Miscellany

The MATA Festival begins tonight in NYC. As in prior years, the lineup is vigorously international, with Ensemble NeoN of Norway and Ensemble Linea from Strasbourg undertaking the better part of the performance duties. Several of the composers are new to me; I'm exploring Michelle Agnes Magalhaes, of Brazil, presently based at IRCAM.... The PostClassical Ensemble in Washington DC, under the joint direction of Angel Gil-Ordóñez and Joseph Horowitz, pays tribute next weekend to the greatness of Bernard Herrmann, presenting his scores for film, stage, radio, and concert hall. Christopher Husted's reconstructions of the Norman Corwin radio plays Untitled and Whitman are likely highlights.... Ben Johnston celebrated his ninetieth birthday last month, and the Kepler Quartet marks the occasion by releasing the last of three volumes of Johnston's quartets, a major twentieth-century cycle. Read Eric Segnitz's NewMusicBox essay.... The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles is hosting the Black Mountain College exhibition that was seen last year at the ICA in Boston. Mark Swed has a superb advance piece in the LA Times, focusing on John Cage's momentous activities at the college. Tomorrow night, April 12, Gloria Cheng will present a concert of music by composers associated with Black Mountain. Two nights later at the LA Phil, John Adams leads his violin concerto Scheherazade.2 and the world première of a work with the intriguing title John Adams Conducts the Pines of Rome.... Ricordi, the Italian publisher, has launched a competition for young composers.