Christ Johnson prize from Royal Swedish Academy of Music

Matthew Peterson tilldelas årets lilla Christ Johnson-pris för Högalidsmässan, för blandad kör, brasskvartett, slagverk, orgel och stråkorkester till texter av Gunilla Lindén, med motiveringen:

”Ett stort sakralt verk som både i sin tillgänglighet och omfattning sänder en inspirerande uppgift till många av landets kyrkokörer. Med ett rytmiskt varierat och glansfullt tonspråk skänker Matthew Peterson nytt liv åt mässans budskap som berör på djupet.”

Matthew Peterson is awarded this year’s small Christ Johnson prize for Högalidsmässan for mixed choir, brass quartet, percussion, organ and string orchestra, with texts by Gunilla Lindén, with the motivation:

”A large sacred work which in its accessibility and magnitude provides an inspiring mission for many of Sweden’s church choirs. With his rhythmically varied and brilliant musical language Matthew Peterson breathes new life into the message of the mass in this deeply moving work.

Högalidsmässan framförs av Dalasinfoniettan, Falu Kammarkör, med flera den 8 Maj 2025 i Falun, mer information här:
https://www.nortic.se/ticket/event/60270

Press utskick, Kungliga Musikaliska Akademien - https://www.musikaliskaakademien.se/pressrum/nyheter/tvatonsattarebelonasmedanriktpris.4669.html

Gehrmans Publishing: https://gehrmans.se/blogs/news/00024-matthew-peterson-far-lilla-christ-johnsonpriset

Matthew Peterson interview in Nordic Highlights

Janna Vettergren from Gehrmans Music Publishing interviews Matthew Peterson in the summer 2024 edition of Gehrmans Nordic Highlights. https://issuu.com/gehrmansmusikforlag/docs/nordic-highlights-2-2024

Matthew Peterson wins 2023 Swedish MPA Award / Musikförläggarnas Pris

At a gala celebration Friday November 10 in Stockholm, Matthew Peterson was awarded Classical of the Year (Årets Konstmusikpris) by the Swedish Music Publishers Association (Musikförläggarna), for his a cappella choral work An Inner Sky. A setting of three modernistic poems of EE Cummings, An Inner Sky was premiered October 2022 by the Swedish Radio Choir and has since been performed by Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, Sofia Vokalensemble, and Indiana University NOTUS. An Inner Sky is published by Gehrmans Musikförlag.

https://musikforlaggarna.se/nyhet/de-ar-vinnarna-i-musikforlaggarnas-pris-2023/

Matthew Peterson awarded prestigious Carin Malmlöf-Forssling composer prize from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music

Årets Carin Malmlöf-Forsslings tonsättarpris om 100 000 kr tilldelas Matthew Peterson. Priset delas ut på årets Alfvéndag på Alfvéngården i Tibble, Leksand. Pianisten och tonsättaren Carin Malmlöf-Forssling grundade 2002 en stiftelse i sitt eget namn med syfte att stimulera det svenska konstmusiklivet. Detta sker i första hand genom utdelandet av ett pris till en svensk tonsättare, genom Kungl. Musikaliska Akademiens försorg.

Matthew Peterson mottar årets Carin Malmlöf-Forsslings tonsättarpris med motiveringen: för sitt rika och originella konstnärskap. Som svensk tonsättare uppväxt i USA förenar Peterson i sin musik North Dakota med Dalarna och skapar verk som är på samma gång avskalade och uttrycksfulla; frihet uppnås genom begränsning. Matthew Peterson är en konstnär som gräver där han står och når fram till en musik som lämnar utrymme för både utövaren och lyssnaren, en musik som tycks fortsätta att klinga även i tystnaden.

Matthew Peterson är född 1984 i amerikanska North Dakota och studerade komposition för Sven-David Sandström vid Indiana University. Hans musik spänner från lyriskt klangliga körverk till färgstark orkestermusik och samtidskritiska kammaroperor. Hans genombrott kom 2014 då han prisades både i Sverige och USA för ett flertal verk.

Foto: Johan Bergmark

Länk till pressbild.

https://www.musikaliskaakademien.se/pressrum/nyheter/matthewpetersontilldelascarinmalmlofforsslingstonsattarpris2023.4100.html

Matthew Peterson awarded first Sven-David Sandström Choral Composition Award

Composer Matthew Peterson has been awarded first prize in the Sven-David Sandström Choral Composition Awards. The prize for newly composed choral music was founded in Sandström’s memory by the composer himself and his wife Ann-Marie Lysell.

An international jury selected Peterson from a pool of works by Sandström’s former students. The prize is a $5000 commission for an a cappella choral work, to be premiered by the Swedish Radio Choir at Berwaldhallen, Stockholm on 29 Oktober 2022, one day before what would have been Sandström’s 80th birthday.

