New Music DePaul, AmerKlavier Studio Concerts Explore Flynn Repertory; Several Albums Set for Release

Acclaimed composer and pianist George Flynn turned 70 this year, and DePaul University’ School of Music is celebrating with a number of musical events beginning with a free public concert at Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. in the DePaul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave.

Flynn, a professor emeritus, began teaching composition at DePaul in 1977 and described his tenure at the School of Music as “his golden years.” He currently directs New Music DePaul, the school’s contemporary music series, which he established in 1989 as a much-needed musical performance platform for works by contemporary composers, many from the Chicago area.

“DePaul has been an exciting and gratifying place for me—I believe in its educational, ethical, and humane values and consider myself most fortunate to be part of this wonderful community,” he said.

A nationally recognized composer, Flynn has penned more than one hundred works, many of which have been commissioned for individuals and ensembles. His piano compositions are characteristically demanding and turbulent, earning him a reputation as a master of difficult piano music. His wide-ranging oeuvre includes orchestral, choral and chamber music, as well as solo works for piano, harpsichord, violin and voice. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including those from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP); Meet the Composer; Paul Fromm Foundation; and the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund for Music.

This season New Music DePaul will present three Friday evening programs featuring Flynn’s repertory. On Nov. 2 Flynn will perform one of his solo piano works, which was commissioned recently to honor Sid Kleinman, a member of the School of Music’s Advisory Board. At the Feb. 22 program, the Millennium Chamber Players will perform selections from “American Rest,” and soprano Joanna Wernette, accompanied by Flynn, will sing a collection of songs.

The Nov. 8 concert will feature members of the AmerKlavier Studio and will showcase Flynn’s keyboard music. Six works will be performed, including “Toward the Light” played by Eteri Andjaparidze, DePaul faculty member and artistic director of AmerKlavier. Flynn also will perform his 1997 work “Glimpses of Our Inner Lives.”

The AmerKlavier program will be repeated in early December in Tbilisi, Georgia, when Andjaparidze and several of her students travel for a week of master classes and concerts at the Sarajishvili State Conservatory. The project is sponsored by the American Embassy in Georgia. “In this cultural exchange, Georgian students and their professor will take American music to their country of origin,” Andjaparidze said. “It is a logical undertaking for DePaul, an institution whose orientation speaks to diverse multi-cultural interests.

Flynn’s birthday is being celebrated on disc as well. The BIS label will release a two-CD set of the composer’s solo piano work “Trinity” as recorded by Swedish artist Fredrik Ullen. Albums from the Music and Arts, Mode Records and Southport Composers labels, featuring DePaul School of Music ensembles, are also forthcoming. Six recordings of Flynn’s music have been released previously.

For more information about music events at DePaul, call the DePaul School of Music at 773/325-7260 or visit the school’s Web site at music.depaul.edu.