New Music News Wire
Mehldau Honored With Miles Davis Award
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Pianist and composer Brad Mehldau has been honored with the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal’s 13th Miles Davis Award. The prize was created to recognize “internationally acclaimed jazz artists whose body of work has contributed significantly to the renewal of the genre.”
Mehldau follows a distinguished list of past recipients: Dave Holland, Keith Jarrett, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden, Cassandra Wilson, John Scofield, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny, and John McLaughlin.
Seventeen composers will embark on interdisciplinary collaborations with the support of Meet The Composer’s 2006 round of Commissioning Music/USA grants. A total of $214,500 in funding has been awarded to 23 organizations to support the creation of 15 new works by a diverse group of composers and artists. They are:
Composer: Lead Commissioner
- Eve Beglarian: Dance Theater Workshop
- Andrew Bird: Mad Shak Dance Company
- Mark Booth: Mad Shak Dance Company
- Paul Dresher: Musical Traditions, Inc.
- Anthony Gatto: Zeitgeist
- Vijay Iyer: Ripe Time
- Leroy Jenkins: Roulette Intermedium
- Carla Kihlstedt: Flyaway Productions
- Phil Kline: Myrna Loy Center
- Amy Knoles: Empire of Teeth
- Mark Messing: Redmoon Theater
- Stephan Moore: Yanira Castro & Company
- Tamar Muskal: eighth blackbird
- Zeena Parkins: Thin Man Dance
- David Pavkovic: Mad Shak Dance Company
- Todd Richmond: TOPAZ Arts
- Kurt Stallman: DiverseWorks
The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved level funding for the National Endowment for the Arts—$5 million shy of the increase approved by the House this May. The general budgetary crunch—approximately $323 million has been trimmed as compared to last year’s levels—was cited as the reason. After the full Senate votes early this month, a negotiation will take place between the Senate’s NEA funding level, $124.4 million and the House NEA funding level, $129.4 million.
George Boziwick has been promoted to chief of the music division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Curator of the American Music Collection of the music division since 1991, Boziwick, who is also an active composer, worked to bring major collections to the library, such as those of Wallingford Riegger, Arthur Berger, Norman Dello Joio, Jerry Bock, Fred Ebb, and the entire American Music Center score library.
Boziwick noted his promotional goals for the library and the music it houses. “As a wider audience discovers our collections through increased digital access and new online exhibits, we hope to inspire these new visitors to continue their explorations onsite in our reading rooms.”