The work will later be performed by Eric Ericsons Chamber Choir, The Norwegian Soloists Choir, Vocal Ensemble of the Oslo Conservatory), Indiana University NOTUS, and Sofia Vokalensemble.

The Jury consisted of: David Dzubay (Indiana University), Claude Baker (IU), Britta Byström (composer, Royal Swedish Academy), Dominick DiOrio (conductor of IU Notus), Fredrik Malmberg (Royal Conservatory in Stockholm, Eric Ericsons Chamber Choir), Stefan Parkman (conductor, Royal Swedish Academy), and Grete Pedersen (conductor, Norwegian Soloists Choir and Oslo Conservatory).

Matthew Peterson wins Classical of the Year, Dalecarlia Music Awards

Composer Matthew Peterson has been awarded “Årets Klassiska” (Classical of the Year) from the 2021 Dalecarlia Music Awards, for his recent national and international successes.

The Dalecarlia Music Awards were established to celebrate the strength and breadth of Dalarna's fantastic musical life. The awards are led by Dalapop and Musik i Dalarna, in collaboration with Falu Kommun, Borlänge Kommun, DT, Sveriges Radio P4 Dalarna, Dalakraft and Scekab. The awards are led by project manager Liz Almqvist.

Sofia Ågren on Matthew Peterson's Ljusfälten: #Swedishchoralmusic 2020

RAVE REVIEWS & VOIR DIRE WORLD RELEASE

The Voir Dire original cast album, the first release by indie-classical label RedHouse has received rave reviews, including four stars from Dagens Nyheter. In his weekly feature, Svenska Dagbladet arts editor Anders Q Björkman called the opera his “favorite in the true crime genre.” An interview by musicologist Ona Jarmalavičiūtė dove deep into the motivations and history of Voir Dire. On October 7 RedHouse and BohmBohm Room celebrated the release with a party at Bar-bro in Stockholm, featuring performances from the opera by soprano Elisabeth Meyer, bass John Sax, pianist Anna Christensson and percussionist Johan Renman.

Voir Dire original-cast album Americas Release

“darkly brilliant” true-crime opera Voir Dire to release as original-cast album

order from Aloaded Store

RedHouse is proud to announce the long-awaited Americas release of the original-cast album of composer Matthew Peterson and librettist Jason Zencka’s courtroom opera Voir Dire. Featuring the original cast of singers from the critically-acclaimed 2017 world premiere production at Fort Worth Opera, the recording is set to release in the Americas both physically and on all digital streaming services on Friday, August 7 2020 and worldwide on Friday, October 9 2020.

Voir Dire is a courtroom opera adapted from writer Jason Zencka’s experiences as a reporter on the courthouse beat in Stevens Point, Wisconsin in the late 2000s, with music composed in 2008-9 by the award-winning composer Matthew Peterson. From 2010-12 the creative team endured the cancellation of three separate planned productions in Sweden and the US. After winning first prize at the 2014 Fort Worth Frontiers Festival and being workshopped at the Seagle Music Colony, a revised version of the opera was finally produced in 2017 to international critical acclaim at Fort Worth Opera. 

Voir Dire “drills unsentimentally into the tragedies of ordinary people...Its power lies in how believably it conveys their emotions.” (Opera Now). This unique courtroom opera is “startlingly immediate and journalistic, as gripping as a great feature story. and made memorable by the depth and texture of the music” (Wall Street Journal).  

Featuring breathtaking performances by five young opera artists - Anna Laurenzo, Trevor Martin, Nate Mattingly, Christina Pecce and Andrew Surrena - and an ensemble of nine Minnesota musicians conducted by maverick opera-maestro Viswa Subbaraman, the 90-minute opera was recorded over two intense days in June 2018 at Minnesota Public Radio’s Weyerhauser Studio in St Paul, MN. This album will be the debut release for independent new music label RedHouse, and was supported by over 100 crowdfunding supporters and the Swedish Arts Council (Kulturrådet). 

PRESS FOR VOIR DIRE

“Startlingly immediate and journalistic, as gripping as a great feature story, and made memorable by the depth and texture of the music”
-The Wall Street Journal

“Darkly brilliant”-Classical Review

“Voir Dire drills unsentimentally into the tragedies of ordinary people…its power lies in how believably it conveys their emotions”-Opera Now

“Nothing short of brilliant - presenting a bitter critique - sometimes darkly humorous, often brutal - of American culture, complete with vividly drawn characters and a hauntingly eclectic score”-Classical Review

“Unrelenting drama, variously tragic, violent and ineffably sad”-The Dallas Morning News

“Virtuosic and stunning music”-The Column Online

“Peterson and Zencka have created a compellingly complex dramatic tapestry”-Classical Review

“Based on Zencka’s own experience as a court reporter, it’s like channel surfing among crime shows, from tragic to comic to zany absurdity”-The Dallas Morning News

BroadwayWorld: Redhouse to release VOIR DIRE August 7 2020

https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwopera/article/RedHouse-Releases-Matthew-Petersons-Opera-VOIR-DIRE-As-Original-Cast-Album

"Classical of the year" nomination for 2020 Dalecarlia Music Awards

Composer Matthew Peterson has been nominated for the category “classical of the year” (årets klassiska) for the 2020 Dalecarlia Music Awards. The award will be announced at the April 4 prize ceremony in Borlänge, Dalarna, Sweden.

