Maria Newman

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Maria Newman
Born January 18, 1962
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation composer and musician
Spouse(s) Scott Hosfeld
Children Martha Thatcher, Isabella Thatcher, Sonny Thatcher, Noah Hosfeld and Joaquin Hosfeld
Website
www.malibufriendsofmusic.org

Maria Newman (born Maria Louise Newman on January 18, 1962 in Los Angeles, California, US) is an award-winning American composer of classical music and a critically acclaimed violinist, violist and pianist.[1] She is the youngest daughter of Alfred Newman, a major Hollywood film composer. Maria holds the Louis and Annette Kaufman Composition Chair; and the Joachim Chassman Violin Chair at the Montgomery Arts House for Music and Architecture and is the founder of the Malibu Friends of Music,[2] in Malibu California. Newman has become a visible symbol in modern classical music, deriving her living from commissions and performances. Her extensive library of scintillating and highly discussed works represents a range of genres, from large-scale orchestral works, works for the ballet, chamber works, choral and vocal works, to new collaborative scores for vintage silent film.[3] She been presented with numerous awards and commissions from venerable professional organizations and ensembles around the globe, including musical commendations from the United States Congress (2009), the California State Senate (2009) and the California State Assembly (2009).

History

The youngest of the five children of nine-time Academy Award winning composer/conductor Alfred Newman and former Goldwyn Girl and businesswoman, Martha Montgomery, "Maria Newman" was born into one of the most famous and influential musical families in Hollywood.[4] Her father, Alfred Newman (composer), (1900-1970), was the celebrated conductor of the famed Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

Newman grew up in Pacific Palisades, California and began studying piano at age five. At age eight, she began learning to play the violin. For the next few years, she split her time between her piano and violin studies. At age sixteen, Newman began studies with Willam Kettering in ear training, theory and form and analysis. Concurrently, she was accepted as a scholarship pupil by the Russian violinist, Joachim Chassman, who played in the 20th Century fox Studios Orchestra under Alfred Newman (composer).

After high school, Newman entered the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where she studied violin, viola and piano and graduated in 1984 with high honors (Magna cum Laude) and was inducted as a member of the American Academic Honor Society, Pi Kappa Lamda.[5] Newman's graduate studies at Yale University in composition were with Martin Bresnick, and with Syoko Aki on violin, where she graduated with an MM in 1986 and was honored with Yale School of Music's George Wellington Miles Award.[6] She has collaborated in concert as soloist with actor Pierce Brosnan, and has had the great honor of performing as soloist at the United States Capitol Building Complex on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., headlining a Special Event representing the Victim's Rights Bill.[6]

Newman and her husband, Scott Hosfeld, who is the Founding Conductor/Music Director of the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra and a prominent violist, currently live in Malibu, California. They have five children: Martha Jeannette Thatcher (17), a vocalist, actor, and composer; lsabella Montgomery Thatcher (14), a cellist, vocalist and composer; Samuel James (Sonny Spike) Thatcher (13), a cartoonist and composer; Noah Louis Hosfeld (8), young athlete, cellist and guitarist; and Joaquin Syrus Hosfeld (5) who has begun studies on the cello.[7]

Family and renown siblings

Maria is the youngest daughter of Martha Louise Montgomery (born December 5, 1920, Clarksdale, Mississippi - died May 9, 2005, Pacific Palisades, California), a former actress and Goldwyn Girl and 9-time Academy Award winning film composer, Alfred Newman (composer). She has four older siblings.

Maria is from a large family of major Hollywood film composers:

Composition career

Maria Newman is an Annenberg Foundation Composition Fellow, a Mary Pickford Library Composition Fellow, featured Concert Composer and Violin/Viola Soloist in such diverse venues as the United States Capitol Building in Washington D.C., Historic Hearst Castle, the Washington State Capitol building rotunda, Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia's Academy of Music, Pittsburg's Heinz Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and the Music Scoring Stages of 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, MGM, Paramount and Universal Pictures.

As a violinist who performs and records around the world, Maria Newman began her professional composition career using a pseudonym. "I was terribly worried that I would not be taken seriously as a female composer in what I felt was a highly male-dominated field. My famous family’s film musician genealogy also put the notion into my mind that I would not be accepted, much less respected, in the concert music world as a serious composer."[8] Newman used the name, M. Louis Parker, the name of her maternal great-grandmother, feeling that the name neither indicated that she was a Newman, nor a woman. In 1991, Newman "came out of the composition closet" and began using her own name. Though Newman studied composition briefly with the highly regarded composer, Martin Bresnick, at Yale University, she received both her BM and MM in Violin Performance. As a performer she was able to present her own works in concert, thus bringing them to the public on a regular basis. In this manner, Newman’s works grew in popularity. To date, Newman's original music library consists of over 150 concert works.

