The premiere of The Hands of Sulawesi II (in memory of Alfred Joel Fisher) for piano solo (2018) by Polish-Canadian composer Piotr Grella-Możejko was held on 27 May 2018 at MaisonMuziek in Edmonton, Canada. The work, commissioned by and dedicated to Viktoria Reiswich-Dapp, was performed during a saxophone and piano recital featuring William H. Street on saxophone and Viktoria Reiswich-Dapp on piano.
Says the composer: “The work, as the subtitle indicates, is a memorial to my absolutely wonderful composition teacher and, ultimately, revered friend, the late Alfred Joel Fisher (1942-2016), thanks to whose support, understanding, wisdom and pure class I was able to find myself at home as a composer in Canada. I will always miss him.”
The program also includes compositions by Andriy Talpash, Fernande Decruck, Darius Milhaud, Alfred Joel Fisher, and Shane Krepakevich.
Biographies
Described by the German press as demonstrating “uncompromising honesty” (Neue Zeitschrift für Musik), praised for his unorthodox aesthetics (Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung), and whose work is called “brawny, high-contrast… full of rich counterpoint and compelling textural changes” (The NY Times), “strikingly individual” (The Toronto Star), and “wonderful-sounding” (The Buffalo News), Piotr Grella-Możejko has written on commissions from The Alberta Foundation for the Arts, The Canada Council for the Arts, CBC, Edmonton Arts Council/Clifford E. Lee Fund, as well as the Canadian Music Centre and The Flanders Festival. Grella-Mozejko holds Ph.D. and M.Mus. degrees from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. His works have so far been presented in thirty-five countries on five continents by such outstanding performers as the symphony orchestras in Kraków, Edmonton, Halifax, Regina, Scarborough, Vancouver, Warsaw, Wrocław and others; Penderecki, Szymanowski and Bozzini String Quartets; Anubis Saxophone Quartet, Quatuor de saxophones QUASAR, Duo Levent, Aventa Ensemble, Hermes Ensemble, Mexico City Woodwind Quintet; pianists Kathleen Supové and Daan Vandewalle; flautists Isabelle Schnöller and Mark Takeshi McGregor; clarinettists Jean-Guy Boisvert and Harry Sparnaaij; saxophonists Laurent Estoppey, William H. Street and Charles Stolte, and many others.
William H. Street, saxophonist, has performed and lectured in Belgium, Canada, Federation of Russia, France, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine and the USA. He tours frequently working with pianists Roger Admiral, I-An Chen and the Quatuor International de Saxophones, emphasizing the importance of both solo and chamber music making. Recent performances and lectures took place in Bangkok, Thailand; Bordeaux and Strasbourg, France; Alberta, Canada (Edmonton, Red Deer, Camrose, Calgary, Lethbridge); and in the US in San Jose, California, Minneapolis, Minnesota and Champaign, Illinois. Since 2015, William serves as Chair of the Department of Music at the University of Alberta.
Viktoria Reiswich-Dapp was born in Uzbekistan and grew up in Germany. Viktoria has been lauded for her “high-profile skills” (Frankfurter Neue Presse) and her “enormous pianistic culture and exuberant expressive possession” (Badische Neueste Nachrichten). She honed her skills at the University of Music in Karlsruhe, the University of Music Frankfurt/Main, and the University of Alberta from where she holds a Doctor of Music degree in piano performance. Her artistry across a wide range of genres and styles earned her recognition for her performances around the world, and makes her a regular guest at new music festivals and international conferences. Besides winning numerous national and international prizes and scholarships, Viktoria is the first and only performer who has won the highest Canadian scholarship: the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Viktoria has recorded several CDs in Germany, Canada, and Poland, and has extensive teaching and vocal coaching experience in three languages.
[Source: press release]