Interview with Dalarnas Tidningar

Dalarnas Tidningar arts journalist Anders Gustavsson interviews composer Matthew Peterson in this DT2 cover story.

Interview on 1 Track Podcast

In this episode, Anthony Joseph Lanman interviews composer Matthew Peterson about his ONE track – Cantate Domino as performed by Sofia Vokalensemble.

http://1trackpodcast.com/1-track-contemporary-classical-podcast-matthew-peterson-s7e8/

Kulturrådet funds Matthew Peterson commission

Studio 53 (Stockholm Saxophone Quartet) has been awarded 90.000 Swedish kronor from Kulturrådet (Swedish Arts Coucil) to commission composer Matthew Peterson to write a new work, to premiere at their 50-year jubilee concert at Stockholms Konserthus fall 2019.

In total 31 commissioning projects across Sweden received funding.

Review: Peregrinations, Södermanlands Nyheter

“[Mårten Falks performance of] Matthew Peterson’s new Peregrinations [for solo guitar] from 2017 was wondrous, as it reflected refugee flight as well as a wandering, searching spirit by using all sounds imaginable.” (translation to English by composer)

https://www.sn.se/kultur-noje/en-av-landets-framsta-gitarrister-pa-besok/

EN AV LANDETS FRÄMSTA GITARRISTER PÅ BESÖK

När det välkända låter som första gången

Mårten Falk ses som en av Sveriges främsta gitarrister. Under lördagen gästade han gamla prästgården i Björnlunda.
Tänk att det finns en sådan gitarrist som Mårten Falk i våra trakter. Han tar sig an det välkända förstås men letar ofta fram det udda och har spelat in mycket redan på ett tiotal skivor. Och så kan han presentera sitt program kunnigt, lättsamt och lagom långt.

I lördags spelade han i gamla prästgården i Björnlunda. Det var andakt redan att komma in i den lilla salen med breda golvplankor av nött trä och lågt i tak, och njuta av hur ett enda instrument fyller rum och öron med det himmelska.

Modig måste han vara också som tar fram tre glömda ryska tonsättare som skrev för den sjusträngade gitarr som var så populär i Ryssland under första halvan av 1800-talet. Men det var värt att bekanta sig med namnen Sychra, Alexandroff och Vetrov, varav den förste var musiker och lärare och de andra officer respektive läkare.
Det vi fick höra kändes i stilen som internationellt gångbara stycken för adlig och borgerlig salong, sångbart eller dansant ofta i moll men det äldsta faktiskt som en lång etyd i allt tekniskt, som drillar, plingande flageoletter och snabba löpningar.

Mårten Falk är i dag en av få som dessutom har ett originalinstrument och som är modig nog att hantera dess stämning i terser. Det klingade fantastiskt, sprött och ljust, men verkade ibland motspänstigt när tonerna ligger andra ställen än vanligt.

Min beundran väckte Matthew Petersons nya Peregrinations från 2017 som med med alla tänkbara ljud vill spegla flyktingskap och ett vandrande sökande i livet.

Kärleken väckte Mårten Falk med två välkända preludier och dito betyder av Villa-Lobos och så Tárregas Alhambra-minnen som extranummer. Innerligt och fantastiskt på alla sätt, så som det lät som första gången.
FRIDE JANSSON

Peterson wins Washington International Competition

Matthew Peterson's November (Pas de deux) for string quartet has been awarded first prize in the 2018 Washington International Competition for Composition. 

His winning work will receive its world premiere performance by the Sunrise Quartet in the Kennedy Center Terrance Theater on Sunday June 24th, 2018 at 4PM. The composer will be in attendance.

Awarded 2nd prize was Semillas by Argentinian composer Pablo Borrás.

The Washington International Competition (WIC), established in 1950, is held for singers, pianists, string players, and composers. WIC competitions for singers, pianists, and string players are held each spring in annual rotation. The WIC composers’ competition, established in 1976, is held every 3 years for the composition of a string quartet, piano quartet, piano quintet, piano trio, or string trio. Through the authority of its judges, high musical standards, and the quality of young artists attracted, the WIC offers—both in the United States and abroad—a significant opportunity for young artists to step upward from the ranks of talented students to recognition as professionals.