Icicle Creek Music Center

In the Summer of 1995, Newman was appointed Composer-in-Residence for the Icicle Creek Music Center in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. She held the post until the end of the 2004 summer season.

During Newman’s tenure, she composed nearly a dozen works for guest and resident artists at the Icicle Creek Summer Music Festival. "My years with the Icicle Creek Music Center were some of the most fulfilling and exciting of my musical life. It was a privilege to work with such dedicated musicians. Additionally, the Icicle Creek Festival Orchestra continually presented highly committed performances of each new work. I am honored by the support I felt from these exceptional musicians and audiences," Newman said.

Montgomery Arts House for Music and Architecture and Malibu Friends of Music

As Composer-in-Residence at the Montgomery Arts House for Music and Architecture (MAHMA), a modern craftsman venue in Malibu, California, designed by Eric Lloyd Wright of the Frank Lloyd Wright family of architects, Newman participates in 40-plus concerts annually in this venue alone, collaborating with many of the world’s most celebrated musicians, architects and speakers. In addition, Newman tours frequently as a featured composer, performer, lecturer and master teacher.

Newman has held the Louis and Annette Kaufman Composition Chair and the Joachim Chassman Violin Chair at the Montgomery Arts House for Music and Architecture (MAHMA) and the Malibu Friends of Music since 2005. The 40-plus concert series at MAHMA has become very popular with audience-goers, and it features world renowned artists. More often than not, each performance features a Maria Newman work. Her duties at MAHMA include current Composer-in-Residence for the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra, the Malibu Coast Chamber Ballet, the Malibu Madrigals, the Malibu Coast Children’s Choir, the MAHMA Silent Film Series, the Malibu Friends of Music Sacred Vespers series, and various chamber ensembles in residence at MAHMA.

According to iconoclastic critic Jim Svejda, "Maria Newman is hugely musical, bewitching, profound and playful with an instantly recognizable and unusually appealing musical personality."

Newman’s achievement at MAHMA is the story of a dedicated classical musician, who, through perseverance, dedication and the belief that music is a highly powerful community-wide healing mechanism, is offering great music and music making on an intimate level. Newman has a gift of making audiences feel valued and she effortlessly gains their trust. It is important to Newman that the musicians are happy as well. Says Newman, "I feel that at MAHMA we are in a place where dear friends gather to rehearse, perform, listen, experience, eat, laugh, and discuss music and art in depth. The level of music-making here is extraordinarily high and truly rare for such a small town, as we bring in wonderful guest artists and speakers from around the world to collaborate with our outstanding group of resident artists. The entire experience at MAHMA is marvelously satisfying."

Viklarbo Chamber Ensemble

Along with pianist and longtime musical partner, Wendy Prober, Newman founded the Viklarbo Chamber Ensemble[9] in 1987 with Viklarbo, Newman and Prober have concertized in this country’s most prestigious concert halls, as well as for some of the poorest communities in the United States.[10] The ensemble has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, the California Arts Council, the Utah Tour for the Performing Arts, the Delta Arts Council, the Headwaters Council for the Arts, Hawaii Council for the Arts, and many others. The ensemble continues to present concerts today. Newman serves as Composer-in-Residence for the ensemble.

Guest residencies

Newman has been guest composer for many prominent musical organizations, including the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra, Solisti New York, Brevard Symphony Orchestra, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, New West Symphony, the Olympia Chamber Orchestra, the Wichita Symphony, the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, the Santa Monica Symphony, Pacific Serenades, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Palisades, the Dorian Festival Chamber Orchestra at Luther College, the Omaha Conservatory Institute Festival Orchestra, the Azusa Pacific Grand Orchestra Festival, Central Washington University, Northwestern University, and more.[11]

Performance career

A bold and versatile performer, Newman’s performances of both her own highly regarded works and works of the great masters, are consistently programmed in concert halls and heard regularly on radio broadcasts and on television worldwide. In her role as violinist, violist and pianist, Maria Newman has concertized around the world as a soloist, recitalist, and as a member of the Malibu Coast String Quartet and the Viklarbo Chamber Ensemble.[9] As a concert soloist, Newman has also premiered many new works for violin, as well as for viola (including many of her own) in some of the United States’ and Europe’s most celebrated concert halls. She was the critically acclaimed viola soloist for the Grammy Award-winning album, Symphonic Hollywood, in a performance of Miklos Rozsa’s Viola Concerto with the Nuremberg Symphony. Newman performed the United States premiere of Miklos Rozsa’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the St. Matthew’s Chamber Orchestra, as well as the premiere recording of Rozsa’s Introduction and Allegro for Solo Viola.

