MUSIC DIRECTOR GERARD SCHWARZ AND EASTERN MUSIC FESTIVAL ANNOUNCE THE BONNIE McELVEEN-HUNTER COMMISSIONING PROJECT CELEBRATING

AMERICAN COMPOSERS TEN WORLD PREMIERES TO BE OFFERED OVER TEN YEARS Compose s R!c"# $ D#%!e&po' #%$ Jo"% Co !(&!#%o Comm!ss!o%e$ )o F! s* T+o Se#so%s G ee%s,o o- NC #%$ Ne+ Yo .- NY- M# c" /0- 12/0 Eastern Music Festival Music Director Gerard Schwarz today announced the establishment of the Bo%%!e McE&3ee%H'%*e Comm!ss!o%!%( P o4ec* celebrating American composers !or"ing together# Ambassador McElveen$%unter and Maestro Schwarz will choose ten composers whose wor" will be premiered at the Eastern Music Festival over the course of ten seasons &omposers 'ichard Danielpour and (ohn &origliano have been commissioned for the first two seasons 'ichard Danielpour will write A Prayer for Our Time especially for cellist (ulian Schwarz# which will be premiered with the Eastern Music Festival )rchestra on (uly *+ (ohn &origliano is creating a wor" for violin and orchestra to be premiered during the *+,- Eastern Music Festival .he violinist will be Eastern Music Festival/s concertmaster# (eff Multer# who will play the wor" on his 0uillaume# an instrument once owned and played by (ohn &origliano/s father Mr &origliano# Sr was concertmaster of the 1ew 2or" 3hilharmonic for *4 years 5Music has given us the opportunity of a universal language6a voice that has inspired hope# nurtured love and given a real and tangible e7pression to our 8oys while also encouraging us in times of despair#9 said Ambassador McElveen$%unter 5: cannot thin" of a better way to honor my family and friends than to give life to new musical wor"s that will enrich the lives of so many# from the Festival/s young musicians to the audiences in 1orth &arolina and around the world 9 A composer himself# conductor Gerard Schwarz# is recognized as one of America/s most committed champions of contemporary American music with more than 4++ world premieres to his credit including ,; commissions to commemorate his final year as music director of the Seattle Symphony 5.he future of classical music depends upon our continually bringing new wor"s in the repertoire#9 said Maestro Schwarz 5!hat : sincerely appreciate about <onnie is her passion for music and her desire to bring 8oy to many music lovers while at the same time e7panding her own role in an art form so close to her heart She and : both love 'ichard Danielpour/s music not only because he has a distinctive American voice# but because of the romanticism and lyricism of his composing style (ohn &origliano# who is a friend of long standing# is one of the greatest composers of our time %e continually creates marvelous wor"s that have a uni=ue voice and are a powerful e7pression of his art and we are honored that he has agreed to be a part of our new commissioning endeavor 9

5As a Festival we strive to offer our young musicians an outstanding musical e7perience and we are tremendously grateful to Ambassador %unter# not only for creating this opportunity for our Festival# but for this gift to the classical music field at large#9 said Eastern Music Festival E7ecutive Director Stephanie &ordic" 5.he Festival has long had a commitment to contemporary American music and the <onnie McElveen$%unter &ommissioning 3ro8ect allows us to carry this dedication forward into the future 9 A resident of Greensboro# 1orth &arolina# Ambassador McElveen$ %unter is the Founder and &E) of 3ace &ommunications She served as former > S Ambassador to the 'epublic of Finland from *++, to *++4 and is currently serving her third three$year term as &hairman of the <oard of the American 'ed &ross A long$time philanthropist and charitable$cause activist# Ambassador McElveen$%unter has served as a member of the :nternational <oard of Directors of %abitat for %umanity# chaired the Ale7is de .oc=ueville Society and served on the >nited !ay of America <oard as a member of its 1ational ?eadership &ouncil <onnie is the founder of the first ever billion dollar national women/s leadership initiative in America having raised its one billionth dollar in *+,* for >nited !ay She currently serves on numerous boards# including Malaria 1o More# the @ennedy &enter :nternational &ommittee on the Arts# the 1ational Museum of !omen in the Arts# !ashington 1ational )pera# Elon >niversity School of ?aw <oard of Advisors# the 1ido ' Aubein School of &ommunication and the 1orth &arolina Museum of Art .he recipient of numerous awards# <onnie is the recipient of the !oman Entrepreneur of the 2ear Award from the 1ational Foundation for !omen ?egislaturesB the .railblazer of the 2ear Award from the !omen ?eaders ForumB the Ellis :sland Medal of %onorB *+,* 3oints of ?ight .ribute AwardB *+,* 1& Award for 3ublic Service and .he )rder of Saint &harles from %is Serene %ighness 3rince Albert of Monaco Gerard Schwarz has been associated with the Eastern Music Festival since *++4# first serving as artistic advisor# then principal guest conductor and music director since *++C .he Eastern Music Festival and School# founded in ,DE, in Greensboro# 1orth &arolina# by Sheldon Morgenstern# is an internationally$renowned classical music festival and institute for young musicians that runs for five wee"s each summer with a mission to promote musical enrichment# e7cellence# professional collaboration# innovation and diversity through a nationally$recognized teaching program# music festival# concerts and other programs .he institute accepts students ages ,through ** from around the country and the world .he EMF faculty consists of world$class performing artists selected from top orchestras and music schools nationally and internationally :n celebration of its F+th Anniversary in *+,,# the Eastern Music Festival commissioned five new world premieres from composers 3ierre (albert# 3eter <oyer# Michael %ersch# 3hilip 'othman and 0ivian Fung# all of whom were in attendance for their premieres Also during that

