's Home, Biography, News, and, in part, Reviews pages -- pages which are accessed by the Hungarian flag Our special thanks go to Szidónia Juhász who created the superb translations of the English texts into Hungarian. WELCOME! And do come visit us again! Viszontlátásra! |
THE HAROLD SCHIFFMAN HIGH SCHOOL COMPOSITION COMPETITION'S INAUGURAL WINNER: JAMES LEGO16 September 2008 James Lego is the inaugural recipient of the Harold Schiffman High School Composition Competition's award. Present to honor his receiving that award were the award's namesake Harold Schiffman, the Dean of the UNCG School of Music, and an ardent supporter of the award. (Pictured L to R: Harold Schiffman, James Lego, Jane Perry-Camp, Dean John J. Deal) (16 September 2008) Photograph by Jennifer Scott On 16 September 2008, Dr. John J. Deal, Dean of the School of Music of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) presented to Freshman composer James Lego the inaugural award of the Harold Schiffman High School Composition Competition, an award open to any graduating high school student in North America whose compositions are deemed by the UNCG School of Music's composition faculty to be deserving of the award and the monetary stipend accompanying it. James Lego hails from Suffolk, Virginia, and is a graduate of King's Fork High School. He was born on 16 September 1990 and thus celebrated his eighteenth birthday in a very special manner! He had ventured into several creative fields before pointing himself towards his promising future as a composer. Already in his list of compositions are large works for chorus and instrumental chamber works, as well as symphonic works for full orchestra. Currently he continues to write both instrumental and choral compositions. Besides composing, his activities include both vocal and instrumental (piano) performance -- and acting (plays and musicals) as well as writing poetry, all of which attest to his earlier versatility of interest and talent. His current studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro lead to his earning the Bachelor's Degree in Music. |
THREE PREMIÈRES OF HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S COMPOSITIONS
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 Schiffman with masterclass students University of North Carolina Greensboro (29 February 2008) Photograph by Jennifer Scott |
 The North Carolina première of Alma (2002) School of Music Recital Hall, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1 March 2008) Photograph by Jennifer Scott |
The birth year celebration continued in New York, at The Morgan Library & Museum, where Schiffman's song cycle Blood Mountain (2007) received its world première. Like Alma (which text was from Wildwood Flower), Blood Mountain was also set to text by North Carolina Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Byer, from her volume of poetry, Black Shawl. Soprano Gayle Seaton, for whom the cycle was written, and pianist Jane Perry-Camp presented the work to the Gilder Lehrman Hall audience. Likewise receiving its world première during the concert was Schiffman's Duo Concertante for Violin and Clarinet (1993), performed by violinist Aaron Boyd and clarinetist Richard Goldsmith. Additionally, violist Ah Ling Neu gave Schiffman's Fantasy-Suite for Solo Viola (1980) its first New York performance; just as pianist Max Lifchitz gave Schiffman's Sonata No. 1 for Piano (1951) its first New York performance.
 Première of Duo Concertante for Violin and Clarinet (1993) Aaron Boyd, violin; Richard Goldsmith, clarinet Gilder Lehrman Hall (9 March 2008) Photograph by A. J. Leslie |
 After world première of Blood Mountain (2007) Harold Schiffman receiving applause from the audience, pianist Jane Perry-Camp, and soprano Gayle Seaton Gilder Lehrman Hall (9 March 2008) Photograph by Gerd-Uwe Johnson |
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S SECOND SYMPHONY: MUSIC FOR GYÖR (2008)
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ALMA (2002) TO BE PERFORMED IN HUNGARY, 16 OCTOBER 2008
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 Conductor Mátyás Antal Photograph by Gyula Berényi |
 A plaque identifying the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra (Győri Filharmonikus Zenekar) in an entryway into the orchestra's home, the János Richter Hall. Győr, Hungary (21 September 2007) |
 The façade of Győr's János Richter Hall (Richter János Terem) Győr, Hungary (20 October 2002) |
THE YEAR 2008 CELEBRATES HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S
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NEWLY RECORDED: THREE CONCERTI BY HAROLD SCHIFFMAN
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 Rebekah Binford, violin Photograph by Michael Schultz |
 Tamás Zempléni, French horn Photograph courtesy of Tamás Zempléni |
 Pál Bokor, bassoon, Photograph courtesy of Pál Bokor |
 Ákos Takács, violoncello Photograph courtesy of Ákos Takács |
Rebekah Binford, for whom the Violin Concerto was written, is the soloist in "her" concerto. She is the Assistant Concertmaster of the North Carolina Symphony. Soloists for the Double Concerto are Tamás Zempléni, French horn; and Pál Bokor, bassoon - both of whom are members of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra. The Violoncello Concerto features Ákos Takács, 'cellist of the Auer Quartet, which had recorded Schiffman's string quartets in 2004.
