News Release
December 2001
(Bethlehem,
Pennsylvania)- Dr. Larry Lipkis, professor of music and composer-in-residence
with the Moravian College Music Department, was recently commissioned
to write a Basson Concerto for the Houston Symphony. Lipkis was chosen
after submitting an original piece, which will be premiered from January
18-20, 2002.
Lipkis's work, titled Pierrot, is part of a trilogy that
he completed while on sabbatical last year. The trilogy is based on
the characters from Commedia dell'Arte, with part one, Scaramouche,
created for cello and part two, Harlequin for bass. Lipkis began the
project in the 1980's and completed Scaramouche in 1989 and Harlequin
in 1997.
The character Pierrot is depicted as having a simplicity
about him and he would fall in love passionately and shyly. Pierott
often fell victim to his rivals and had very few conquests. He was a
tormented soul, plagued by demons, who sought to find his own meaning
in the world.
Lipkis has written over 70 works for chamber ensembles,
choir, and orchestra. He is also a member of the Baltimore Consort,
an internationally acclaimed early music ensemble that specializes in
popular music of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Consort has appeared
several times in Houston, most recently in December of 2000, under the
Houston Harpsichord Society.
Lipkis received a B.A. from the University of California
at Los Angeles; a M.A from the University of Pennsylvania; and a Ph.D.
from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Five of Dr. Lipkis's
works have been recorded on CD. His bass trombone concerto was premiered
in 1997 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He performs and records with
the Baltimore Consort, an internationally acclaimed early music ensemble
specializing in popular music from Shakespeare's time. He is also a
classical music programmer for WDIY-FM.
Moravian College is a private, coeducational, selective
liberal arts college located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Tracing its
founding to 1742, it is recognized as America's sixth-oldest college.
Visit the website at www.moravian.edu.
