The creative spirit, inspiration and innovation is at the core of all ventures, and nurturing that spirit is important to me as a conductor and composer.

I find it interesting and engaging to experience new ideas and concepts, and that is why I am so excited about the Allentown Symphony’s “New Music Chamber Music Concert: Nature and Poetry.”

The concert, which airs virtually, 7:30 p.m. April 24, will feature many world premieres and showcase pieces by composers ranging in age from 17 through adult.

As part of our new Composer-in-Residence Program, the Allentown Symphony put out a call for scores utilizing the theme “Nature and Poetry.” The concert features the winning selections, as well as pieces by our Composer Consortium Faculty members, Paul Salerni and Lawrence Flynn, and by our Composer-in-Residence Chris Rogerson. Also highlighted on the concert is a piece by renown African-American composer Valerie Coleman.

Ava Bloomfield, 17, is our youngest composer. She is a senior at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, Bethlehem. She has been playing piano for eight years. Her composition, “A Bird Song,” is hauntingly beautiful. Says Bloomfield:

“I started to write ‘A Bird Song’ in October of 2020 after hearing pieces like ‘Èpitaph de Jean Harlow, Op. 164’ by Charles Koechlin. Hearing how naturally a piano, flute and saxophone or clarinet could blend together really inspired me.

“I started crafting a main melody before finding the poem, “A Bird Song,” by Christina Rossetti. From the moment I read it, I had no doubt it was the one I wanted to use. This poem had the form, subject matter and style that I was searching for. It tells about the interactions of swallows, and the speaker’s need for consistent companionship.”

Liam Mulligan is a fourth-year Music Composition and English Major at Moravian College, Bethlehem. He began writing tunes and experimenting with music at the piano at a very young age, and now continues to create, write, direct and perform music in various mediums but most passionately for stage and screen.

Mulligan’s piece, “Tusaidie,” is a three-movement character piece that evokes the beauty and devastation of three endangered species from three different continents: the Entre Ríos Seedeater of South America, the Javan Rhino of Asia, and the Silky Sifaka Lemur of Africa. Each animal is voiced by a different woodwind to represent the differences in voices and narratives between the species.

Morgan Moss is a Composition and Piano Performance double major at Temple University Boyer College of Music and Dance, Philadelphia, and a graduate of Northwestern Lehigh High School, New Tripoli. Recently, Moss won the Chester County Community Band Competition Contest and was the youngest person at 19 and first woman to have won this competition. Morgan is active in film scoring and has recently composed scores for four award-winning film shorts.

When asked about her inspiration for “The Brook,” she says, “Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, ‘The Brook,’ is a reflection of my past. During this time where we are forced to stay home, I visited places deep in my memory instead of out in the world.

“I often visited a place I loved as a child. In my yard, there was a brook that made the most beautiful noises where the birds sang and the sun gleamed, and because I can no longer visit this place, it was my mission to recreate the wonder that the brook inspired in me. I hope that the piece will inspire this wonder in the listeners as well.”

Lehigh Valley resident Pierre Bohemond is an orchestral and chamber music composer whose style ranges from modern classical to modern romantic with musical influences spanning from Rimsky-Korsakov and Igor Stravinsky to progressive-rock. His piece, “The Shores of the Phoenicia,” is based upon a poem by Canadian poet Arthur Vaso. The words, written on the first page of the score, set the mood for the piece: “sea winds carry messages ancestors whispered to me.” In the piece, scored for solo clarinet and piano, Pierre captures the spirit of the poem beautifully.

ASO Composer Consortium member Lawrence Flynn has been honored with the “Award for Excellence in Arts Education” from the Lehigh Valley Arts Council and has received the Allentown Arts Commission’s “Outstanding Educator in the Arts” award. His piece, “Emerson’s River,” is based on “Two Rivers,” a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Flynn teaches music at Dierruff High School, Allentown, and encourages his students to create original works and arrangements.

Paul Salerni, ASO Composer Consortium member who is on the Composition Faculty at Lehigh University, has received numerous honors.. His music has been described by The New York Times as “impressive” and “playful.” This is very evident in his piece, “Golden Retrievals,” based on poetry by Mark Doty from a larger work, “Bad Pets.” It is a humorous piece sung from a dog’s point of view of the world.

Featured composer Valerie Coleman is an internationally-acclaimed composer and Grammy®-nominated flutist. Performances of her music have spanned the globe. Her piece, “Portraits of Langston,” is based upon poetry by poet Langston Hughes, who was inspired by the nightlife of Harlem, New York City, and the cabarets and cafes of Paris.

The “New Music Concert” was curated by ASO Composer-in-Residence Chris Rogerson. He has been meeting regularly with composers throughout the region as we expand our connections and engagement activities for composers in the Lehigh Valley. The concert features a Rogerson work, “Fishing,” based on poetry by Joan Hutton Landis.

The concert is performed by Allison Kiger, flute; Boris Shpitalnik, clarinet; Steve Reisteter, bass clarinet and saxophone; Michael Toth, piano, and Audra Casebier, soprano and narrator.

The Allentown Symphony will continue its “New Music Chamber Music” series in the fall, exploring the intersection of “Music and Art,” and in spring of 2022, with a theme of “Food and Flavors,” where the ASO will partner with an area chef.

Hearing something for the first time is always an interesting road of discovery. We hope that you will join us on this wonderful musical journey as we present music by composers from the Lehigh Valley.

Ticket information:

https://www.millersymphonyhall.org/calendar/event/909

Information on submitting a music composition for performance consideration is on the Allentown Symphony website: https://www.millersymphonyhall.org

Diane Wittry is Music Director and Conductor of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra; Music Director and Conductor of The Garden State Philharmonic, New Jersey, and author of “Beyond the Baton: What Every Conductor Needs To Know” and “Baton Basics: Communicating Music Through Gestures.” Wittry, one of “Musical America” Worldwide Top 30 Musical Influencers,” teaches conducting workshops throughout the United States and Europe.