The compact disc of the three concerti was released as N/S R1047 by North/South Recordings in December, 2007.
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S
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HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S SONG CYCLE
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 Harpist Erzsébet Gaál Bloomington, Indiana (1998) Photograph by Charles Hodge © 1998 Charles Hodge Final Cut Video Productions |
NOTTURNO FOR HARP (1980), EDITED BY ERZSÉBET GAÁL, HAS JUST BEEN PUBLISHED BY HARPA HUNGARICA, |
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S SONATA NO. 1 FOR PIANO (1951)
IS NOW PUBLISHED AND AVAILABLE FROM HAROLD SCHIFFMAN/ANDRES EDITIONS
30 January 2007
Harold Schiffman's Sonata No. 1 for Piano (1951)
in original manuscript and now in print.
Tallahassee, Florida
(29 January 2007)
HAROLD SCHIFFMAN'S CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA (2006)
3 January 2007
Violinist Rebekah Binford
and composer Harold Schiffman.
Charlotte, North Carolina
(26 March 1998)
Added to Harold Schiffman's catalogue of works is his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (2006), written for Rebekah Binford and completed in Graham County, North Carolina, on December 3, 2006. Binford is Associate Concertmaster of the North Carolina Symphony. She has premièred a number of Schiffman's works including Duo Concertante for Violin and English Horn (1990) and Sonata for Solo Violin (1993), a piece written for her. The new concerto features an important role for the harp as well as prominent parts for various woodwinds and French horns. The Violin Concerto is available from Harold Schiffman/Andres Editions.
OME BANJOS!
NEW LINK
21 October 2006
The distinguished and world renowned banjo maker, OME Banjos, has recognized and honored Harold Schiffman by including him in their gallery of OME artists. Please visit the OME Banjo site at http://www.omebanjos.com and click on Gallery.
THE HAROLD SCHIFFMAN HIGH SCHOOL COMPOSITION COMPETITION
18 August 2006
It is a special pleasure to announce that the generosity of an anonymous donor has made it possible for The School of Music of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro to establish The Harold Schiffman High School Composition Competition Award. The Award not only honors its namesake but will provide both encouragement and support for young composers to explore their talent and to hone their skills in writing music - opportunities that will be available to them as undergraduates in The School of Music at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
The Harold Schiffman High School Composition Competition will be open to high school seniors who desire to pursue their undergraduate music study in composition in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's (UNCG's) School of Music.
It is expected that the first Award will be given for the 2007-2008 academic year.
When each Award is announced, the recipient's name will appear on this web site, on the "News" page, along with our congratulations.
For further information concerning the Award (including application information), please contact:
The Harold Schiffman High School Composition Competition
The School of Music
Dr. Mark Engebretson
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Post Office Box 26170
Greensboro, North Carolina 27402-6170
Or consult the following websites:
http://performingarts.uncg.edu/music/performance/composition/schiffmann-scholarship
http://performingarts.uncg.edu/music (the UNCG School of Music home website)
http://performingarts.uncg.edu/music/performance/composition (the composition website)
WELCOME TO HAROLD SCHIFFMAN´S WEB SITE!
26 June 2006
It, of course, should come as no surprise that the web site is now up and running, since were it not so, you´d not be reading this message. Still, it is exciting to welcome it into the world, cyber though that world may be.
I hope that you´ll find the web site useful, informative, and even at times entertaining. It will be my pleasure, and that of my webmaster, if you find it to be so!
Composer Harold Schiffman
and webmaster Elsa Leslie.
Tallahassee, Florida
(25 June 2006)
The world hasn´t enough gratitude to extend adequate thanks to Elsa Leslie, who undertook the task of designing and literally mastering the web site. She has the patience of Job in dealing with my ignorance, uncertainty, and sometimes downright goofiness – yet she took it all in stride and never showed the slightest sign of impatience (although I´m sure that I caused her eyes to roll heavenward many a time during the process of creating this web site). For years my wife and I have known her to be a brilliant programmer and dear friend. Now we know her to be likewise a brilliant webmaster – and (thankfully) still a dear friend!
Composer Harold Schiffman
and webmaster Elsa Leslie.
Tallahassee, Florida
(25 June 2006)
So, thanks, Elsa, for working a miracle – a miracle that is made evident through the existence of your reading this very note right now: through the existence of www.haroldschiffman-composer.com!
Perhaps, the feather in your cap, Elsa, is more literal than I had realized. Just look at one of your two photos on this page, and you´ll see that a little birdie had to chime in somehow or another. Of course, it is a bluebird – and seems to be just as happy as I am.
AGAIN, WELCOME TO MY WEB SITE!
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Banner photo: Snowbird Mountains at dawn, Graham County, North Carolina (October 26, 2005) |