Ms. Newman has collaborated in concert as soloist with actor Pierce Brosnan, Billy Crystal, Paul Reiser and Daniel Stern, and has had the great honor of performing as soloist at the United States Capitol Building Complex on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., headlining a Special Event representing the highly debated Victim's Rights Bill. Newman has been featured as commissioned composer and performer in the Private Theatre inside the Historic Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California, introduced by William Randolph Hearst III.

Filmography & commissions

Library of Vintage Silent Films


Maria Newman has been commissioned by the following organizations to score a revision of Vintage Silent Films by the following organizations: The Annenberg Foundation, The Mary Pickford Foundation, Viklarbo Chamber Ensemble, The Malibu Friends of Music, Timeline Films, Luther College Dorian Festival, Omaha Conservatory of Music, Icicle Creek Music Center, Central Washington University, The Family of Mary Lofdahl,Milestone Films, A&F Productions, The Sierra Festival Symphony, Grand Performances Los Angeles, and Turner Classic Movies including the movie, "Mr. Wu" starring Lon Chaney (1927).[12]

A list of these films include:

Title of Film Starring Original Date Running Time Directed/Produced Commissioned/Released by Commission
Daddy-Long-Legs Mary Pickford 1919 85 minutes Mary Pickford Milestone Film and Video For Piano Quintet and Percussion or Full Chamber Orchestra
Heart o' the Hills Mary Pickford 1919 87 minutes Marshall Neilan Milestone Film and Video For String Quartet and Percussion (Optional Prepared Piano)

-or- String Orchestra and Percussion

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917 film) Mary Pickford 1917 78 minutes Marshall Neilan Commissioned by the Mary Pickford Institute and Grand Performances, Los Angeles For Flute, Two Violins, Viola, Cello, Piano and Percussion
The Love Light Mary Pickford 1921 89 minutes Directed by Frances Marion, Produced by United Artists Milestone Film and Video For Piano Quartet
Quality Street Marion Davies,Conrad Nagel 1927 110 minutes Produced by Marion Davies Commissioned by the Annenberg Foundation For Flute, Harp, Piano Quintet and Percussion
Tom Sawyer Jack Pickford 1917 45 minutes NA Commissioned by the Library of Moving Images For Flute, Violin and Percussion

-or- String Quartet

Cinderella Mary Pickford (Cinderella), Owen Moore (Prince Charming) 1914 52 minutes Directed by James Kirkwood Commissioned by the Omaha Conservatory of Music Famous Players Film Co., For Chamber Orchestra or Piano Quintet and Percussion
Mr. Wu Lon Chaney 1927 92 minutes Produced by MGM Commissioned by Turner Classic Movies For Piano Quartet and Percussion or Chamber Orchestra
M'liss Mary Pickford 1918 73 minutes Directed by Marshall Neilan, Produced by Mary Pickford Co./Artcraft Pictures Corp. Commissioned by the Mary Pickford Foundation For String Quartet and Percussion or Chamber Orchestra
The Gibson Goddess Marion Leonard (lead role), Mary Pickford (extra) 1909 9 minutes NA Commissioned by the Omaha Conservatory of Music For Violin, Viola and Piano, or Cello Quintet, or String Orchestra, or Chamber Orchestra
What the Daisy Said Mary Pickford, Owen Moore 1910 12 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith, American Biography Company, Released by Milestone Film and Video Commissioned by the Icicle Creek Music Center For String Quartet, or Solo Piano, or String Orchestra, or Chamber Orchestra
Ramona Mary Pickford 1910 17 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith, American Biography Company, Released by Milestone Film and Video Commissioned by Turner Classic Movies and Timleline Films For Violin, Piano and Percussion, or Viola, Piano and Percussion or Cello, Piano and Percussion
Willful Peggy Mary Pickford 1910 12 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith, American Biography Company Commissioned by the Young Musicians Foundation For Piano Quartet or String Orchestra and Piano
As it is in Life Mary Pickford 1910 12 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith, American Biography Company Commissioned by the Family of Mary Lofdahl For Soprano, Flute, Viola, and Piano or Violin, Viola, Cello and Piano
Tender Hearts Mary Pickford 1909 3 and 1/2 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith,American Biography Company Commissioned by the Malibu Friends of Music For Violin, Viola, Piano and Percussion, or Viola, Piano and Percussion or Cello, Piano and Percussion
Sweet and Twenty Mary Pickford 1909 12 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith, American Biography Company Commissioned by the Malibu Friends of Music For Piano Quartet and Percussion
Friends Mary Pickford 1912 12 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith, American Biography Company Commissioned by the Malibu Friends of Music For Piano Quartet and Percussion
They Would Elope Mary Pickford, Billy Quirk 1909 12 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith, American Biograph Company Commissioned by the Malibu Friends of Music For Piano Quartet and Percussion
The One She Loved Mary Pickford1912 12 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith, American Biograph Company Commissioned by the Malibu Friends of Music For Piano Quartet and Percussion
The Dream Mary Pickford, Owen Moore 1911 12 minutes Independent Moving Picture Company (IMP) Commissioned by the Sierra Symphony Orchestra For Wind Ensemble and Percussion, or Chamber Orchestra, Piano and Percussion or Woodwind Quintet and Percussion
A Feud in the Kentucky Hills Mary Pickford 1912 12 minutes Directed by D.W. Griffith, American Biograph Company Commissioned by the Malibu Friends of Music For Piano Quartet and Percussion
Hearst Castle Home Movies Marion Davies 10 minutes Commissioned by the Malibu Friends of Music For Piano Quartet and Percussion

