Daniel Kessner
Composer, Conductor, Flutist.
Contact Information
Coming
Events
Biography
Catalog
of Works
E-mail: dkessner@csun.edu
Address: Music
Department
California State University, Northridge
Northridge, CA 91330-8314
Telephone: 818-677-3184
Fax: 818-677-3164
TO OBTAIN SCORES/CDs:
Scores: Theodore Front Musical
Literature
CDs: Amazon
Classical Music
COMING
EVENTS:
February 13, April 1, May 7 - pre-concert
lectures at Disney Concert Hall.
April 6 & 10, 2008 - performances of Breath on contrabass flute by Peter
Sheridan at Ogura Flute Works, Torrance, and St. Paul the Apostle Church, Los
Angeles.
April 21, 2008 - performance of Reverberance by the Quatuor de Guitares
de Versailles in La Baule, France.
April 30, May 2, May 4, 2008 - three
flute-guitar recitals in the Los Angeles area with Peter Yates; works by
members of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Composers,
USA.
May 29, 2008 - performance of Tornando al Mare by soprano Bianca
Manoleanu and pianist Remus Manoleanu in Romania.
June 1, 2008 - performance of Prière et scherzo in San Diego by
flutist Christine Potter.
June 5 & 6, 2008 - two performances of Reverberance in Vervins and
Barisis-aux-Bois, France, by the Quatuor de Guitares de Versailles.
June 19, 2008 - flute and piano recital in
Bergen, Holland
June 21-24, 2008 - sixth appearance at the
festival Forfest Kromeriz, Czech Republic, including several performances
July 30 & 31, 2008 - two performances of Interconcerto by Richard Kravchak -
oboe, Julia Heinen - clarinet, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de El Salvador,
German Cáceres - conductor.
August, 2008 - two performances of Prière et scherzo by Christine Potter at
the National Flute Association convention in Kansas City and at the British
Flute Society convention in Manchester, England.
October 31, 2008 - premiere of a new work for
oboe, clarinet, cello, and piano on the Bargemusic Series in New York.
MOST RECENT CDs:
Circling for
Clarinet and Piano with Julia
Heinen, clarinet; Shari Raynor, piano; Centaur CRC 2861
In the Center; Daniel Kessner at Forfest
Capstone Records CPS 8704
to order: www.capstonerecords.org
This recording includes five of Kessner's
compositions performed at the 1998 and 2000 editions of Forfest
Kroměříž (Czech Republic): Prière et scherzo, for bass flute
and piano; Simple Motion, for alto flute and piano; In the Center,
a chamber cantata for soprano, strings, and piano; tous les matins ...,
for solo bass flute; and String Quartet. Performers: Kristýna
Valoušková, soprano; the Moravian Quartet; Daniel Kessner, flutes and conductor;
Dolly Eugenio Kessner, piano.
RECENT APPOINTMENTS:
Fulbright Senior Specialist Grant, Residency at
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, October 27 -
November 11, 2007 - including flute-piano recital, workshops, lectures, and
concert with Trondheim Sinfonietta.
Adjunct Professor, Thornton School of Music,
University of Southern California, Fall Semester 2006
Visiting Professor of Composition, University of
Hawaii - Manoa, Spring Semester 2006
Guest Conductor, Moorpark Symphony Orchestra,
Spring Semester 2005
Fulbright Senior Scholar Award, March-July,
2003, to perform and lecture at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen,
Germany.
RECENT EVENTS:
April 17, 2007 - World Premiere of the
flute-and-wind ensemble version of Celebrations,
newly commissioned by the Cerritos College Wind Ensemble, David Betancourt,
Director, with David Shostac - solo flute.
May 2, 2007 - Continental U.S. Premiere of Interconcerto, for oboe, clarinet and
wind ensemble; Richard Kravchak - oboe, Julia Heinen - clarinet, Irvine Valley
College Wind Ensemble, Stephen Rochford - Director.
June 4, 2007 - East Coast Premiere of Genera, for flute/alto flute/bass flute
and clarinet/bass clarinet at the National Concert of the National Association
of Composers, USA; Christ and St. Stephen's Church, New York; Daniel Kessner -
flutes; also performing works by Daniel Adams and Beth Anderson.
June 8, 2007 - World Premiere of Natural Cycles, for bass flute and
piano; Teatro Communale "Garibaldi" in Modica, Sicily, Italy; Daniel
Kessner - bass flute, Dolly Eugenio Kessner - piano.
June 13, 2007 - Performances of Shades of Pastel and Nuance in London by flutist Carla Rees,
violinist Gemma McCrisken, and guitarist David Black.
