Giving Circles are a standard practice among nonprofit organizations. WWCMF employs a whimsical device for classifying donations, composer lifespan. Haydn is known both for the tremendous volume of his compositional output — 60+ string quartets, 100+ symphonies, 17 operas, a host of masses, oratorios, etc., not to mention essentially inventing chamber music — and for his long life of 77 years. Fittingly, Haydn is right up near the top of WWCMF’s Giving Circles.

But there is one tier higher, and it carries the name Living Composer. “Music is alive…” begins the description of the category. And nowhere is the beauty and impact of that statement more keenly felt than in tonight’s program. The whole program is by living composers, many under the age of 40. Composer Philip Glass, whose 2018 work Perpetulum is on the program, doubles down on the WWCMF Giving Circle scheme, eclipsing Haydn’s lifespan by eight years while continuing to produce beautiful music in the present day. The oldest music you will hear on this program was composed in 2016.

Devonté Hynes (b.1985)

PERFECTLY VOICELESS (2018)

PRESS (2019)

FIELDS (2019)

Jlin (b. 1987)

DUALITY (2020)

Peter Martin (b. 1980)

BEND (2016)

Gemma Peacocke (b. 1984)

DEATH WISH (2017)

Philip Glass (B. 1937)

PERPETULUM (2018)

Clarice Assad (b. 1978)

HERO (2019/2020)

Artists: Third Coast Percussion— Sean Conners, percussion; Robert Dillon, percussion; Peter Martin, percussion; David Skidmore, percussion

Norbert’s PLAYLIST

Norbert Lewandowski, Cello

Works By Philip Glass, Andy Akiho, And David Lang

Life has a soundtrack. There’s no denying it. Starting with your heartbeat, life itself is music. Absent this essential music, we cannot be. But in the modern age, life has progressed. Our soundtrack is infinitely customizable. Feeling blue? How 'bout some Blues… Feeling Green? While “not easy,” there’s a track for that. Thanks, Kermit.

What about everything else? The “everything” of modern life? Well, there are tracks for that, too. We call it a PLAYLIST. Cellist and WWCMF Lifer, Norbert Lewandowski, makes his first visit to the Winter Festival and he is bringing a playlist we can all appreciate… more Norbert. You’ll hear up to nine Norberts in this evocative performance of minimalist and futurist music for cello and recording engineer.

Curious? Let’s just say that Norbert spent some serious time in the recording studio laying tracks for music by three great composers of our century. The thing about this playlist is that while some of the music was recorded in advance, you’ve got Norbert onstage bringing his trademark intensity to live sound. Prepare to lose yourself in the soundtrack of modern life.

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This event, like all WWCMF events, is BYOH: Bring Your Own Heartbeat! If you bring it and we stop it, we promise, we’ll get it pumping again!

Artist: Norbert Lewandowski, cello