Additional Commissions in the Press

October 26, 2012: WOW! Wonder of the Words Festival (wonderofwordsfest.com), The Kate Shelley Story - featuring Marian Newman's original music, based on the story written by Mary Kay Shanley…"is the story of a young Iowa girl that has captured the attention of Iowans for decades…"The live mixed-media performance will showcase an original narrate and retelling of The Kate Shelley Story penned by best-selling author Mary Kay Shanley; an original musical score written and conducted by award-winning composer and virtuosic violinist Maria Newman, and the highly acclaimed federated actress with the Repertory Theatre of Iowa Allisa Schetter-Siedschlaw will play the role of Kate. The performance will be directed by Des Moines Social Club Artistic Director Matthew McIver…"[13]

July 25, 2012: "...Barak, a neoclassicist with four pieces in the New York City Ballet repertory, is creating an 11-minute ballet to a score by Los Angeles composer Maria Newman (of the Oscar-winning, film-composer Newman family)...." (National Choreographers Initiative a lab for ballet at UC Irvine, By Laura Bleiberg, Special to the Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2012)[14]

December 16, 2009: Composer Maria Newman conducting a live chamber orchestra to her original score for the fully restored Mary Pickford silent film classic, "Daddy Long Legs," hosted by Pickford Foundation curator Hugh Munro Neely.[15]

August 12, 2009: "Winston's family has donated the film projection equipment for the screening of "The Terminator" and for future Malibu Film Society screenings, which include a fully restored Blu-ray print of 1948 Academy Award winner "The Red Shoes;" Woody Allen's Oscar-winner "Annie Hall;" last year's "Waltz with Bashir," the Israeli animated documentary about the 1982 Lebanon War; and the 1919 silent film, "Daddy-Long-Legs," starring Mary Pickford, which will feature a chamber orchestra conducted by Maria Newman."[16]

Educational activities

Maria Newman founded the Malibu Coast Children’s Choir. In 2009, Newman co-founded the Malibu Coast Youth Symphony and Chamber Music Insanity. Newman and other MAHMA resident artists perform many school concerts each year, both locally and on tour, bringing chamber music and silent film to school children across the nation. In house at MAHMA, Newman teaches composition, music history, theory seminars, and chamber music coaching for the programs of the Malibu Friends of Music. Newman also presents masterclasses, coaches student performances of her original compositions, and lectures at universities and many arts organizations nationwide.

Awards and recognitions

Newman has been honored with numerous musical commendations and recognitions from the Annenberg Foundation, the United States Congress, the California State Senate, the California State Assembly, the County of Los Angeles, the City of Malibu, and the Malibu Times periodical, and she has appeared in subject spotlight articles by noted and esteemed newspapers and magazines. She has received a Malibu Music Award for "Classical Artist of the Year", a "Variety Composer Legend" Award, a "Debut Award" from the Los Angeles "Young Musicians’ Foundation," the California Arts Commission, the Utah Performing Arts Tour, and has been honored by ASCAP and many other organizations. Newman’s works are featured regularly on private and public radio, as well as on Turner Broadcasting.

