Clarice Assad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Clarice Assad is a classical and jazz composer, arranger, pianist, and vocalist.
As a composer, her works have been published in France (Editions Lemoine), Germany (Trekel), and in the United States (Virtual Artists Collective Publishing), and have been performed in Europe, South America, the United States and Japan. Miss Assad’s works often have a thematic core, and explore the physical and psychological elements of the chosen story, object or concept.
Recent world premieres include Pole to Pole by Cube (mixed ensemble) in Chicago, Illinois (sponsored by Chicago Latin Women Composers) in November 2007; Miss Assad’s arrangement for solo violin and string orchestra of Kreisler’s Preludes and Allegro by violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and the New Century Chamber Orchestra in September 2007; Song Cycle Confessions for Soprano & Chamber Group at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in April 2007 and O Curupira at Symphony Space by the Ethos Percussion Ensemble in January 2007. Other commissions include: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, commissioned and recorded by violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, with conductor Marin Alsop and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra on the NSS MUSIC label in 2004; Brazilian Fanfare, an overture for full orchestra commissioned by conductor Robert Bernhardt and premiered in March 2006 with the Chattanooga Symphony (it has also been performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra) ; Bluezilian for the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet; Ratchenitsa for the Assad Brothers and the Turtle Island String Quartet; Three Sketches, a set of works for two guitars and violin premiered by the Assad brothers and violinist Iwao Furusawa; various works for guitar such as Valsas do Rio, a highly acclaimed piece for two guitars recorded in 2003 for Vgo Recordings, Inc. by guitarists Boris Gaquere and Odair Assad; and Flutuante for guitar and clarinet, commissioned and recorded in 1999 by guitarist Sergio Assad and clarinetist Gabriele Mirabassi on the Edizioni Discografiche label. She has also written original compositions in collaboration with Sergio Assad for Lou Fancher’s ballet, “Step to Grace,” which premiered in 2002 at the Minneapolis Theater Works, as well as the soundtrack for the play, “A Licao de Anatomia,” by Argentinean playwright Carlus Mathus. She was selected to participate in the 100th Anniversary of the MacDowell Colony in October 2007, an extremely high honor.
Following the New York premieres at Town Hall of Brazilian Fanfare by the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas under the baton of Alondra de la Parra in April 2008 and When Art Showed Up by pianist Anne-Marie McDermott in June 2008, Ms. Assad is one of only 20 young artists selected to participate in a unique five-day workshop for singers of all styles led by Bobby McFerrin and presented by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Institute April 28 to May 2, 2008. The workshop culminates in a performance featuring the original, improvised a cappella work created during the workshop at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall on May 2. Clarice Assad’s upcoming 2008-09 season includes commissions and arrangements for the New Century Chamber Orchestra as the ensembles’ featured season composer.
She performs both original compositions and her own arrangements of popular Brazilian songs and jazz standards. She has appeared throughout Brazil, including performances at Sao Paulo’s Espaco Promom and Sesc, Rio de Janeiro’s Teatro Vanucci, Mistura Fina and Teatro Ipanema, among others. In the United States Ms. Assad has performed at venues including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Centennial Hall in Arizona, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in California, Pick-Staiger Concert Hall in Chicago, Modlin Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond, as well as at prestigious jazz clubs such as the HotHouse in Chicago and The Knitting Factory in New York City, among others. Appearances in Europe include Le Casino de Paris in Paris, France and the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Belgium.
As a vocalist, Miss Assad sings in Portuguese, French, Italian and English. “When she [[scat singing|scats], she sings with intonation as precise as any digital device, improvising cascading scales that take on sparkling lives of their own.” (Tucson Citizen) She has appeared on Brazilian, American and European radio and television numerous times, including NPR’s All Songs Considered as a favorite of the week, Marshal Vente’s show on WDCB, on Chicago’s WLUW with Steve Shroeder and on WHCR with host Nelson Radhames.
A native of Rio de Janeiro, Clarice Assad was born into one of Brazil’s most famous musical families (she is the daughter of Sergio Assad, one of today’s preeminent guitarists and composers), and has performed professionally since the age of seven. Formal piano studies began with Sheila Zagury in Brazil; she then studied with Natalie Fortin and had additional instruction in Jazz and Brazilian piano under the tutelage of Leandro Braga.
Clarice continued her classical piano studies in the United States with Ed Bedner (Berklee College of Music) and then Bruce Berr at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Composition studies have been with Ilya Levinson, Stacy Garrop, David Rakowski, Michael Daugherty and Claude Baker. Ms. Assad Holds a Bachelor of Music from the Chicago College of the Performing Arts, Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, and a Masters of Music in Composition from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Honors and awards include the Aaron Copland Award, the Franklin Honor Society Award, ASCAP’s [Morton Gould] Young Composer Award, The Osvaldo Golijov/Dawn Upshaw Workshop form the Carnegie Hall workshop series, the International Alliance of Jazz Education (IAJE) Award for outstanding service to jazz education and the Brazilian Rumos Award for outstanding performance in Latin jazz.
Clarice Assad will be the featured composer for the 2008-2009 season at the New Century Chamber Orchestra.
