News
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My first “Letter” Song commissioned by Lyric Fest of Philadelphia
Lyric Fest commissioned my first “Letter” song for its newest commission project, “Sincerely Yours — Letters Set to Music”. I spent several months trying to find the perfect letter to serve as the basis for my song, finally settling upon one written by Mike Gioia, who is the son of my frequent collaborator, Dana Gioia. Mike…
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“forgetting” — by the Artsong Repertory Theater Company
On November 13 and 14 of 2015, the Artsong Repertory Theatre Company of Philadelphia will present “forgetting” — a show which examines the relationship between a mother and daughter as they both confront the mother’s Alzheimer’s Disease. My songs will be featured, along with the music of Jake Heggie, Charles Ives, Tom Cipullo, William Bolcom, Dominick…
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Opera Colorado Young Artists — American Song Recital 1.24.16
The Young Artists of Opera Colorado will be giving a concert entitled “American Song Recital” at the Redline Gallery in Denver, CO on Sunday, January 24, 2016 at 2 pm. Many of my works with be featured, along with works by other contemporary American composers, and I will be in residence for a few days…
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Upcoming Residencies and Master Classes
November 11-14, 2015: Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina: I will work with the students and faculty on my songs, and also give a talk about my compositional process. The residency will end with a concert of my music. April 9, 2016: University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY: I will give a master class on…
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The Three Feathers, Abridged
I have created an abridged version of The Three Feathers for educational outreach. This new version is about 45 minutes long – and scored for 7 singers and piano. It will debut in February 2016 in the Tallahassee, FL elementary schools under the direction of Grant Preisser. Grant is studying Opera Directing at Florida State…
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“If I…” — East Coast choral version premiere on Oct 18, 2015 with Washington Master Chorale
The wonderful Washington Master Chorale, conducted by Thomas Colohan, will present the East Coast premiere of Lori’s choral version of If I… (text by Emily Dickinson in an arrangement by Bruce Rosenblum), on October 18, 2015 at 4 pm at The National Presbyterian Church. Lori’s Echo, to a text by Christina Rossetti, will also be…
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Coming Soon: The Abridged Version of “The Three Feathers”
Lori is creating an abridged version of The Three Feathers for educational outreach. This new version is for 7 singers with piano accompaniment, and will be about 40 minutes long. Thanks to librettist Dana Gioia and director Beth Greenberg for their help in crafting this new work, which will premiere in late January in Tallahassee,…
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Cantabile Project to include “Refrigerator, 1957” on Feb. 21, 2016 recital
On February 21, 2016, Cantabile Project will present the recital “Songbirds Always Eat: a Recital for Foodies!” at Christ Episcopal Church in Smithfield, VA as part of the “Sundays at Four” music series. Bridgid Eversole, Stephanie Marx, Brian Nedvin and Chris Mooney with Aurelien Eulert, pianist, will sing a variety of songs both witty and…
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Boston Opera Collaborative to perform “The Act”
Lori’s very short opera about a circus knife-thrower and his wife, to a wonderful text by H.L. Hix, will have its Boston premiere on Nov. 7 and 8, 2015 on a program entitled Opera Bites — a Feast of 10 Minute Operas. The performances will take place at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge,…
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A Load of Shoes – video from May 28, 2015 UK performance
An excellent performance of my song cycle “The Seed of Dream,” which was commissioned by Music of Remembrance (2005), took place on May 28, 2015 in Sheffield, England. The second movement, “A Load of Shoes,” is now up on YouTube. Click here to watch. With baritone Stein Skjervold cellist Tom Collingwood and pianist Zinaida Zubova.
