You are invited to visit the composer's website for more information.

****Sigma Alpha Iota Honorary Member

Annual Updates

2010

NEWS

Zaimont was Composer-in-Residence for two musical festivals in 2009, the Athena Festival, March 10-14, Murray State University, KY, and Women in Music Festival, March 23-26, Eastman School of Music. She was a guest composer and lecturer for the “Close Encounters with Music” series, giving a talk titled “The Music and Styles of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Judith Zaimont,” March 15, Lenox Athenaeum, MA. Housewife, for two soprano soloists, SSAA chorus, and piano, is based on an original poem by Claudia Stanek and uses a libretto by Zaimont. Commissioned by the Hanson Fund/Eastman School of Music, it was introduced March 25 by the Eastman Women’s Chorus. Concerto for Piano and Wind Orchestra (“Solar Traveller”), for large wind, brass, and percussion ensemble, was commissioned by eight ensemble and pianist partnerships around the United States. It was introduced October 7 by Timothy Hoft with the Peabody Conservatory Wind Ensemble conducted by Harlan Parker, with another performance given December 1 at Indiana State University-Terre Haute. Zaimont was named “Author of the 2009 Article of the Year” by the Music Teachers National Association for “Embracing New Music” in American Music Teacher (September 2008).

PREMIERES

Astral . . . a mirror life on the astral plain . . . , reworked for violin solo, was introduced March 25, 2009, by Anyango Davenport, Eastman School of Music.

PERFORMANCES

Zones – Piano Trio No. 2, was presented February 14 by Light and Sound, Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY, and May 30, Williamsburg Art and Historical Center, Brooklyn, NY. Pianist Young-Ah Tak performed Wizards: Three Magic Masters, February 15 on a solo recital for the 2009 Busan International Music Festival. From the Great Land: Woman’s Songs, a multi-movement, half-hour cycle for mezzo-soprano, clarinet, piano, and Eskimo drum, was heard in a March 24 performance by Northern Accord, Middle Tennessee State University. Israeli Rhapsody, for concert band, was performed March 30, 2009, by the Eastman Wind Ensemble under the direction of Mark Scatterday. Astral, for clarinet solo, was heard April 5 in a performance by Julianne Kirk, Crane School of Music, Potsdam, NY.

PUBLICATIONS

Astral, for violin; by Jeanné, Inc. Housewife, for two soprano soli, SSAA chorus, piano; Hitchin’ – a travellin’ groove, for piano solo; Concerto for piano and wind orchestra (“Solar Traveller”), for large wind, brass, and percussion ensemble; all by Subito Music Corp.

RECORDINGS

Chroma: Northern Lights, for orchestra; Ghosts and Elegy, both for symphonic strings; Stillness: Poem for Orchestra; Slovak National Philharmonic conducted by Kirk Trevor; Naxos. Hitchin’ – a travellin’ groove; Nicola Melville, piano; Innova Records (American Composers Forum)

2009

In January 2008, the composer was signed to an exclusive publishing agreement by Subito Music Corporation . She has been invited to be the principal guest composer for two music festivals in March 2009: “New York Women Composers,” Eastman School of Music, NY; and the “Athena Festival,” March 2-9, Murray State University, KY.  “Housewife”, a new movement from Life Cycle, a suite for women’s voices for SSAA and piano commissioned by The Eastman School of Music, will be introduced at the school’s “Festival of Women Composers” in March 2009. The composer had two new essays published, “Embracing New Music,” American Music Teacher (MTNA), August/September 2008, and “Imaging the Composer Today,” an overview of the emotional payoffs, artistic decisions and fulfillments, and economic perils that characterize the career of concert-music composers in the 21st century, which will be published in the Fall 2009 edition of Symposium, volume 47, a publication of The College Music Society.

PREMIERES

Pianist Nicola Melville introduced the commisioned work Hitchin’ – a travellin’ groove, March 2008, St. Olaf College. Organist Carson Cooman included Serenade for violin and organ on his autumn 2008 tour. The Spirit Moves in Me, a commissioned work of three movements for SATB, piano, percussion, and string quartet, was introduced April 26 by the New York (NY) Virtuoso Singers and Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Harold Rosenbaum. Stillness: Poem for Orchestra, was first heard in Arizona June 1, in a performance by the Musica Nova Orchestra, led by Warren Cohen. Solar Traveller: Concerto for Piano and Wind Orchestra, was first heard in a series of performances by members of the commissioning consortium: Harlan Parker, Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, MD; Gregg Hanson, University of Arizona, Tucson; Craig Kirchoff, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; Mark Scatterday, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY; Terry Austin, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond; Nanette Kaplan Solomon, Slippery Rock (PA) University; Frank Wickes, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge; Paula Holcomb, SUNY-Fredonia; and John Boyd, Indiana State University Wind Orchestra.

