EARLY SPRING HIGHLIGHTS:

On February 16, Blair was concerto soloist in a little-known but delightful 20th-century "triple concerto," Martinu's Concertino, with the Bard Conservatory Orchestra and maestro Leon Bostein.   

The performance was to a packed audience in Sosnoff Hall at the gorgeous (and brand-new) Fisher Arts Center at Bard College.

 

On March 11, counter)induction presented a concert of recent music by Japanese composers, including New York-based Moto Osada (center).  Blair and the group's violist Jessica Meyer performed his funky/aggressive/crazy duo "Kaguyama Dance." The program also included pieces by Dai Fujikura, Misato Mochizuki, Toshio Hosokawa, Jo Kondo, and Masato Uchida. 

(Read New York Times review)

 

Edition Peters held an event on March 21 celebrating two things: the birth date of JS Bach (3 hundred and....years old?), and their publication of the score of 13 Ways of Looking at The Goldbergs, commissioned by the Gilmore Keyboard Festival to a dozen contemporary composers in 2003, for the pianist Gil Kalish.

Blair played a mini recital of 7 of the 13 variations at Steinway Hall, with four of the composers in the audience.  Photos on the right were taken with composers Fred Hersch, Mischa Zupko, and (below) David Del Tredici after the performance.  

Blair plays 4 of the variations again on his recital at the Italian Academy at Columbia Univ. in April

Blair returns to The Italian Academy's beautiful Teatro for a solo recital on its "Music for the New Century" series on April 4.  The Spring series consists of only music composed since 2000.   Included will be pieces by Marco Stroppa (a US premiere), Joan Tower, Steven Stucky, Barbara White, and four variations from the 21st-century Goldbergs.   The recital is FREE, so please come and enjoy, without the wallet guilt!

(Read New York Times preview here)

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