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Note regarding performances and recordings of “I Never Saw Another Butterfly”
If you purchased sheet music to my work I Never Saw Another Butterfly and it includes a notice about a “performance license” required from “Empire Publishing”—please ignore the notice. Similarly, if you receive any demands for “license fees” from Empire Publishing in connection with the distribution of recordings or streamed performances of the work, please…
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unSUNg 2015: Songs Uncommon and New
On June 28, 2015 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Glendale, CA at 6:00 pm (PDT), soprano Natalie Mann and collaborative pianist Victoria Kirsch will be performing my works on this concert of new music. Natalie and Vicki will be performing “Beyond All Price” —— Hester Prynne’s lullaby to her daughter Pearl, adapted from my…
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The Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar Final Concert
On May 24, 2015, the final concert of The Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar was streamed live. Composers performed were Jeffrey Wood, Dominick Argento, Libby Larsen, Ricky Ian Gordon, Stephen Mark Kohn and myself. My very first song cycle, “The Metropolitan Tower and Other Songs” was performed brilliantly by tenor Jonathan Johnson and pianist Daniel…
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Music of Remembrance records “In Sleep The World Is Yours”
In April 2015, I traveled to Seattle to record “In Sleep The World Is Yours” — a song cycle commissioned by Music of Remembrance, for soprano, oboe and piano, setting the texts of Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger. Soprano Megan Chenovick, oboist Benjamin Hausmann and pianist Mina Miller recorded the work at Benaroya Recital Hall and the CD…
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Gregory Berg of The Journal of Singing reviews 2 new CDs with Laitman songs
Gregory Berg of The Journal of Singing recently reviewed two new CDs that feature songs by Lori. First is Over the Fence: Songs of Elsa Respighi, Lori Laitman and Modesta Bor, performed by soprano Tanya Kruse Ruck and pianist Elena Abend. “Last [on the CD] but certainly not least is a song cycle by Lori…
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I Never Saw Another Butterfly to be performed by members of the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra
Lori’s I Never Saw Another Butterfly will be performed by soprano Loralee Songer and principal Sioux City Symphony Orchestra clarinetist Holly Haddad on April 22, 2015 at 7:30 PM at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City, IA. The program is in honor of Tolerance Week. Other composers on the program are Steve Reich, Ilse Weber,…
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Lori to participate in Morris Arts’ GREAT CONVERSATIONS
Morris Arts’seventh GREAT CONVERSATIONS is a unique evening of dinner and dialogue with celebrated hosts from the arts, sciences, healthcare, public service, sports, industry and more. Lori will be hosting a table on April 30, 2015. The event starts at 6 pm, and it is held at The Madison Hotel, 1 Convent Road in Morristown,…
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Masterclass for New England Conservatory School of Continuing Education/Vocal Division
New England Conservatory’s School of Continuing Education/Vocal Division has rescheduled Lori’s master class for March 15, 2015 from 7-9 pm in Pierce Hall. D’Anna Fortunato will give a special introduction, and speak on “Women Song Composers and their Times.” Lori will also give insights into her compositional process and the evening will end with a…
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Gramophone Review of Holocaust 1944
Gramophone Magazine has published a wonderful review of the Holocaust 1944 CD recorded by baritone Dashon Burton and bassist Logan Coale. The CD was produced by Geoffrey Silver and released in 2014 on the Acis label. Please click here to read the review.
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The Three Feathers now on Vimeo
The complete video of The Three Feathers is now up on Vimeo. A magic feather leads shy Princess Dora to the Underworld ruled by the mysterious Frog King. Here she must summon her courage, intelligence and kind heart to win her father’s three tests and save the kingdom from her selfish sisters. You can access…
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The Scarlet Letter, Abridged — Concert Reading on March 8, 2015
As part of the preparations for the professional world premiere of The Scarlet Letter by Opera Colorado in May, 2016, I was commissioned to create a one-hour touring version of the opera, The Scarlet Letter, Abridged. This version is for five singers and piano and will premiere on March 8, 2015 at 2 pm…
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Upcoming Guest Appearances
On February 5, 2015, I will be a guest at Russell Miller’s class at Eastman School of Music, and will speak about my music. Boston classes, originally scheduled from February 8-9, 2015 at New England Conservatory, The Longy School of Music and Boston Conservatory, will be rescheduled due to winter storm: From March 29 –…
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Susanna Phillips and Todd Levy perform “I Never Saw Another Butterfly”
On January 4, 2015, soprano Susanna Phillips and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s principal clarinetist Todd Levy performed selections from Lori’s “I Never Saw Another Butterfly” on a concert entitled “Lost Voices of Theresienstadt.” The concert explored pieces composed by musicians interned at concentration camps, by survivors, and by those compelled to make sure the tragedies and…