  • Annenberg Foundation Composition and Performance Fellowship, 2011
  • Mary Pickford Foundation Composition Fellowship, 2011 and 2012
  • Omaha Institute Residency Composition Fellowship and Commission, 2011
  • City of Malibu Commission, Recognition and Commendation, 2010
  • Recognition and Commendation from the United States Congress, 2009
  • Recognition and Commendation from the California State Senate, 2009
  • Recognition and Commendation from the California State Assembly, 2009
  • Recognition and Commendation from the City of Malibu, 2009
  • "Classical Artist of the Year" Malibu Music Awards, 2008
  • The Malibu Times 2008 Citizens of the Year Dolphin Awards[17]
  • "Composer Legend of the Year" Variety Magazine, 1997
  • California Arts Council Composer Fellowship, 2002
  • ASCAP CONCERT COMPOSITION AWARDS 1995 - 2012
  • National Endowment for the Arts
  • City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department
  • Mary Pickford Foundation Grants, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2008
  • Composer Society of Utah Composition Awards

Recordings

Newman's Concerti have been performed and recorded by such esteemed artists as cellist Andrew Shulman, violist Paul Coletti, double bassist Nico Abondolo, musical artist Randy Newman, Los Angeles Opera tenor George Sterne, flutist Hal Ott, and pianists Delores Stevens, Peter Longworth and Bryan Pezzone.

A list of her recorded works that are available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon.com, CD Baby and other digital distribution sites is as follows: Maria Newman: The Art of the Chamber Orchestra Book I & II; Maria Newman: Pennipotenti; Maria Newman: Spooky Sonorities; Maria Newman: A Scented Garden of Music, "Melodies of the South" Book I; Maria Newman: Music for Piano, Book I; Maria Newman: A Holiday Festival of Music and Light - Myth, Mystery and Mysticism.

Recorded clips of Maria Newman's work and selected public performances are available on YouTube.[18]

External links

  • Dolphins to be honored Saturday[19]
  • The Malibu Times 2008 Citizens of the Year Dolphin Awards[20]
  • Chamber music, ballet tell Oscar Wilde's 'Birthday of the Infanta'[21]
  • Malibu Coast Music Festival returns to Montgomery House[22]
  • Composing a life in serious music[8]
  • Roll film credits:[15]
  • James Cameron to host tribute to Stan Winston[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Maria Newman Bio". IMDB. IMDB. 
  2. ↑ http://malibufriendsofmusic.org/home.html
  3. ↑ "MARIA NEWMAN Louis and Annette Kaufman Composition Chair Composer-in-Residence, Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra". Malibu Friends of Music. Malibu Friends of Music. 
  4. ↑ "Composer-in-residence Maria Newman". Viklarbo. 
  5. ↑ "Composer in Residence, Maria Newman". Viklarbo. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Maria Newman". IMDB. IMDB. 
  7. ↑ "Maria Newman - Biography". Malibu Friends of Music. Malibu Friends of Music. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Composing a life in serious music". 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Viklarbo Chamber Ensemble". 
  10. ↑ Timothy Mangan (September 22, 1992). "Music Reviews : Viklarbo Ensemble Plays Messiaen's 'Quartet'". LA Times (ENTERTAINMENT). Retrieved September 22, 1992. 
  11. ↑ "St. Matthew's Sets 10th Season, Composer". LA Times. August 13, 1993. Retrieved August 13, 1993. 
  12. ↑ "DocStoc-Maria Newman Biography". paragraph4 (insert). DocStoc. 
  13. ↑ "Wonder Of Words Festival". WOW! Wonder of Words Festival, Special Advertising Section, Des Moines, IA (October 12, 2012): p.4. October 12, 2012. 
  14. ↑ Laura Bleiberg (July 25, 2012). "National Choreographers Initiative a lab for ballet at UC Irvine". LA Times (Special). Retrieved July 25, 2012. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Roll film credits". 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "James Cameron to host tribute to Stan Winston". August 12, 2009. 
  17. ↑ Newman, Maria. "The Malibu Times 2008 Citizens of the Year Dolphin Awards". Malibu Times. Retrieved 24 February 2009. 
  18. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm7AMbdtkhA
  19. ↑ Maria, Newman (March 4, 2009). "Dolphins to be honored Saturday". Malibu Times. 
  20. ↑ "The Malibu Times 2008 Citizens of the Year Dolphin Awards". 
  21. ↑ "Chamber music, ballet tell Oscar Wilde's 'Birthday of the Infanta'". 
  22. ↑ "Malibu Coast Music Festival returns to Montgomery House". 

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