Sun 8.14 Fire and Ice

PIERRE JALBERT (b. 1967)

Born in New Hampshire, Pierre Jalbert grew up in northern Vermont; his family originally came from Quebec. He began piano lessons at the age of five, immersing himself in the classical repertoire. Growing up, he also heard French and English folk songs and Catholic liturgical music, gaining a deep respect for music that communicates powerfully with an economy of means. Focusing primarily on instrumental works, Jalbert has developed a musical language that is engaging, expressive, and deeply personal. Following undergraduate studies in piano and composition at Oberlin Conservatory, Jalbert earned a PhD in Composition at the University of Pennsylvania under principal teacher George Crumb. Among his many honors are the Rome Prize, the BBC Masterprize, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's 2007 Stoeger Award, given biennially "in recognition of significant contributions to the chamber music repertory", and a 2010 award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His music has been performed worldwide, with four Carnegie Hall performances of his orchestral music, including the Houston Symphony's Carnegie Hall premiere of his orchestral work, big sky, in 2006. Other major works for orchestra include In Aeternam (2000); Symphonia Sacra (2001), written for the California Symphony; Les espaces infinis (2001), written for the Albany Symphony; Chamber Symphony (2004), commissioned by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Fire and Ice (2007), commissioned for the Oakland East Bay, Marin, and Santa Rosa Symphonies through Meet the Composer Foundation's MAGNUM OPUS Project; and, Autumn Rhapsody (2008), commissioned by the Vermont Symphony.  He has also written a Marimba Concerto for marimba virtuoso Makoto Nakura and a Horn Concerto for William Ver Meulen, principal horn of the Houston Symphony. Jalbert is Professor of Music at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music in Houston, and he serves as one of the artistic directors of Musiqa, a Houston-based contemporary chamber ensemble.  Current projects include works for the Emerson String Quartet, Music from Copland House, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the Houston Symphony. He returns to Cabrillo this season following the success of In Aeternam at Mission San Juan Bautista in 2010 for Fire and Ice on August 14, also at the Mission.

www.pierrejalbert.com