Tower: April Flowers

1st March 2008

Three new pieces by Grammy-winner Joan Tower sprout this spring.

She joins the Enso String Quartet to premiere her Dumbarton Quintet at — where else? — the Dumbarton Oaks library and gardens in Washington, DC, on 12 April. The premiere celebrates new facilities and the site's history of commissions, such as Stravinsky's Concerto in E-flat, Dumbarton Oaks.

Tower has never set words to music. Until now. Her inner wordsmith blooms for the Young People's Chorus of New York City. "The words are simple, directed at children and teenagers," she explains, "and basically express the thought of 'can I be heard' which many children experience as they grow up." The YPC premieres Can I on the afternoon of 27 April at Columbia's Miller Theater.

Tower will then hail a cab to hear violist Paul Neubauer give Simply Purple its first performance on a Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center event that includes her Trio Cavany and Wild Purple.For more information:
Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection
Young People's Chorus of New York City
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center