June 27 & 28, 2007 - World Premiere
performances of Tornando al Mare
(Returning to the Sea), written for Bianca Manoleanu, soprano, and Remus
Manoleanu, piano, at their recitals in Udine and Venice, Italy.
June 30, 2007 - Performance of Prière et scherzo in London by flutist
Carla Rees and pianist Kerry Yong
July 14, 2007 - Nottingham, England - premiere
of new microtonal version of Tous les
matins ... by British flutist Carla Rees at St. Nics Church.
August 3 & 4, 2007 - performances of Shades of Pastel at Old First Church and
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco.
October 9, 2007 - Double World Premiere of the
string orchestra and wind ensemble versions of Les Nymphéas, commissioned and performed by the Irvine Valley
College Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Stephen Rochford, Director, at the Irvine
Barclay Theater.
October 14, 2007 - Premiere of Rhapsody for oboe/english horn,
clarinet, and piano at CSUN by Richard Kravchak, Julia Heinen, and Shari
Raynor.
October 18, 2007 - performance of Rhapsody at The University of New Mexico
(same performers)
October 27 - November 11, 2007 - Fulbright
Senior Specialist Grant: Residency at the Norwegian University of Science and
Technology in Trondheim, Norway; included flute-piano recital, workshops,
lectures, and a concert with the Trondheim Sinfonietta. Works performed: Simple Motion, Natural Cycles, Prière et
scherzo (all flutes & piano), Two
Visions, Harmonic Space (premiere),
and Chamber Concerto No. 5 (all with
the Sinfonietta, conducted by the composer).
November 13, 2007 - Genera performed by Rarescale, London
November 27, 2007 - performance of Rhapsody for oboe/english horn, clarinet,
and piano at Northern Illinois University by Richard Kravchak, Julia Heinen,
and Shari Raynor.
December 1, 2007 - performance of Interconcerto with Richard Kravchak,
Julia Heinen, and the CSUN Wind Symphony, Lawrence Stoffel, conductor
December 2, 2007 - performance of Les Nymphéas, for string orchestra,
Orchestra of Holy Names University, Steven Hofer, conductor
December 2, 2007 - performance of "Modular
Piece" from Array, Chapman
University Guitar Ensemble, Jeff Cogan - Director
February 24, 2008 - recital at CSUN with Dolly
Eugenio Kessner and Julia Heinen, including U.S. Premiere of Natural Cycles, for bass flute and
piano, performances of Genera and Prière et scherzo, and first public
performance on shakuhachi.
March 22, 2008 - performance of Celebrations, for flute and orchestra,
with Julie Long, flute; Palos Verdes Regional Orchestra, Berkeley Price, conductor.
BIOGRAPHY
AND ACADEMIC CAREER
Born in Los Angeles in 1946, Daniel Kessner studied with Henri Lazarof at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received his Ph.D. with Distinction in 1971. In 1970, he was appointed to the music faculty of California State University, Northridge. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Music.
Biographical articles appear in at least 15 reference works, the most
important of which are Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians (New
York), The International Who's Who in Music and Musicians' Directory
(Cambridge, England), Dictionary of International Biography (Cambridge,
England), Who's Who in the West (Chicago), Contemporary American
Composers (Boston), and Who's Who in American Music; Classical (New
York).
AS
COMPOSER
To date he has produced more than 100 compositions, including 12 orchestral works, 9 choral and stage works, 8 pieces for symphonic band, more than 60 works for various chamber ensembles, solos, and duos.
16 of his compositions have been issued on recordings: Chamber Concerto No. 1 (1972) on "The Contemporary Soprano," Orion Master Recordings ORS 78302; Equali II (1970) on "Los Angeles: Music from the 60s and Beyond," Orion Master Recordings ORS 80397; Circle Music II (1985) and Intersonata (1987), Centaur Recordings CRC 2234; Circle Music I-B (1986), Capstone Records CPS 8628; Lyric Piece for Piano and Orchestra (1994) on "Tonus Tomis," Capstone Records CPS 8627; Icoane Româneşti; Images of Romania (1996) on "Black Sea Idyll," Capstone Records CPS 8648; Two Visions (1991) on "Elan," North/South Recordings N/S R 1020; Studies in Melodic Expression on "Soliloquy," Centaur Recordings CRC 2426; Prière et scherzo (2000), Simple Motion (1993), In the Center (2000), Tous les matins ... (1997), and String Quartet (1990) on "In the Center; Daniel Kessner at Forfest," Capstone Records CPS 8704; Piano Sonata I-B on "Contemporary Eclectic Music for the Piano," Jeffrey Jacob, piano, New Ariel Recordings AE 007; Circling on Centaur Records CRC 2861.
