Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Society for New Music
Title:	Society for New Music Archive
Inclusive Dates:	1971-2003
Quantity:	12.5 linear ft.
Abstract:	Compositions, concert programs and newsletters from the Society for New Music, Syracuse NY.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

[Taken from the Society's website, http://www.societyfornewmusic.org, 7 Nov 2005]

Founded in 1971, the Society's purpose is to act as a catalyst for the continued growth of the central New York musical community by commissioning new works, through advocacy (e.g. Society News and Fresh Ink on WCNY-FM and its Watertown and Utica affiliates), by featuring regional composers alongside guest composers, by providing regional musicians an opportunity to perform the music of their peers in order to gain new skills and techniques which they then share with their students, and by bringing new music to as broad an audience as possible through performances, broadcasts and cable TV.

The Society has grown from five concerts to approximately 25 per season, plus workshops and masterclasses, in addition to funding composers-in-residence in inner-city schools. The Society has participated in consortia with other groups throughout the U.S. for commissions, recordings, and exchanging performances and scores. In 1988/89, 1991/92, 1994/95 and 1996/97 the Society received ASCAP/Chamber Music America programming awards. In 1994 Neva Pilgrim and the Society received ACA's 'Laurel Leaf' Award. In 1999, the Society was chosen as the New York State representative for the national Continental Harmony Millennium commissioning project. In March 2001, the Society hosted the National SCI Conference. In 2001, the Society was honored with a NYS Governor's Arts Award, the only music organization among the 11 awardees.

The Society provides a format for living composers in the same way art galleries provide a format for visual artists, and is the only year-round new music organization in New York State outside of Manhattan. The Society annually awards the Brian M. Israel Prize to a composer 30 years of age or younger. The winner receives $500 and a performance. Honorable Mentions are also performed. Several winners have been women and minorities, most recently Evan Johnson, Huang Ruo, Winnie Cheung, Mark McConnell, Rob Paterson, and Derek Bermel.

The Society funds four composers in inner-city schools to work with 4th - 12th graders in writing new works for chorus, orchestra, and band, which are premiered by the students with professionals. This several-month project has students writing texts (language arts program), and setting them to music working in "composer teams" with the composer-in-residence. This program is so successful that composers and schools ask to be involved. Each year some problem students are re-labeled "gifted". The local media provides excellent coverage.

The Society commissions at least one new work each season and has produced four recordings and one CD of works by commissioned composers. The By-Laws of the Society stipulate that the organization commission regional composers. Commissioned composers have included women and minorities.

Since May 1996, the Society has produced Fresh Ink, a weekly program of recent music for WCNY-FM and its Watertown and Utica affiliates. It combines varied styles of new music into programs of interest to the listener, e.g. Sound Designs, Borrowed Music, Color Music, It's all Music, Cross-Cultural Cadences, etc., plus a new music calendar for all of upstate New York. CDs and DATs for this program have been submitted from around the globe.

Society News is published twice each season and mailed to a well-maintained list of 5,200 and includes information on concerts, composers, and a calendar of all new music concerts in central New York from Buffalo to Oneonta and Binghamton.

To attract an audience, the Society aims for a wide diversity of styles of recent music. The Society's vision is to provide enough opportunities in various contexts so people of all ages are conversant with the music of their own time. This translates into modest ticket prices, free concerts in extended-care facilities, libraries, galleries, and schools, plus programs with dance, theatre, poetry, film and/or art exhibits. The Society's Cazenovia Summer Series has expanded into a festival titled Cazenovia Counterpoint and spread over three weekends. In 2003, there were 20 events, 15 of which were free - all featuring new work by regional artists.

Over 20,000 people attend new music programs each season, plus weekly radio broadcasts, newsletter readers (10,500) and TV.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Society for New Music Archives is made up of two series, Compositions and Published Material. Compositions includes commissioned pieces and Brian M. Israel Prize winners from regional composers (one audiotape of one composition, the remainder are written scores). Published material includes a complete run of concert programs and announcements for seasons from 1971-2003, as well as issues of the Society's newsletter, Society Music (later rechristened Society News) and miscellaneous posters and promotional material.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Subject Headings

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Places

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Society for New Music Archives,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Society for New Music

Finding Aid Information

Created by: PRB
Date: 1996
Revision history: Feb 2004 - unspecified revisions; 7 Nov 2005 - EAD file created (MRR); 25 Sep 2007 - additions (MRC)

