OLIVIA KIEFFER COMMISSIONED BY MID AMERICA FREEDOM BAND
The Mid America Freedom Band has commissioned Olivia Kieffer to compose a new piece scheduled to receive its premiere in the ensemble’s 16th season.
Kieffer was unanimously selected by a five-person panel after reviewing the submissions resulting from the Mid America Freedom Band’s Call for Proposals to write the ensemble a new piece for concert band’s 2018–19 season, “Colors.”
Submissions were received from a talented pool of composers from across the globe including those from Argentina, Canada, England, France, Germany, Iran, Israel, Japan, Italy, Poland, and numerous entries from the United States. Kieffer’s new piece for band, multimedia, and video projections will receive its premiere at the Medallion Theater in Plexpod Westport Commons on May 4, 2019.
“Olivia’s music is well-crafted sonic fun. Her rock and pop influences are something that MAFB has not yet explored in its commissions, will complement the other pieces on the program, and we’re absolutely delighted to work with her on this project,” writes Mid America Freedom Band Artistic Director Lee Hartman. “Our panelists’ responses to her works raved about how they wanted to keep listening to more, her inventiveness, her successful fusion of styles, and more than a few exclaimed, ‘YAAAASSSS!’” He adds, “the seven finalists resulting from this call are all fantastic composers with whom we hope to program in the future. Their proposals and portfolios contain such creativity and wonderful music that this decision to choose just one composer is always a hard one. We encourage other groups to seek out and perform their music.”
This new work will join selections by Prince, Anne McGinty, Catherine McMichael, Frank Ticheli, and more, on “Blue, Green, and Purple,” the final concert of the Mid America Freedom Band’s 16th season.
MAFB 2018 CALL FOR PROPOSALS RESULTS
Selected Composer: Olivia Kieffer
Finalists (in alphabetical order):
Panelists
Nathan Brown, trombone, MAFB Board representative
Christina Carroll, flute
Lee Hartman, MAFB Artistic Director
Freddie Morado, euphonium
John J. Pearse, percussion
PAST WINNERS
Louisa Trewartha (Silver Lake)
Justin Raines (CME)
Nicole Murphy (six)
Derek Jenkins (Kolo)
For more information, visit http://www.freedomband.com
ABOUT OLIVIA KIEFFER
Olivia Kieffer is an American composer, percussionist, and educator. She has degrees in percussion from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Georgia State University, and presently studies music composition at University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She taught percussion and World Music and directed the Percussion Ensemble at Reinhardt University from 2009–17. She was an active composer, performer, concert curator, and festival co-director in Atlanta’s thriving contemporary classical music scene for over a decade. She is bandleader and drummer for the 7-piece chamber rock band Clibber Jones Ensemble. Recent commissions include Pop Rock in Metal for a consortium of 6 saxophone quartets, and From Your Mouth to God’s Ear for pianist Ann Yi.
As a composer, she has enjoyed performances by many ensembles and soloists, including the Mana Saxophone Orchestra; the A/B Duo; GremlinsDuo; BF Duo; Terminus Ensemble; toy pianists Amy O’Dell, Stacey Barelos, Drew Dolan, Robert Fleitz, and Elizabeth A. Baker; percussionists Colleen Phelps and Nathaniel Gworek, pianist Marvin Rosen, and the Italian chamber ensemble Piccola Accademia Degli Specchi.
Olivia’s compositions and projects have been highlighted in ArtsAtl, TomTom Magazine, the Atlanta Creative Music podcast, the A/B Duo blog, New Music Conflagration, Music, Polyphony, and Polyrhythm, listening to ladies, Composer’s Circle, and WABE (90.1FM). Her music has been described as “honest, to the point, and joyful!”
