Baltimore Composers Forum presents Pictures on Silence

Free admission - Suggested donation $ 15

The Baltimore Composers Forum presents Pictures on Silence, featuring harpist Jacqueline Pollauf and saxophonist Noah Getz. The program features brand-new works composed specifically for this exciting and innovative ensemble. Composers include John Belkot, Ljiljana Jovanovic, Nick Nelson, George Spicka, Ariyo Shahry, and Keith Kramer.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

American harpist Jacqueline Pollauf is a dynamic young performer with musical sensitivity and maturity beyond her years. Praised for playing with “glittering beauty” (Lawrence Budman, critic for the Miami Herald) and a “steady and most satisfying elegance” (The Toledo Blade), Jacqueline made her solo debut at age sixteen with the Perrysburg Symphony Orchestra. She has since made solo appearances with many orchestras including the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and the Firelands Symphony Orchestra. In demand as a recitalist, her numerous performances include concerts given at the Academy Art Museum of Easton, Maryland; the Homewood Museum of Johns Hopkins University; and the University of Baltimore. Jacqueline's debut solo album, Bouquet, will be released in 2009.

Jacqueline seeks to explore and expand not only the role of classical music in society, but also the perception and capabilities of the harp. As part of this mission, Jacqueline is a member of Pictures on Silence, a harp and saxophone duo with Dr. Noah Getz. The ensemble explores the diverse musical possibilities of their instrumental combination through compelling programming and a dedication to excellence in performance. The 2009 – 2010 season will include a residency with the Baltimore Composer's Forum, performances at the Mansion at Strathmore and the Community College of Baltimore County, and numerous premieres. They have an ever-expanding repertoire driven by the commissioning of new works, the exploration of repertoire written throughout the twentieth century, and the adaptation of existing music.

An active proponent of the music of our time, Jacqueline has given premieres by Kathleen Bader, Miguel Bolivar, Charles Halka, Bruce Mahin , and Christopher William Pierce. She has performed with the Scottish Voices ensemble, on the Evolution Contemporary Music Series, and on the Mobtown Modern Series. Jacqueline can also be heard on the recording, New Music from Bowling Green, Vol. IV.

Jacqueline's multi faceted career also includes her role as principal harpist with both the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. She is featured on the critically acclaimed Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra Naxos recording, Howard Hanson: Organ Concerto. Jacqueline has also performed with such ensembles as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Baltimore Opera Company, the Baltimore Choral Arts Society, and Opera Vivente.

An active teacher, Jacqueline is on the faculties of the University of Maryland at Baltimore County and the Baltimore School for the Arts . Jacqueline holds Master and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. Principal teachers include Ruth K. Inglefield, Kathleen Bride and Julie Kemp Buzzelli.

Noah Getz is a jazz and classical saxophonist based in Washington, DC. He has performed at major venues throughout the United States, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, The Phillips Collection, The National Gallery of Art, the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago, the Music Center at Strathmore, World Saxophone Congress XIII, and as the guest soloist for the MOSA Concert Series Saxophone Summit in New York City. Dr. Getz received a first-round Grammy nomination in 2002 for his contribution with the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet to America’s Millennium Tribute to Adolphe Sax, Vol. V, and he has been featured on albums including The American Muse and Leo Kraft: Chamber Symphony 2. In 2007, his album Crosscurrents, which explores the intersection of jazz and contemporary classical music, was released by Albany Records. His next album, featuring works written for him, will be released in 2010.

Dr. Getz has commissioned and premiered several works for the saxophone, including recent collaborations with Pulitzer Prize-winning composers Aaron Jay Kernis and Lewis Spratlan. He premiered Fernando Benadon’s Hidden Charges with the Empyrean Ensemble in 2007 and will release the premiere recording of David Amram’s Prologue and Scherzo in 2009. In 2002, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Henry Brant selected Dr. Getz to perform his Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra for the first time in 50 years.

In addition to performing classical repertoire, Dr. Getz maintains an active schedule performing jazz. He is the alto saxophonist and founding member of the Levine School Jazz Quintet, an Artist-In-Residence ensemble at the Levine School of Music in Washington, DC, with recent performances at Blues Alley, the Swiss Embassy, the Washington Convention Center, and the Music Center at Strathmore. Dedicated to education, the Quintet often recreates famous jazz concerts for new audiences, including the legendary Jazz at Massey Hall concert (originally featuring bebop greats Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie) and the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet.

Dr. Getz has presented masterclasses, recitals and lectures at universities across the country, including at Mannes-The New School of Music, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Davis, Queens College, Johns Hopkins University, Aaron Copland School of Music, State University of New York-Fredonia, Florida State University, and the University of Puerto Rico. He has been a guest lecturer at the International Saxophone Symposium, the Sigurd Rascher Centennial Celebration, the North American Saxophone Alliance National Convention, and on the Blue Note Lecture Series in Washington, DC. Dr. Getz is the Saxophone Musician-In-Residence at American University, where he instructs private students, coaches saxophone ensembles and leads the American University Jazz Workshop, and at the Levine School of Music, where he instructs jazz saxophone students.