Mark Hagerty is an award-winning, highly individualistic American composer who pursued classical training as an instrumentalist, singer, and composer, and then determined his own path, outside of any tradition or institution. He has been developing two compositional practices in parallel—one that extends historic, particularly pre-classical forms, and a second that sets all traditions aside in favor of forays into more extreme forms and modes of expression. In all cases, he strives for a deep connection with performers and listeners, and his music has found enthusiastic audiences internationally and across the United States. He is currently working in larger forms and exploring the melding of sound sculpture with more intimate musical expression. Inspirations include science and nature, the poetry of Wallace Stevens, backpacking in Vermont’s Green Mountains, the art music of India, and his two favorite cities, Amsterdam and Rio de Janeiro.
april 2023 - New work for Amplified Harpsichord and String Orchestra entitled And yet . . . premiers in Boston
AND YET . . . . Premiere of this new work for amplified harpsichord and string orchestra on April 23 by the Bach, Beethoven, & Brahms society, Steven Lipsitt, Director, with Tracy Richardson as soloist. Concert is at 3 PM in Boston’s Faneuil Hall.
WOODLAND, US premiere. In October 2022, this work for solo viola, solo percussion, and orchestra received it’s US premiere, with Elias Goldstein, viola, Eugene Koshinksi, percussion, and the University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra under James Allen Anderson. Recording by Swan Studios (Andreas Meyer and company) in progress.
UNITED SOUNDS OF AMERICA. The expanded orchestral version of this collaboration with the award-winning urban poets, the Twin Poets, Albert Mills and Nnamdi Chukwuocha, was premiered in May 2022. Soloists were Soprano Makeda Hampton, percussionist Jonathan Whitney, and pianist Oksana Glouchko. James Allen Anderson conducted the University of Delaware Symphony Orchestra. Recording with Swan Studios will be released in 2023.
WOODLAND, Israel premiere. Heading to Israel, where my new concerto for viola percussion and chamber orchestra, Woodland, will be played at the Tefen Festival with Sheila Browne, viola, Chen Zimbalista percussion, and Nir Marom, conductor.
TWIN POETS PROJECT. This past spring, the baroque/contemporary ensemble Mélomanie released videos of their collaboration with the brilliant Twin Poets, Al Mills and Nnamdi Chukwuocha, street poets and Delaware’s Poets Laureate (see graphic above). I provided new music for 5 of the poems. For the concert on Youtube, United Sounds of America, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqXA5SkblcE
MERIDIAN FLUX. In February 2019, my trio for 6-wire (Xiang Gao, violin, Cathy Yang, erhu, and Matthew Brower, piano), Meridian Flux, was performed in Zankel (Carnegie) Hall in New York. Recording is in the works.
BEYOND THESE HORIZONS. In June 2018 the University of Delaware Orchestra under James Anderson took my 5-movement concerto Beyond These Horizons on a 6-city tour of China with soloists Xiang Gao, violin, Cathy Yang, erhu, and Chen Zimbalista, percussion.
WIND TUNNELS. Last week the faculty woodwind quintet at West Chester University of Pennsylvania recorded my quintet Wind Tunnels. They had premiered the work a few years ago in Steinway Hall, NYC.