18 of his works have been published by Alexander Broude (New York), Studio 4 Music (Van Nuys, California), Belwin Mills (New York), Columbia Music Company (Chapel Hill, North Carolina), and North/South Editions (New York), and all of his music is distributed by Theodore Front Musical Literature (see link above).
His compositions have received numerous prizes, the most important of which are the Queen Marie-José International Composition Prize (Geneva, 1972), two Broadcast Music Prizes (New York, 1970 & 1971), four CSUN President's Associates Prizes for Creative Achievement (1975, 1989, 1994, 2001), and selection as one of three winners of the New Works for Music Theater Project, an international competition co-sponsored by the Netherlands Opera Foundation, Utrecht Symphony Orchestra, Gaudeamus Foundation, and Holland Festival (Amsterdam, 1980).
He was appointed Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2003 to lecture and perform at the Musikhochschule in Trossingen, Germany. In 2007 he received a Fulbright Senior Specialist Grant for a two-week residency at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.
For his compositions, he has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (1974, 1977), the American Music Center (New York, 1981), Arts International (1996), and the CSUN Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1997, 2001, and 2003). Fourteen individual pieces have been commissioned by organizations and performers including The Chamber Ensemble of St. Luke's (New York, 1991), the College Band Directors National Association (1973 & 1996) and the Jugendorchester "Nota Bene" (Zurich, 1998).
His works have received over 500 public performances throughout the the Americas, Canada, Asia, and Europe.
AS
CONDUCTOR
Kessner has appeared three times as Guest Conductor of the Black Sea Philharmonic of Constanţa, Romania, and he has conducted six concerts with the Black Sea New Music Ensemble during Romanian-American Music Days. He also conducted five concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group during the 1984 through 1991 seasons, including the West Coast Premiere of Elliott Carter's In Sleep, In Thunder, and individual concerts with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Monday Evening Concerts Ensemble (Los Angeles), the North/South Consonance Ensemble (New York), and many others. He made his first appearance as Guest Conductor of the Louisiana Sinfonietta in November of 1999. He is also the Founder and former Director of The Discovery Players (formerly the New Music Ensemble) of California State University, Northridge, with whom he presented more than one hundred concerts since 1970. For the Spring 2005 semester he was appointed Guest Conductor of the Moorpark Symphony Orchestra.
AS
FLUTIST
Following many years as a chamber musician, primarily as a clarinetist, his recent activities have focused upon the flute, alto flute, and bass flute as solo instruments. His first flute-piano recital was at the Festival de Música Contemporánea de El Salvador in 1996, and in recent years he has performed as soloist in festivals in Céret (France), Constanţa (Romania), Kroměříž (Czech Republic), Darmstadt (Germany), and he has given recitals for the Portsmouth District Composers' Alliance in London, at Brooklands College, Weybridge (England), the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen, the Goethe Institut Inter Nationes, on the Interensemble concert series in Padua (Italy), a flute-guitar recital in San Salvador, and flute recitals on the Louisiana Sinfonietta Solo Series and at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim.
AS
ADMINISTRATOR
Over the past three decades he has gained extensive experience in concert production, organization, and administration. In addition to his duties with his The Discovery Players at CSUN, he has produced numerous concerts for many other organizations, including the National Association of Composers/USA and the College Music Society. He also served as Artistic Director of the Music on Main concert series at the Santa Monica Heritage Museum, 1987-1990, and in 1997 and 1998 he served as American Artistic Director of Romanian-American Music Days. He is currently President of the National Association of Composers/USA.
AS
LECTURER
Since 1983 he has been a regular lecturer on the Los Angeles Philharmonic's pre-concert series "Upbeat Live" and "Symphony Preview," having given more than one hundred lectures to date. He has also made numerous appearances on the "Composition Forum" series at the University of Southern California, and given individual lectures for the Pasadena Symphony, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Festival Spaziomusica in Cagliari, Sardinia (in Italian), Rencontres Internationales Musicales en Catalogne, Céret, France (in French), and the Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Tübingen. He has also done numerous programs and interviews on various radio stations in the U.S. and Europe, including three appearances on KFAC's "Luncheon at the Music Center." In 1989, he served as Guest Artist at CSU Summer Arts in Northern California.
