Fall 2023 Newsletter

Fairies VI by Kathrin Linkersdorff, an inspiration for my ballet with BalletCollective and choreographer Omar Román de Jesús, Love Me While I'm Here.

Hi friends,

I'm excited to share with you some highlights from the past year and things that I'm looking forward to this year.

First off, I'm looking forward to the premiere of my first original ballet commissioned by BalletCollective: Love Me While I'm Here. With performances October 31-November 2, the music is based on the work of visual artist Kathrin Linkersdorff and features the evocative choreography by Omar Román de Jesús.

Also this fall, I'll be finishing up a duo for Duo Vis (violinist Shalini Vijayan and percussionist Lynn Vartan) and starting a chamber work for young string players commissioned by the Hudson River School of Music. Looking ahead to the Spring, I'm adding a few more songs to Sonnets, commissioned by No Exit New Music, in preparation for a forthcoming studio recording of the complete cycle.

The deep midwinter brings the second performance (and UK premiere) of Juvenalia for percussion and orchestra with BBC Young Musician 2022 winner Jordan Ashman and the CBSO Youth Orchestra on February 18, 2023. Also in February I'll be in-residence at the University of New Hampshire where I'll work with students and have a number of pieces performed by UNH faculty and students.

Lastly, don't forget to listen to Lost and Found, featuring performances by Michael Compitello, New Morse Code, and Tigue, which came out in the Spring. Also on the recording front, keep your eyes out for the original soundtrack album to "The Real Charlie Chaplin", featuring my Emmy-nominated score for the film. Release details coming soon!

thanks for tuning in,
Robert

New Focus Recordings just released Lost and Found by Robert Honstein, check it out here.

Lost and Found was premiered on September 22 by Michael Compitello in the Tribeca New Music Festival at the Cell Theater, New York, NY.

Drawing on years of close collaboration with percussionist Michael Compitello, the resulting piece is a multi-movement new work for solo marimba with distinctive approach to the instrument that seamlessly integrates traditional playing with unconventional sounds and objects. Lost and Found, builds a narrative of nostalgia and memory from the idiosyncratic union of marimba and junk objects.

Commissioned by Michael Compitello, this work owes it’s creation to the consortium of thirty-three percussionists, including: Megan Arns, Mark Boseman, Michael Burritt, Matthew Carey, Benjamin Charles, Gabriel Costache, Gwen Dease, Corey Denham, Matthew Ernster, Thomas Faulkner, Maria Finkelmeier, Ben Fraley, Adam Groh, Piero Guimares, Sean Harvey, Ji Hye Jung, Ayano Kataoka, Tony Kirk, Terry Longshore, Colin Malloy, Dan Morphy, Chris Jackson, Yun Ju Pan, Robert Rocheteau, Matt Sharrock, Chris Sies, Neil Sisauyhoat, John Smigielski, Jeff Stern, Jen Torrence, Mike Truesdell, Eric Willie and Andrew Wright.

Please visit the work page HERE for the recording, perusal score, and full program notes.