Lee Hyla

An indelible image from Saturday's Boston Modern Orchestra Project concert was that of mezzo soprano Mary Nessinger, shouting through a megaphone some wisdom from St. Francis about perfect joy. Nessinger was performing "Lives of the Saints," an extended cantata written for her by Lee Hyla, who chairs the composition department at New England Conservatory. "Lives of the Saints" was the major work on BMOP's eighth annual "Boston Connection" concert, showcasing its connection with NEC. In the gripping "Lives," Hyla has set texts from hagiographies of Francis and other saints, as well as...

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe. The inaugural Ditson Festival of Contemporary Music kicked off Thursday night at the Institute of Contemporary Art. It appears to be the first time that the local new-music scene has had anything quite like it: eight concerts over four days with performances by most of the city's resident ensembles and a few outside guests. Rounding up all those groups under one roof appears to have been a daunting logistical feat, but in theory, it's exactly what the scene needs to pull it together and increase its profile.

"Farewell to Lee Hyla" read the sign outside Jordan Hall announcing Tuesday night's concert, part of New England Conservatory's Composers' Series. Hyla departs for Chicago in the coming months, but there was nothing sentimental or bittersweet about the evening. Instead, a series of skilled performers took to the Jordan Hall stage to remind the audience of the unique energy of his music, and of his presence in Boston's music scene. Considering the diversity of offerings, the presence of two saxophone pieces was notable.

CAMBRIDGE -- Pull enough threads in American contemporary music of the last 50 years and you'll arrive at the Fromm Foundation, which has funded commissions from many of the 20th century's most distinguished composers. Paul Fromm (1906-1987) was an emigre who fled Nazi Germany and settled in this country, establishing a successful wine importing business in Chicago and, later, a foundation pledged "to restore to the composer his rightful position at the center of musical life. " That foundation, based at Harvard since 1972, is still quite active, and this week it presented the Fromm Concerts 2007, a...

CAMBRIDGE -- Pull enough threads in American contemporary music of the last 50 years and you'll arrive at the Fromm Foundation, which has funded commissions from many of the 20th century's most distinguished composers. Paul Fromm (1906-1987) was an emigre who fled Nazi Germany and settled in this country, establishing a successful wine importing business in Chicago and, later, a foundation pledged "to restore to the composer his rightful position at the center of musical life. " That foundation, based at Harvard since 1972, is still quite active, and this week it presented the Fromm Concerts 2007, a...

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe. The inaugural Ditson Festival of Contemporary Music kicked off Thursday night at the Institute of Contemporary Art. It appears to be the first time that the local new-music scene has had anything quite like it: eight concerts over four days with performances by most of the city's resident ensembles and a few outside guests. Rounding up all those groups under one roof appears to have been a daunting logistical feat, but in theory, it's exactly what the scene needs to pull it together and increase its profile.

INTIMATE LETTERS Vermont's Yellow Barn runs not only a summer music festival but also a series of imaginative artist residencies. Its first of the season is titled "Intimate Letters: Cultural Outrage and Personal Tragedy From Mahler to Slam Poetry," and will bring together the Parker Quartet, baritone William Sharp, and four young California-based poets for a program that includes original poetry alongside Kurtag's 12 Microludes, Mahler's...

On Friday, Boston Musica Viva and its music director, Richard Pittman, presented their final concert of the season, titled "Roots," four works drawing on folk and/or nationalistic influences. Chou Wen-chung's "Twilight Colors ," a world premiere, evokes Hudson River Valley sunsets and Chinese landscape painting. Chou, a longtime Columbia professor, espouses Chinese artistic virtues -- minimum brushstrokes of maximum expressivity -- but his sound-world is uniquely personal. String and woodwind trios converse in a shifting atmosphere, one group daubing a sonic wash...

LENOX -- The final concert of the 2005 Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music brought a world premiere, an American premiere, and a chance to hear the work that won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for music, Steven Stucky's Second Concerto for Orchestra. Stucky's piece was the biggest hit with the audience, which roared its approval. Written for and premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2004, the concerto is a showcase for orchestral virtuosity and for the individual principal players, and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra played it gloriously under the fiery...

SOMERVILLE - When classical programs are called "meaty," it typically suggests they include a lot of substantial repertoire, and not per se that the music is served up with large portions of barbecue and hushpuppies. But that was exactly the case on Monday night, when the Firebird Ensemble performed in a low-slung basement space at Redbones BBQ in Davis Square. Tuxedos and poker-faces were checked at the door. Percussionist Aaron Trant played near a big picture of a pig with a surfboard.

"Farewell to Lee Hyla" read the sign outside Jordan Hall announcing Tuesday night's concert, part of New England Conservatory's Composers' Series. Hyla departs for Chicago in the coming months, but there was nothing sentimental or bittersweet about the evening. Instead, a series of skilled performers took to the Jordan Hall stage to remind the audience of the unique energy of his music, and of his presence in Boston's music scene. Considering the diversity of offerings, the presence of two saxophone pieces was notable.

An indelible image from Saturday's Boston Modern Orchestra Project concert was that of mezzo soprano Mary Nessinger, shouting through a megaphone some wisdom from St. Francis about perfect joy. Nessinger was performing "Lives of the Saints," an extended cantata written for her by Lee Hyla, who chairs the composition department at New England Conservatory. "Lives of the Saints" was the major work on BMOP's eighth annual "Boston Connection" concert, showcasing its connection with NEC. In the gripping "Lives," Hyla has set texts from hagiographies of...

The myriad connections between classical music and dance may often be heard but they are seldom seen. And to be sure, having tango lessons before a new music concert, dancing throughout the performance, and a milonga afterward, is not exactly an everyday occurrence on the local classical music scene. But there it was on Friday night, an ingenious program called “Where Sound and Motion Meet,’’ conceived and performed by the Gramercy Trio (Sharan Leventhal, violin; Jonathan Miller, cello; Randall Hodgkinson; piano)