PERFORMANCES

The concert band work City Rain received multiple performances: November 1, 2007, Ithaca (NY) College Concert Band; February 19, 2008, Concordia Cobber Band, Fifth Annual Composers Concert, Concordia College, MN; March 6, Anoka-Ramsey Community College Concert Band, MN; April, University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus band, under the direction of Doug Bush; May 8, University of New Hampshire Concert Band led by Casey Goodwin, Durham, NH; Kettle Moraine High School Band, WI; and Lake View High School, Chicago, IL, performances at their school and at the May Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL. Israeli Rhapsody for concert band was heard in performance February 6-7, 2008, Intercollegiate Honor Band, Virginia; and March 19, by the Intercollegiate Honor Band, Minnesota. Elegy for Symphonic Strings was presented April 20 in Beijing, China, during the IAWM International Congress.

PUBLICATIONS

String Quartet - The Figure; Rememberance (text assemblage: Zaimont), SSAATTBB, choral soli, organ, percussion, cello, cor anglais; Serenade, violin, cello, and piano; Hitchin’ – a travellin’ groove, piano; Serenade, violin and organ; The Spirit Moves in Me, SATB, piano, percussion, and string quartet; Stillness (Poem for Orchestra); Solar Traveller, Concerto for piano and wind orchestra; all by Subito Music Corp. Astral, alto sax version; Doubles, soprano sax and piano; Music for Two: Five-Movement Suite, for two instruments of like register, both treble and bass clef, strings, winds or brass; Lazy Beguine and Reflective Rag, both for Society Orchestra; all by Jeanné, Inc.

RECORDINGS

Hitchin’ – a travellin’ groove, pianist Nicola Melville; Innova Records (American Composers Forum). Parallel Play; Presidio Saxophone Quartet; AUR Recordings.

2008

Judith Zaimont was recently featured in the summer 2007 issue of Clavier with an article/interview on A Calendar Set, including a reprint of “July – The Glorious Fourth!” The IAWM (International Alliance for Women in Music) Journal published Zaimont’s essay titled “Imaging the Composer Today” in August 2007. The composer announces the following current and recent doctoral papers concerning her work: “Zaimont’s Piano Music: WIZARDS and Jupiter’s Moons,” Janet Norman (Arizona State University); “Zaimont’s approach to the Piano – music for differing technical levels: Jupiter’s Moons and In My Lunchbox,” Rebecca Pennington (University of Kansas); “Veriditas: Enlivened Creativity in selected works of Judith Zaimont, Libby Larsen, and Juliana Hall,” Sharon Johnson (University of Minnesota). Articles recently posted on the internet include “The Role of the Piano in Selected Chamber Works of Judith Lang Zaimont,” Jennifer Muñiz and “The Compositional Style of Judith Lang Zaimont as found in Nattens Monolog (Night Soliloquy), scena for Soprano and Piano with text by Dag Hammarskjold,” Joo Wun Jun. Recent residencies include a Masterclass for the Graduate Composers Symposium, Arizona State University, February 2007; principal composer at a conference on “Gender, Justice, Equality,” September 13-17, Syracuse (NY) University; and commissioned composer for “Meet The Composer,” Portland (OR) Symphonic Choir, through October 2007.

Premieres

Israeli Rhapsody for concert band (a Kaplan Fund commission) was introduced March 2007 at St Mary’s University, Winona, MN. The Harlem Quartet presented String Quartet: The Figure on September 15 at Syracuse University, September 16 at the Eastman School, and September 17 at CornellUniversity. Hitchin’: a travellin’ groove for piano solo was presented by Nicola Melville on September 28, Carleton College, MN. Rememberance, an oratorio commissioned by the Portland (OR) Symphonic Choir for SATB choir, soprano, tenor, and mezzo-soprano soloists, English horn, cello, organ, and percussion, was premiered by the organization September 28-29. The Spirit Moves in Me, a commission from the Foundation for Universal Sacred Music for SATB choir, choral soloists, 2 violins, 2 cellos, piano, and percussion, will receive its premiere performance in March 2008, New York, NY.

Publications

Israeli Rhapsody, concert band; MMB. Lazy Beguine, society orchestra; Reflective Rag, arr. society orchestra; Bubble-Up Rag and Reflective Rag, both for flute and piano; Elegy (third movement of mixed quintet “ ... 3:4, 5 ...”), transcribed for oboe, clarinet and piano; Music for Two, transcribed for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, flute and violin, flute and oboe, clarinet and alto saxophone, flute and clarinet, 2 bassoons, 2 cellos, or 2 trombones; all by Jeanné, Inc. A Calendar Set: 12 Preludes, piano solo; Jabez Press, Ft. Worth, TX.

Recordings

Prestidigitations – Contemporary Concert Rags by J L Zaimont contains Bubble-Up Rag, Reflective Rag, Lazy Beguine, Judy’s Rag, ‘Hesitation’ Rag, Snazzy Sonata, and Serenade, for piano solo, flute and piano duo, society orchestra, and orchestra; MSR Classics.