| In 1999, a small band of local composers decided
to meet informally once a month to talk shop, and they dubbed
themselves the Composers Alliance of San Antonio.
Trinity University composer-in-residence Timothy Kramer, who
spearheaded the formation of the group, said the idea was to create
a loosely structured salon involving food, conversation and music
making.
"There was no plan to have public performances at the time," said
Kramer, who is on academic leave this year. "Instead, we would talk
about aesthetic challenges to our art, problems with promoting
contemporary music, philosophical ideas or discuss who's hot in
music and who's not. (As composers) we're very isolated in San
Antonio."
The alliance began with a handful of members, gradually growing
to 10. After a couple of years, the next logical step was to present
a concert of their work, which they did last year. Their second
performance is this afternoon at First Unitarian Universalist
Church. The agenda holds works by composers representing four San
Antonio universities, and two now based in Houston and Austin. They
include Kramer, Michael Twomey, Misook Kim, Ken Metz, Justin
Merritt, William James Ross, Juan Luis de Pablo Enríquez Rohen and
David Heuser.
During their meetings, Kramer said, there are lively exchanges
about "all sorts of social, political or religious ideas, which feed
into our thinking about how our music fits into this big thing we
call musical culture. There are ways of making people excited about
hearing something else, something other than traditional chamber
music."
Heuser, who teaches at the University of Texas at San Antonio,
finds the gatherings fun and stimulating, especially when someone
with new attitudes and ideas becomes involved.
"Their diversity of backgrounds is really interesting," he said.
"Elisenda (Fabregas) is Spanish and was a pianist before becoming a
composer; Bill Ross is an organist; Misook (Kim) is Korean. Juan
Luis was born in Mexico and is a former student of Tim Kramer.
Michael (Twomey) is a violist who plays and teaches virtually every
instrument at Our Lady of the Lake. Justin (Merritt) is new and at
27, our youngest member. Also new is Charles Goodhue, a
microbiologist — now retired — who took a job with a company in
Rochester specifically so he could attend the Eastman School of
Music."
Heuser will premiere his percussion piece "Baby Toys" at this
afternoon's concert.
"I've got two kids, so it just sort of struck me to write a piece
using rattles, squeaky things and assorted toy instruments," he
said. "There are electronic toys, too; someone will be playing a
'Speak and Say,' where the cow goes 'moo.'"
Kramer's piece "Meditations" was commissioned for the 2002
convention of the American Guild of Organists, where it was
premiered last summer. A memorial to 9-11, Kramer said it is based
on a familiar hymn tune associated with rebirth.
He describes the melody as clouded at first: "You can't pick out
the tune until there are some melodic arabesques in the center.
Ultimately, long chords are held while the melody kind of unwinds.
"I had an image of smoke and a phoenix rising. It starts darkly,
groping and groaning until the tune emerges; it ends optimistically,
in a very still and quiet space." | 