Abbreviations:
AB = published by Alexander Broude, NY
S4M = published by Studio 4 Music, Van Nuys
CA
BM = published by Belwin Mills, NY
CM = published by Columbia Music Co, Chapel
Hill,
distributed by Theodore Presser, Bryn Mawr
NA = recorded on New Ariel Recordings
NS = published by North/South Editions, New
York
CAP = recorded on Capstone Records (CD)
CEN = recorded on Centaur Records (CD)
ORS = recorded (phonorecord) on Orion Master
Recordings
TF = distributed by Theodore Front Musical
Literature, Van Nuys CA
ORCHESTRAL
Strata (1971) 14'; AB.
Mobile (1973) 10'.
Romance; Orchestral Prelude No. 1 (1979) 10'; TF.
Raging; Orchestral Prelude No. 2 (1981) 9'; TF.
The Two Orchestral Preludes may also
be performed
together as a two-movement work.
Piano Concerto (1984-86) 33'.
Breath for Violoncello and Orchestra (1991); short version 14'-15', full
version 21'-22'; TF.
Lyric Piece for Piano and Orchestra (1994) 14'; CAP, TF.
Icoane Româneşti (Images of Romania) (1996) 14'; orchestra with narration; CAP, TF.
Celebrations for Flute and Orchestra (1998) 10-11'; also reduction for flute and piano;
TF.
River of Time (2001) 15'; TF.
Interconcerto (2004-2005) 18'; oboe, clarinet and orchestra (also
version for oboe clarinet & wind ensemble); TF.
Les
Nymphéas (l'ensemble de l'Orangerie)
(2006) 12'; string orchestra.
CHORAL
/ STAGE
Madrigals (1970) 9', chorus and organ; -- version for chorus,
winds & brass (1972) 9'; AB.
Ritual Music (1974) 18', chamber choir with percussion
instruments.
The Telltale Heart (1975-78) 35'-40', monodrama for tenor and chamber
orchestra; TF.
Alea-luia (1978) 7'-11', mixed chorus (SATB) a cappella.
The Masque of the Red Death; a Tale in
Music, Dance, and Light after Edgar Allan Poe for Dancer, Conductor, and Seven
Players (1979) 22'.
Texts for Nothing; a musical-literary-theatrical
stream after Samuel Beckett
(1980-1982) 26', soprano, flute, trombone, viola, violoncello, and conductor.
Tre Solfeggi per Coro (1990) 9', mixed chorus (SATB) a cappella; TF.
In the Center, a chamber cantata for soprano, strings, and piano
(2000) 23', CAP, TF.
On a Mountain; Cantata No. 2 for soprano and baritone soli, mixed
choir, and organ (2001) 36'; TF.
SYMPHONIC
BAND
Wind Sculptures (1973) 10'; AB.
Variations for Symphonic Band (1977) 12'.
Sky Caves (1984-85) 13'-14'; TF.
Symphonic Mobile II (1996) 11'; TF.
Balkan Dance (1999) 7'; TF.
Interconcerto (2004-2005) 18'; oboe, clarinet, and wind ensemble;
TF.
Celebrations, version for flute and wind ensemble (2006) 10-11';
TF.
Les
Nymphéas (l'ensemble de l'Orangerie)
(2007) 12'; version for wind ensemble
CHAMBER ORCHESTRA AND LARGE CHAMBER
ENSEMBLE
Equali I (1968-69) 13', 4 fl, vn, va, vc, cb.
Chamber Concerto No. 1 (1972) 10', recorder, high voice & oboe soli with
string quartet, piano & percussion; ORS.
Nebulae: Equali III (1972) 8', string trio, 2 guitars & harpsichord;
AB.
Equali VI (1978) 7', marimba orchestra or marimba ensemble;
S4M.
Chamber Concerto No. 2 (1978) 8', solo marimba and percussion ensemble; NS.
Chamber Concerto No. 3 (1980) 10', solo piano, alto fl, eng.hn, bass cl, bn,
string quintet or string orchestra.
Equali V (1977-82) 10', six horns.
Chamber Concerto No. 4 (1989) 15', woodwind quartet and string quintet; TF.
Chamber Concerto No. 5 (1992) 15', cl, hn, bn, string quintet; TF.
Chamber Concerto VI-A ("Speed Games") (1994-95) 12'-13', fl/a fl, e hn, vn, va, vc, pf.
Symphonic Mobile I (1995) 16', 6fl (2 picc), 2 a fl, bass fl.
Chamber Concerto No. 7 (1997) 10'-11', 2 tp, 3 hn, tbn, b.tbn, euph, tuba;
TF
Chamber Concerto No. 7B (2003) 12'; fl, ob, cl, bn, string quintet; TF
SMALL
CHAMBER ENSEMBLES
Ensembles (1968) 11', violin, clarinet & harp.
Equali II (1970) 8', piano/celeste and 3 percussionists; AB,
ORS.