summer# collaboration with the American Guild of )rganists allowed Eastern Music Festival to present four world premieres for organ from composers 3amela Dec"er# 'obin Dinda# 'achel ?aurin and Dan ?oc"lair for a total of nine world premieres during the F+th Anniversary season .he Festival annually welcomes a top roster of guest artists and performers throughout the summer :n addition to performing with the Eastern Festival )rchestra# guest artists spend time teaching and interacting with the *++ young artists who attend EMF each summer %eld on the campus of Guilford &ollege# nestled in 1orth &arolina/s 3iedmont 'egion# the Eastern Music Festival presents an annual summer program offering more than ,++ performances and music$ related events A,o'* R!c"# $ D#%!e&po' Among the most honored composers of his generation# 'ichard Danielpour has written a wide range of orchestral# chamber# instrumental# ballet and vocal wor"s %e has been commissioned by a 5!ho/s !ho9 of international musical institutions# festivals and artists and his music has been championed by 2o$2o Ma# (essye 1orman# Dawn >pshaw# Emanuel A7# Frederica von Stade# .homas %ampson# Gary Graffman# the @alichstein$?aredo$'obinson .rio# the Guarneri# Emerson and American String Auartets# as well as conductors ?eonard <ernstein# @urt Masur# &harles Dutoit# David Ginman# Gdene" Macal and ?eonard Slat"in %is first opera# Margaret Garner# with 1obel ?aureate .oni Morrison# was hailed as a triumph during its recent sold$out runs at the Michigan )pera .he ater and &incinnati )pera# commissioners with )pera &ompany of 3hiladelphia Danielpour has received a Grammy Award# a ?ifetime Achievement Award and the &harles :ves Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts H ?etters# a Guggenheim Award# <earns 3rize from &olumbia >niversity and grants and residencies from the <arlow Foundation# MacDowell &olony# 2addo# &opland %ouse and the American Academy in 'ome %e was one of the first composers invited for a coveted residency at the American Academy in <erlin %e was only the third composer6 after Stravins"y and &opland6 to be signed to an e7clusive recording contract by Sony &lassical and his music can also be heard e7tensively on Delos# @och# %armonia Mundi# 1ew !orld and 'eference 'ecordings Mr Danielpour is an active educator and believes deeply in the nurturing of young musicians <eyond serving on the faculties of both the &urtis :nstitute of Music and the Manhattan School of Music# he also spends a great deal of time giving master classes throughout the country and coaching and mentoring young musicians A,o'* Jo"% Co !(&!#%o .he American (ohn &origliano continues to add to one of the richest# most unusual and most widely celebrated bodies of wor" any composer has created over the last -+ years &origliano/s numerous scores6including three symphonies and eight concerti among over one hundred chamber# vocal# choral and orchestral wor"s6have been performed and recorded by many of the most prominent orchestras# soloists and chamber musicians in the world 'ecent scores include Conjurer I*++;J# for percussion and string orchestra# commissioned for and introduced by Dame Evelyn GlennieB &oncerto for 0iolin and )rchestraK The Red Violin I*++FJ# developed from the themes of the score to the FranLois Girard/s film of the same name# which won &origliano the )scar in ,DDDB Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poem of !ob "ylan I*+++J for orchestra and

amplified soprano# the recording which won the Grammy for <est &ontemporary &omposition in *++;B Symphony 1o 4K Cir#u Ma$imu I*++-J# scored simultaneously for wind orchestra and a multitude of wind ensemblesB and Symphony 1o * I*++,K 3ulitzer 3rize in Music J )ther important scores include String Auartet I,DDFK Grammy Award# <est &ontemporary &ompositionJB Symphony 1o , I,DD,K Grawemeyer and Grammy AwardsJB the opera The Gho t of Ver aille IMetropolitan )pera commission# ,DD,# :nternational &lassical Music Award ,DD*JB and the &larinet &oncerto I,DCCJ )ne of the few living composers to have a string =uartet named for him# &origliano serves on the composition faculty at the (uilliard School of Music and holds the position of Distinguished 3rofessor of Music at ?ehman &ollege# &ity >niversity of 1ew 2or"# which has established a scholarship in his nameB for the past ,- years he and his partner# the composer$librettist Mar" Adamo# have divided their time between Manhattan and @ent &liffs# 1ew 2or" More information is available at www 8ohncorigliano com For more information# please visit www easternmusicfestival org P"o*o c e$!* Gerard Schwarz M <en 0an%outen <onnie McElveen$%unter M &ourtesy of American 'ed &ross Ge # $ Sc"+# 5 P ess #%$ Me$!# Re&#*!o%s Co%*#c* @aren Ames &ommunications I-,FJ E-,$C-C@aren Ames "arenN"arenames com @ristin Schellinger "ristinN"arenames com Eastern Music Festival &ontact I44EJ 444$C-F+ Stephanie &ordic"# E7ecutive Director scordic"Neasternmusicfestival org OOO