Boston Musica Viva is a

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

-based music ensemble founded by its music director, Richard Pittman, in 1969 and dedicated to contemporary music.

Composers and compositions

In its 44-year history, Boston Musica Viva has performed more than 600 works by over 250 composers. These include over 150 works written specifically for BMV, over 160 world premieres, and over 75 Boston premieres. Among the composers whose work the ensemble has performed are

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winners Ellen Taaffe Zwilich John Harbison,

Joseph Schwantner Joseph Clyde Schwantner (born March 22, 1943) is an American composer, educator and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 2002. He was awarded the 1970 Charles Ives Prize. Schwantner is prolific, with many works to his cred ...

and Steven Stucky.

World premieres

Boston Musica Viva has presented the world premieres of

Thea Musgrave Thea Musgrave Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 27 May 1928) is a Scottish composer of opera and classical music. She has lived in the United States since 1972. Biography Born in Barnton, Edinburgh, Barnton, Edinburgh, Mus ...

’s opera ''The Mocking-Bird'', John Harbison’s ''A Full Moon in March'', Theo Loevendie’s ''Gassir, the Hero'', Martin Brody’s ''Heart of a Dog'', and John Eaton’s ''Traveling with Gulliver''.

Touring

In addition to its Boston concert season, Boston Musica Viva’s touring engagements have taken them to

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

, the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

, the Weill Recital Hall at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, the

92nd Street Y 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a cultural and community center located in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, at the corner of East 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Founded in 1874 as the You ...

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue and Music festival, festival in the towns of Lenox, Massachusetts, Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony ...

, the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

, and the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. The ensemble has made eight tours of Europe, making appearances that included the Settembre Musica Festival in

Turin, Italy Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

. Boston Musica Viva has recorded for the Albany, Neuma, Delos, CRI, Nonesuch, Newport Classic and Northeastern Records labels. Boston Musica Viva received an

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...

Fund grant in 1993 and in 2003, the ensemble received the

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

/Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming.

Partial list of composers with works premiered or performed by Boston Musica Viva

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and Extended technique, non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one ...

Elliott Carter Elliott Cook Carter Jr. (December 11, 1908 – November 5, 2012) was an American modernist composer who was one of the most respected composers of the second half of the 20th century. He combined elements of European modernism and American " ...

* Peter Child *

Osvaldo Golijov Osvaldo Noé Golijov (; born December 5, 1960) is an Argentine composer of classical music and music professor, known for his vocal and orchestral work. Biography Osvaldo Golijov was born in and raised in La Plata, Argentina, to a Jewish family ...

* Patrick Greene * John Harbison * Donald Harris * Bernard Hoffer * Shirish Korde *

William Kraft William Kraft (September 6, 1923 – February 12, 2022) was an American composer, conductor, teacher, timpanist, and percussionist. Biography Early life and education (1923–1954) Kraft was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was awarded two Anton Seid ...

* Gyorgy Kurtag * Joyce Mekeel *

Frederic Rzewski Frederic Anthony Rzewski ( ; April 13, 1938 – June 26, 2021) was an American composer and pianist, considered to be one of the most important American composer-pianists of his time. From 1977 up to his eventual death, he lived mainly in Be ...

Gunther Schuller Gunther Alexander Schuller (November 22, 1925June 21, 2015) was an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, educator, publisher, and jazz musician. Biography and works Early years Schuller was born in Queens, New York City ...

* Ralph Shapey * Rand Steiger * Steven Stucky * Andy Vores * Jörg Widmann * Chen Yi * Evan Ziporyn * Ellen Taaffe Zwilich

Current and former members of Boston Musica Viva

Violin

* Bayla Keyes * Danielle Maddon * Cecile Garcia-Moeller *Mary Crowder Hess

Viola

* Willine Thoe * Katherine Murdock

Cello

* Jan Mueller-Szeraws * Ronald Thomas * Bruce Coppock

Contrabass

* Carolyn Davis Fryer

Flute

* John Heiss (1969–74) * Fenwick Smith * Renee Krimsier * Mauricio Garcia * Alicia DiDonato (2003–2008) * Ann K. Bobo (2008–present)

Oboe

* Nancy Dimock

Clarinet

* William Kirkley

Bassoon

* Greg Newton

French horn

* Rick Menaul * Bob Marlatt * Jean Rife

Trumpet

* Steve Banzaert

Trombone

* Robert Couture

Timpani

* Jeffrey Fischer

Percussion

* Robert Schulz * Dean Anderson

Piano

* Hugh Hinton * Geoffrey Burleson * Bruce Brubaker * Evelyn Zuckerman

Performers who have appeared with Boston Musica Viva

* Composer, conductor and pianist Rob Kapilow * Vocalist Dominique Eade * Mezzo-soprano Janice Felty * Pianist Randall Hodgkinson * Mezzo-soprano Pamela Dellal * Soprano Elizabeth Keusch * Soprano Emily Thorner

References

External links

Boston Musica Viva web siteRichard Pittman web site
{{Laurel Leaf Award Culture of Boston Organizations based in Boston Contemporary classical music ensembles American classical music groups