Botti: Bird Songs

Program Note

Composer Susan Botti's eclectic background and experiences are reflected in her music. Her musical explorations have encompassed traditional, improvisational and non-classical composition and singing styles. 

Botti is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Rome Prize; grants from the NEA, The Aaron Copland Fund, ASCAP, and the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts. Orchestral commissions include works for the New York Philharmonic, The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and The Cleveland Orchestra (where she was a Lewis Fellow). In the 2016-17 season, she will be the composer in residence with the Alabama Symphony (which includes a new orchestral commission), and Botti will join the orchestra as vocal soloist in her chamber music and for her EchoTempo (soprano and percussion soloists with orchestra). 

In addition to performing her own vocal works, Botti specializes in the performance of contemporary music of diverse styles by her composer colleagues including Gubaidulina, Kurtág, Chihara, Pintscher, Matheson, and Cage, among others. Composer/conductor Tan Dun created several major works for her, including the role of "Water" in his internationally renowned opera Marco Polo.