Opening Theme

“We have so much to learn from musicians when they play our pieces,” says composer Kian Ravaei, whose new work “Shadi” will be practiced and performed this year.

For the second year, Emerging Composers Intensive will take place in the refuge of Hidden Valley Music Seminars. Ten rising stars will gather in Carmel Valley to work with nine faculty members, wearers of major hats at the most prestigious classical music institutions all over the U.S.

Some of the performing faculty members include cellist Mihai Marica of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, violist David Samuel of the Alexander String Quartet, flutist Catherine Gregory of DECODA and violinist Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, who is the Emerging Composers Intensive (ECI) program director.

“The program is all about performing pieces of young composers,” Wu says, adding that there are excellent pieces being written these days.

Other key people are Fred Child, Nick DiBerardino and Wang Jie, whom Wu calls her “partners in crime” in developing ECI.

The program will result in 10 world premieres. The public is able to participate in this intriguing process throughout the nine days by attending lab classes, seminars, open rehearsals or the final concerts on July 7 and 8.

Kian Ravaei is a young composer based in Los Angeles. In addition to his American imagination, Ravaei draws from the culture of his Iranian family; he has been a student of classical Iranian music for years. The piece he is presenting this year is titled “Shadi,” which means joy in Farsi.

“ECI is an incredible opportunity not only because there are world-class composers and musicians,” Ravaei says. It also “simulates the real, professional music experience.”

Ravaei’s piece is a composition for unusual instrumentation: a violin, flute and piano, per Wu’s suggestion. Throughout the composition process, Ravaei had a chance to communicate with the musicians – it’s Wu who will be playing the violin – and check what works.

After the final two concerts the audience, along with the faculty members, will vote for their two favorite works. Those pieces will then be featured on the 2023-2024 season of American Public Media’s “Performance Today,” the leading classical music radio program in the U.S.

EMERGING COMPOSERS INTENSIVE runs Friday, June 30-Saturday, July 8. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, 104 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. Events range from free to $25; $100/nine-day pass. 659-3115, eci.hiddenvalleymusic.org

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