Interactions (1971) 11', flute, cello, piano and tape.
Array; Pieces for 2, 3, and 4 Guitars (1973) 30'; BM.
Solennité (1975) 9', bass flute, viola and percussion.
-- version for alto flute, violin and
percussion.
Trio for Violin, Guitar and Cello (1976) 7'; BM.
Triform: Variations for Clarinet, Cello,
and Piano (1976) 13'.
Equali IV (1977) 9', brass quintet.
The Bells of Poe (1978) 15', percussion quartet.
Ancient Song (1980) 12', alto recorder, viola and prepared guitar.
Two Old English Songs (1988) 16', soprano voice, flute, viola, and guitar.
Rondo for Two Guitars and Harpsichord (1989) 7'.
String Quartet (1990) 15'; TF, CAP.
Two Visions (1991) 14', flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and
piano; NSR.
One Voice, Alone (1993) 16', fl, eng.hn, cl, hn, bn; TF.
Chamber Concerto VI-B (1994) 13', perc, harp, & piano.
Divertimento (1997; rev. 2000) 8', fl, alto fl, vibe, piano; TF.
Repercussions and Reflections (2002) 13-14', fl, bn, piano; TF.
Harmonic Space (2003) 12'; fl, cl, va, vc, perc; TF.
String Quartet No. 2 (2004); 17'; TF
String Quartet No. 3 (2004) 12; TF.
Free
Counterpoint (2004) 9'-10'; 4 pianos (acoustic
and/or electronic); TF.
...
from primitive sounds (2005) 13'-14';
flute/alto flute, violoncello, percussion.
Reverberance (2005) 11'-12'; four guitars.
Paths (2006) 11'; flute, violin, horn, and piano.
Canto (2007) 10-11'; flute quartet
Rhapsody (2007) 10'; oboe/english horn, clarinet, & piano
String
Quartet No. 4 (2007) 18'.
SOLOS
AND DUOS
Sonatina for Solo Harp (1969) 8'; AB.
Intercurrence, solo with tape, 10':
I - harp & tape
(1972)
II - piano &
tape (1974)
III - percussion
& tape (1975)
Movements from A (1975) 10', violin and piano.
Six Aphorisms (1975) 6', clarinet & guitar; BM.
Circling (1981-82) 12', clarinet and piano.
Continuum (1981-82) 12', solo marimba; S4M.
Arabesque (1983) 9', alto saxophone and vibraphone.
Incantations (1984) 12', trombone and percussion.
Circle Music I (1985) 6'-9', for piano and solo instrument (flute,
oboe, clarinet, violin, or viola).
Circle Music I-B (1986) 6'-9', contrabass and piano; CAP.
Circle Music II (1985) 6'-11', flute and guitar; CM, CEN.
Piano Sonata I (1987) 12'; NS, TF.
Piano Sonata I-B (1987) 12' (variant of I); NS, TF, NA.
Five Preludes for Piano (1987) 12'; NS, TF.
Intersonata (1987) 13', solo guitar; NS, TF, CEN.
Droning (1988) 10', clarinet and viola; TF.
Studies in Melodic Expression (1990-91), for solo instruments; versions currently
completed are:
Seven Studies for Solo Flute or Alto Flute, TF
Seven Studies for Solo Clarinet,
TF
Eleven Studies for Solo Violoncello, TF, CEN.
Lament for Clarinet and Tape (1991-92) 9'.
Shades of Pastel (1993) 9', alto flute & prepared guitar; TF.
Simple Motion (1993) 10', alto flute and piano, TF, CAP.
Dueling (1993) 8', viola and violoncello, TF.
Cantiones Duarum Vocum (1996) 6', for two instruments of similar register.
Tous les matins ... (1997) 9', for solo bass flute, TF, CAP. Version for
quarter-tone bass or alto (2007)
Dances for Clarinet and Guitar (1997) 11'-12', TF.
Sonata, 4 timpani, bongos, & susp.cym (1999) 10'; S4M
Prière et Scherzo (2000) 6', bass flute and piano, TF, CAP.
Nuance (2000-2001) 10'; bass flute and viola, TF.
Stream (2001) 11'; bass flute/alto flute/flute and harpsichord, TF.
Genera (2002) 10'; flute/alto flute/bass flute and clarinet/bass clarinet,
TF.
Micro-Images (2003-04) 9', for solo flute, TF.
Natural
Cycles (2006) 11'-12'; bass flute and
piano.
Tornando
al Mare (Returning to the Sea) (2007)
18'; soprano voice and piano.
Toccata
for Piano (2007) 12'.
Poème
exotique (2008) 8'-9'; flute and
piano
