ANNOUNCEMENT
We are pleased to announce that AGMA will be hosting the Around the Globe Piano Music Festival 2021
THE EIGHT ANNUAL PIANO COMPETITION ONLINE
The Second-Round pre-recordedperformances with live Adjudicator’s comments will be held on Zoom from 10 AM – 5 PM on the following dates:
Junior categories
Sunday 21st & 28th November 2021 Adult categories
Sunday 5th December 2021
This annual piano competition is open to Junior and Adult pianists of various levels, both amateur and professional. It applies to all nationalities and of any age group. As well as traditional and classical music, the competition offers an exclusive syllabus of piano styles, including contemporary and jazz piano within global/regional categories. One of the main focuses of this project is to promote contemporary piano composers from all around the world.
Deadline for submission of applications
Junior participants– 5th November 2021
Adult participants – 15th November 2021
The entries and other updates will be available online on our website from September 2021.
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This year we will be revising AGPMF Syllabus Repertoire List, including Jazz Piano and Contemporary Worldwide Music in various categories. In addition, we would like to introduce the contemporary classical music style of the late Isidora Žebeljan, including her piano music and the jazz piano styles of the Connections series by Christopher Norton.
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Extracts from articles in the forthcoming Around the Globe Music Magazine Vol. 4, Summer 2021
In Memoriam ISIDORA ŽEBELJAN
‘Isidora Žebeljan (1967–2020) was one of the most outstanding and internationally acclaimed Serbian composers and musical conductors. She leaves behind many significant works, including operas, orchestral and chamber works, vocal and piano compositions, and numerous incidental music and film scores. Žebeljan first attracted international acclaim with her opera Zora D., commissioned by the Genesis Foundation in London. The production was premièred in Amsterdam in 2003, and in the same year, it was chosen to open the 50th season of the Vienna Chamber Opera (Wiener Kammeroper)… Žebeljan composed for some of the most renowned music ensembles, such as the Wiener Symphoniker, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Brodsky Quartet, Netherlands Chamber Choir, and London Brass. In addition, Isidora Žebeljan also regularly appeared as a performer (conductor and pianist) of her works as well as others, mainly Serbian composers. She conducted concerts in London with The Academy of St Martin in the Fields and in Amsterdam at the Muziekgebouw and performed as a pianist with the world-famous Brodsky Quartet…
PIANO WORKS
Although her piano opus was not as large, her piano works have exceptional artistic and pianistic values. The most remarkable and frequently performed of her piano pieces include Il Circo, Umbra and Dark Velvet. Dark Velvet Notable Serbian musician and musicologist Borislav Čičovački writes: “Dark Velvet, a concert miniature for piano, originated as part of incidental music written for the play The Square of Heroes by Thomas Bernhard, directed by Dejan Mijač at Atelier 212 in Belgrade. This composition, bearing the subtitle In the Memory of Gustav Mahler, represents a homage to the magnificent music and culture of central Europe… Il Circo According to B. Čičovački, piano sketch II Circo “represents a sonic experience of the mechanical piano accompanying or provides background to a scene from a circus show. Although the intermittent melody is passionate, full of abrupt decelerations and moments of tense expectations, nostalgic and enchanting, constantly dashing towards its climax, its essential character is, paradoxically, reflected in the prescribed manner of playing an imaginary mechanical instrument, as though it were composed for a pianola…’ Please note that piano compositions II Circo will be on the repertoire list for both Junior and Adult piano categories at the 8th Piano Competition, Around the Globe Piano Music Festival 2021.
For any further enquiries about Žebeljan’s piano music, contact AGMA at editor.agpmf@gmail.com
Listen to: Dark Velvet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWAg-FfUTHk Il Circo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqxut0oAWu4 Umbra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKRPPFkWjnw Purchase Il Circo: https://www.prestomusic.com/sheet-music/products/7631990–i-zebeljan-il-circo
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CONNECTION SERIES Christopher Norton
‘Christopher Norton’s Connections for Piano comprises 11 graded collections of pieces in popular styles, as well as a Preparatory duets book and two further books of easy-to-intermediate duets.
Connections are perfect for students and teachers looking for a sound pedagogical alternative to classical piano literature. The pieces are very precisely notated, with detailed fingering, pedalling and articulation, but the sounds of the pieces are in a wide range of authentically contemporary popular styles and instantly appealing to both children and adults.
The composer of the best-selling Microjazz series has created over 200 new pieces for the Connections series. The pieces correspond level-wise to many of the world’s examination boards so that students from many countries can enjoy and benefit from the books. Pieces from the Connections series are a major feature of the Royal Conservatory examination syllabus in Canada, as well as leading Australian syllabuses.
The books are progressive, moving from Elementary (Connections Preparatory) to Early Advanced (Connections 10), and each book showcases an amazing variety of styles – including traditional jazz, rock, blues, Latin, swing, country, funk, and reggae. The difficulty level remains roughly the same throughout each book, i.e., they are not levelled within the book…
Christopher Norton has also created the first 3 volumes of a series of teacher accompaniments books, initially for Connections 1-3. These have easy-to-play teacher parts that work with both the solo part and the backing track, creating wonderful opportunities for ensemble playing.
Connections series resonates with students of all ages by giving them relevant, modern music that they all will want to play.’
Please note that piano pieces from the Connections series will be on the repertoire list for Jazz Piano – Set Up pieces of the Around the Globe Piano Music Festival 2021, 8th Annual Piano Competition. Junior classes: Trumpet Blues (Connections 1) and Open Window (Connections 4) Adult classes: Scamp (Connections 6) and Mambo (Latin Preludes Collection)
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