Oliver Caplan's News Blog

Photos from Symposium Premiere

2012-02-23T08:47:00.007-05:00

Juventas New Music Ensemble premiered Symposium, Oliver's new 10-minute opera, on Tuesday. Here are a few photos from the performance at Club Oberon.

April talks to herself (err, rather the three voices of April talk amongst themselves), tired and lonely after a day of feeling cookie-cutter anonymous at a business symposium.

April suddenly notices an attractive man who has been sitting across the atrium the entire time. "What if I spoke to him?"

Oliver and Anne Ray (Symposium's Librettist) at the post-concert Talkback with the audience.

Juventas Premieres "Symposium" to Full House

2012-02-22T16:05:00.001-05:00

Club Oberon was packed last night for Juventas New Music Ensemble's "unMet" production, which included the premiere of Oliver's 10-minute opera Symposium.

The cabaret-style production presented seven opera scenes by emerging composers. Singers, freed from the bounds of a traditional stage, roved through the house engaging with audience members, who relaxed with wine and spirits at cocktail table seating.

Thanks to everyone who came out, and to the Juventas musicians and singers for excellent performances!

The Story Behind "Symposium"

2012-02-16T23:22:00.006-05:00

This Tuesday Juventas premieres Symposium, Oliver's new operatic vignette.

SPECIAL SNEAK PEAK:

Click here to read the story on which the opera was based
by author Anne Ray

Symposium hovers over the vacant and impersonal landscape of cubicles and hotel conference rooms, following the inner mind of its protagonist April as she steps into that familiar and fractured sense of feeling alone, even while surround by others. As a short story specialist skilled in the art of brief, evocative narratives, Anne made an ideal writer to partner with Oliver for the composition of a self-contained mini opera. Anne and Oliver met during a fellowship at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, bonding over a field trip to a local vineyard. Anne would leave Oliver a story to read in his VCCA mail box, and when he was done, he would drop it back in hers, and receive another the next day; "Storyflix" he called it!

Juventas New Music Ensemble - "unMET"
Tuesday, February 21 at 8pm
Club Oberon
2 Arrow Street, Cambridge, MA
Tickets $25 table; $15 standing
Click Here for More Information

Feb. 21: Juventas premieres "Symposium"

2012-02-14T11:47:00.001-05:00

It's Oliver's first theatrical work! Tuesday, February 21, Juventas New Music Ensemble premieres Symposium, an operatic vignette (think of it as the opera equivalent of a short story). Symposium will be performed as part of Juventas' "unMet" production, an evening of opera scenes by young composers.

Symposium hovers over the vacant and impersonal landscape of cubicles and hotel conference rooms, following the inner mind of its protagonist April as she steps into that familiar and fractured sense of feeling alone, even while surround by others. The libretto was written by captivating author Anne Ray. Oliver and Anne met last spring during a fellowship at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

It all takes place at the American Repertory Theater's trendy Club Oberon. Indulge with treats and libations you can enjoy right at your seat!

Juventas New Music Ensemble - "unMET"
Tuesday, February 21 at 8pm
Club Oberon
2 Arrow Street, Cambridge, MA
Tickets $25 table; $15 standing

Click Here for More Information

Album Update - They're Here!

2012-02-13T08:48:00.000-05:00

Oliver's studio album "Illuminations" has arrived from the printer! We're talking 125lbs of CD's here. Donors will start to see their copies in a few weeks and it will be publicly available this spring. Stay tuned for more details.

Feb. 10, 11, 12: Trio Veritas plays "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night"

2012-02-08T10:34:00.000-05:00

Trio Veritas will perform Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night in three New Hampshire performances this weekend. The program also includes music by Debussy, Turina and Granados.

Friday, February 10 at 12:00pm

The Currier Museum

150 Ash Street, Manchester, NH

Tickets $12 (purchase at the door)

Saturday, February 11 at 4:00pm

South Congregational Church

27 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH

Tickets $12 (purchase at the door)

Sunday, February 12 at 1:00pm

Silver Center for the Arts

17 High Street, Plymouth, NH

Tickets $14 (Box Office)

Click Here for More Information

Review: My Elephant Cloud

2012-02-07T09:46:00.000-05:00

A spot of press: The Riverdale Review reported on the Bronx Arts Ensemble's premiere of My Elephant Cloud last week.

Click Here to Read the Review

Feb. 6: Nebraska Chamber Players perform "My Elephant Cloud"

2012-01-30T20:56:00.001-05:00

The premiere performances of My Elephant Cloud continue February 6 as the Nebraska Chamber Players introduce the piece to the Midwest. The ensemble will perform My Elephant Cloud at the University of Nebraska at Kearney 11th Annual New Music Festival. The two-day festival features three concerts, showcasing music from composers around the nation.