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Inventory

	Compositions - commissioned pieces and Brian M. Israel Prize winners
		Audio tape
			Bialosky, Marshall
Box 1				Birds, Bees, and Butterflies, and Far Theatricals of Day undated
		Scores
			Bialosky, Marshall
Box 1				Birds, Bees, and Butterflies undated
					Conductor’s score
Box 1				The Far Theatricals of Day 1982
					Conductor’s score
Box 1				Two Against One: Rhapsodic Episodes 1989
					Conductor’s score Score for clarinet in BЬ Score for viola
			Caltabiano, Ronald
Box 1				Torched Liberty undated
					Conductor’s score
			Clingan, Alton Howe
Box 1				The Decay of the Angel 1989
					Conductor’s score
			Downing, Joseph
Box 1				Partita # 6 – Appalachian Folk Song Suite 1989
					Conductor’s score with program and rehearsal notes Score for violin I Score for violin II Score for viola Score for violoncello
			Green, Michelle F.
Box 1				Quid Pro Quo 1990
					Conductor’s score Score for flute, and clarinet in BЬ Score for violin, and cello
			Keyes, Christopher
Box 1				O Sweet Spontaneous Earth 1987
					Conductor’s score
			Harris, Matthew
Box 1				Starry Night undated
					Conductor’s score Score for violin Score for cello
			Lefkowitz, David S.
Box 1				Quartet for Flute, Violin, Cello & Piano 1992
					Conductor’s score Score for flute Score for violin Score for cello
			Lewis, Malcolm
Box 1				And There Appeared Three Horsemen 1994-1995
					Conductor’s score
			Liptak, David
Box 2				Rhapsodies 1992
					Conductor’s score
			Morrill, Dexter
Box 2				Six Dark Questions 1978
					Conductor’s score
			Morris, Robert
Box 2				Society Sound 2006
					Score for flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, violincello
			Palmer, Robert
Box 2				String Quartet No. 5 1987
					Conductor’s score
			Pellman, Samuel
Box 2				Crane Songs undated
					Conductor’s score Score for flute Score for violin Score for percussion
			Rochberg, George
Box 2				Phaedra 1973-1974
					Conductor’s score part 1 Conductor’s score part 2
			Sanchez-Gutierrez, Carlos
Box 2				...[and of course Henry the Horse] Dances the... 2007
					Score for piano duo, percussion duo, string quartet
			Schramm, Betsy L.
Box 2				And Birds are Wings Score for piano/celesta 1988
					Conductor’s score
			Sierra, Roberto
Box 2				Tres Fantasías 1994
					Conductor’s score Score for clarinet in BЬ Score for cello
			Silsbee, Ann
Box 2				Wakings 1986
					Conductor’s score
			Stucky, Steven
Box 3				Four Poems of A. R. Ammons 1992
					Conductor’s score
Box 3				Sappho Fragments 1982
					Conductor’s score Score for cello Score for clarinet in BЬ Score for flute/piccolo Score for violin Score for percussion Score for piano
			Thomas, Augusta Read
Box 3				Angel Musings 1996
					Conductor’s score First cadenza Second cadenza Score for bass Score for cello Score for clarinet in BЬ Score for harp Score for percussion Score for solo guitar Score for viola Score for flute/piccolo Score for violin I Score for violin II Score for percussion Score for piano
			Timpson, Michael Sidney
Box 3				Mirrors of the Psyche 1994
					Conductor’s score Score for flute
			Wagner, Melinda
Box 3				Sextet 1989
					Conductor’s score Score for cello Score for clarinet in BЬ Score for flute Score for viola Score for violin
			Wernick, Richard
Box 3				A Poison Tree undated
					Conductor’s score
			Willey, James
Box 3				Society Music undated
					Conductor’s score Score for bass Score for cello Score for clarinet in BЬ Score for flute Score for horn in F Score for percussion Score for piano Score for trombone Score for trumpet in BЬ Score for viola Score for violin
			Yedida, Ron
Box 3				Black Snow 1987
					Conductor’s score

	Compositions - other works premiered by the Society for New Music
		Scores
			Phillips, Burrill
Box 3				Letters from Italy Hill 1984
					Conductor’s score

	Printed material
		Concert programs and announcements
Box 4			1971-1972 season
Box 4			1972-1973 season
Box 4			1973-1974 season
Box 4			1974-1975 season
Box 4			1975-1976 season
Box 4			1976-1977 season
Box 4			1977-1978 season
Box 4			1978-1979 season
Box 4			1979-1980 season
Box 4			1980-1981 season
Box 4			1981-1982 season
Box 4			1982-1983 season
Box 4			1983-1984 season
Box 5			1984-1985 season
Box 5			1985-1986 season
Box 5			1986-1987 season
Box 5			1987-1988 season
Box 5			1988-1989 season
Box 5			1989-1990 season
Box 5			1990-1991 season
Box 6			1991-1992 season
Box 6			1992-1993 season
Box 6			1993-1994 season
Box 6			1994-1995 season
Box 6			1995-1996 season
Box 7			1996-1997 season
Box 7			1997-1998 season
Box 7			1998-1999 season
Box 7			1999-2000 season
Box 7			2000-2001 season
Box 7			2001-2002 season
Box 7			2002-2003 season
		Newsletters
			"Society Music"
Box 8				v. 1-v.4, 1986 –1988
			"Society News"
Box 8				v.4- v.16, 1989 –2001
Box 9		Miscellaneous posters and promotional material

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