Monday, February 6 at 7:30pm
New Music Festival XI
The University of Nebraska at Kearney
Fine Arts Recital Hall - Fine Arts Building
905 W. 25th St., Kearney, NE
Free Admission

Click Here for More Info

Jan. 29: Bronx Arts Ensemble Premieres "My Elephant Cloud"

2012-01-05T10:51:00.002-05:00

The Bronx Arts Ensemble will premiere My Elephant Cloud, Oliver's new chamber work inspired by the lazy days of summer in New England (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano). The performance is part of their intimate chamber series, bringing the repertoire back to its roots by presenting public concerts in beautiful private homes. Also on the program: music by Beethoven, Mozart and Strauss.

Saturday, January 29 at 3pm
The home of Peter Joseph and Elizabeth Scheuer
4730 Fieldston Rd.
Bronx, NY
Tickets: $25

Click Here for More Info

Nov. 18-20: Schola Cantorum & Juventas premiere "Song on May Morning"

2011-11-13T09:38:00.000-05:00

Schola Cantorum & Juventas join forces for a program of contemporary music inspired by the Baroque Renaissance, including the premiere of Oliver's "Song on May on May Morning," a new work for chorus with chamber ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano).

Friday, November 18 at 8pm
The Church of St. John the Evangelist
35 Bowdoin Street, Boston, MA
$25 regular; $20 senior; $10 student

Saturday, November 19 at 8pm
First Unitarian Church
1 Benevolant Street, Providence, RI

$25 regular; $20 senior; $10 student

Sunday, November 20 at 3pm

The Boston Conservatory - Seully Hall

8 The Fenway, Boston, MA

$15 regular; $10 senior; student FREE

Click Here for More Info

Song on May Morning

2011-10-16T14:27:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I finished Song on May Morning, a new choral work composed for Schola Cantorum of Boston and Juventas New Music Ensemble. The work is a setting of John Milton's poem "Song on May Morning," an ode to glorious spring days that beckon a season of rebirth:

Now the bright morning Star, Dayes harbinger,

Comes dancing from the East, and leads with her

The Flowry May, who from her green lap throws

The yellow Cowslip, and the pale Primrose.

Hail bounteous May that dost inspire

Mirth and youth, and warm desire,

Woods and Groves, are of thy dressing,

Hill and Dale, doth boast thy blessing.

Thus we salute thee with our early Song,

And welcom thee, and wish thee long.

Catch the world premiere performances November 18 & 20 in Boston, and November 19 in Providence.

2011 ASCAPLUS Award

2011-10-08T11:28:00.002-04:00

The American Society for Composers Authors and Publishers has accorded me a 2011 ASCAPLUS Award. This is the fourth consecutive year ASCAP has recognized my music with this honor for emerging artists.

This Sunday's Concert - CANCELLED

2011-09-21T17:25:00.001-04:00

Trio Veritas has just announced that this Sunday's concert has been CANCELLED due to a family emergency with one of the musicians.

Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may cause, and let's all keep the Trio in our thoughts and wish them well. If they are able to reschedule the program later this year, I will be sure to let you know the new date and time.

Sept. 25: Trio Veritas performs "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night."

2011-08-21T18:36:00.003-04:00

Come enjoy an afternoon of beautiful music in New Hampshire! Trio Veritas presents the New Hampshire premiere of "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night" alongside music by Haydn, Debussy and Bernstein.

Director Dan Perkins is an inspiring pianist and choral conductor. I've been a huge fan of his work for years, often driving four hours roundtrip from Boston just to hear him in action; needless to say, it's an honor to have him program my music. The trio also includes distinguished violinist Ella Marie Gray, who began her career a member of the Kronos Quartet.

Sunday, September 25 at 1pm

Silver Center for the Arts - Smith Recital Hall

Main & Court Streets, Plymouth, NH

$14 Regular; $13 Senior: $11 Youth

Click Here for More Info

May 29: Bronx Arts Ensemble performs "Journey to the West"

2011-05-19T15:47:00.002-04:00

The Bronx Arts Ensemble Orchestra co-commissioned Journey to the West, a double concerto for 50-piece orchestra with Erhu (Chinese violin) and Flute soloists, and will present it's New York premiere. The piece is my biggest work in five years!

Inspired by the eponymous novel (Wu Cheng'en), Journey to the West relates an epic tale of heroic adventure and personal growth through four cinematic movements: "Monkey's Mischief," "Mountain of the Five Elements," "Journey to the West," and "Illumination."

This free performance will be a spectacularly fun affair. Other works on the program include such favorites as Les Miserables, The Sound of Music, Aaron Copland's Old American Dances... and of course The Stars and Stripes Forever!

Sunday, May 24 at 2pm

Van Cortlandt Park - Near the Ecology Center

Enter at Broadway & 246th St.

Bronx, NY

Free Admission

Information: www.bronxartsensemble.org

Featured at Chamber Music America

2011-05-05T13:58:00.003-04:00

Today Only - Chamber Music America has featured me on their home page!

http://www.chamber-music.org/

4/30, 5/3, 5/4: Fifth House Ensemble plays "Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night"

2011-04-29T20:18:00.006-04:00

It's the first performance of my music in the Midwest!

Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble awarded me the grand prize for their 2010 Young Composer's Competition and has incorporated my trio Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night into their multi-media theatrical production "The Weaver's Tales: of debt and the maidens."

A unique twist on Grimm's Fairytales, "The Weaver's Tales" is a multi-media theatrical adventure that seamlessly weaves together three story lines by combining fair tales, physical theater, dance, high fashion and music in a work that will captivate audiences with a full-sensory experience.

Saturday, April 30 - 3:00pm

Carthage College Chamber Series

2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha, WI

$10 Regular; $8 students and seniors

Click Here for More Info

Tuesday, May 3 - 7:00pm

Chicago Cultural Center - Preston Bradley Hall

78 Washington Street, Chicago, IL

Free Admission

Click Here for More Info

Wednesday, May 4 - 8:00pm

The Mayne Stage

330 W. Morse Avenue, Chicago, IL

$25 Reserved; $20 General Admission

Click Here for More Info

Sneak Peek! – Fifth House Ensemble

2011-04-29T20:12:00.003-04:00

Check out the Fifth House Ensemble's sneak-peak video from rehearsal of "The Weaver's Tale." The music in the video is a Brahms number, but there's some Caplan later in the show.

http://fifth-house.com/?p=1761

It’s time to go a-weaving

2011-04-27T07:43:00.004-04:00

Next week Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble will perform Illuminated by the Light of Two Ships Passing in the Night as part of their program "The Weaver's Tale: of debt and the maidens."

Click Here to Check Out Their Blog Entry on the Event!

Journey Photos

2011-04-26T10:45:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone,

Here are some photos from Chinese Symphonic Masterpieces' premiere of "Journey to the West" on April 15.

Cheers,

Oliver

Chinese Symphonic Masterpieces at Harvard's Paine Hall

Maestro Hanjay Wang leads the orchestra

Erhu soloist Charles Vanijcharoenkarn

Flute soloist Kevin Leu

Harvard Crimson features "Journey to the West"

2011-04-21T11:38:00.004-04:00

The Harvard Crimson published a feature piece on Journey to the West in Tuesday's paper!

Click here to read the article

Apr. 15: Chinese Symphonic Masterpieces premieres "Journey to the West"

2011-04-08T08:13:00.005-04:00

If you're a fan of my music, don't miss this concert!

The program includes the world premiere of Journey to the West - my biggest work in 5 years - a double concerto for 50-piece orchestra with Erhu (Chinese violin) and Flute soloists.

Friday, April 15 - 8:00pm

Paine Hall at Harvard University

(No street address, but behind the Science Center,

1 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA)

Click Here for Ticketing Information

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts

2011-03-19T10:17:00.006-04:00

The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts is hosting me this month for a three week fellowship alongside two dozen other writers, visual artists and writers. Set on 400 acres of farmland in the Blue Ridge mountains, it's a magical space where artists can hideaway and work, unencumbered by the distractions of ordinary life.

Click here to read the press release

While here, I've been working on some music for my forthcoming album as well as a new song cycle with writer Meghan Guidry exploring aspects of the Pandora myth.

Mar. 6: Bronx Arts Ensemble premieres "Fanfare for the Importance of Imagination"

2011-03-02T08:29:00.004-05:00

The Bronx Arts Ensemble will premiere "Fanfare for the Importance of Imagination" (violin, cello, piano) the afternoon of Sunday, March 6. It's part of their intimate chamber series, a really special program that presents public concerts in beautiful private homes, bringing the rep back to the kind of setting it was composed for. The concert also includes music by Beethoven, Mozart and Saint-Saens.

Sunday, March 6 at 3:00pm

Home of John and Nancy Wolff

5000 Goodridge Avenue, Bronx, NY

Bronx, NY

Click Here for Tickets

New Commission: Chagall Performance Art Collaborative

2011-01-16T19:58:00.004-05:00

The Chagall Performance Art Collaborative has commissioned a new "palette" for Sound Painting, an innovative improvisitory performance art based on pre-composed fragments of music and poetry.

The new work will debut February 5 at an intimate sound-painting workshop event at Inman Square's Outpost (Cambridge, MA) and officially premiere at Chagall PAC's marquee concert February 26 in Jewitt Hall (Cambridge, MA)

I'm really excited about this collaboration as it will be a fun way to bring a kernel of my romantic to mix up with the avante garde; these concerts will be very different from other contexts in which you've heard my music!

Check out Chagall PAC at http://chagallpac.ning.com/

Cheers,

Oliver