- NEWS and REVIEWS -
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REVIEW OF AMICITIA DUO’S RECORDING OF SWEET AND SIMPLE
“William Price’s Sweet and Simple is a pastoral work that is highly contrapuntal. Throughout the work, [Diane] Barger and [Denise] Gainey’s expert attention to intonation results in poignant resonances… Similarly, the effects of unison elisions between the E-flat clarinet, B-flat clarinet and piano are particularly effective and striking. The blend of sound Barger and Gainey create is colorful and vivid. Pianist Mark Clinton is to be commended for his playing during his solo passages. In all parts, there is a sensitivity and delicacy to the playing. The interpretation is contemplative, thoughtful, lyrical and pensive.”
“All of the works presented on this disc are enjoyable and well-done…Overall this album is very highly recommended!”
Kip Franklin, The Clarinet 47, no. 4 (September 2020)
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NEW MUSIC PUBLISHED BY POTENZA MUSIC
Sweet and Simple for Eb clarinet, Bb clarinet, and piano is now available through Potenza Music. Commissioned and premiered by the Amicitia Duo and pianist Mark Clinton in 2017, the score and parts can be purchased directly through Potenza’s website.
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REVIEW OF “RUSH HOUR” BY FANFARE MAGAZINE
“…Price keeps you on your feet, with alert, smart sounds with built-in emotional layers.” ”Anyone with an interest in experimental electronic music should find this release to be stimulating.”
Peter Burwasser, Fanfare Magazine, July/Aug. 2020
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NEW REVIEW OF "RUSH HOUR" BY 5AGAINST4.COM (UK)
"This is my first encounter with Price’s music and it’s definitely left me wanting to hear more. The sense of fun running through many of these pieces is infectious, and Price’s interest in highly different, even polarised, modes of expression makes for a compelling listening experience. It’s a disc I’ve found I keep wanting to return to, and the music continually delivers new things."
Simon Cummings, 5against4.com
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RUSH HOUR (Electronic Works, 1997-2017) was selected as AVANT MUSIC NEWS "Pick of the Week," on December 26, 2017,
and was selected as one of AVANT MUSIC NEWS' "Honorable Mentions" in their "BEST OF 2017" list, January 2018.
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Gary "Dogeye" Strasburg, host of Melody in Mayhem on AshevilleFM, writes that RUSH HOUR (Electronic Works, 1997-2017) is “An exciting collection of electro-acoustic works…With the spatial quality of Curtis Roads, the lean towards organic sounds heard in Horacio Vaggione’s work, and the cinematic impulses of Denis Smalley, this a truly adventurous work that explores foreign regions not often gone to, with aural pleasures new and unexplored.”
“A dynamic work that won’t crack you over the head, but will leave you with a solid impact. Never falling under the forces of academic heaviness, this is a fun, if not somewhat challenging ride that will make you glad you took the chance.”
- Gary "Dogeye" Strasburg, Review of "Rush Hour," March 2018
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Paul Simpson of The Answers Is In the Beat describes RUSH HOUR (Electronic Works, 1997-2017) as "Mind-altering..." "His usage of voices, particularly in “2 Days in the Tank”....and the especially otherworldly “Spline”, are incredibly haunting, blurring and distorting the lines between the familiar and unfamiliar." "Price’s sound design is consistently impressive, and the compositions are all entertaining as well as thought-provoking."
The Answer Is In The Beat, Review of "Rush Hour," February 2018
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KFJC 89.7FM Radio described RUSH HOUR (Electronic Works, 1997-2017) as: "Intense music that will crawl your mind. Software scopes, aggregates and dissects. Excellent sound design."
- KFJC 89.7, Review of "Rush Hour," January 2018
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William Price’s "‘Sans Titre VII’ is attractive and interesting" and "'Ich bin Maroon, Part I'...is an enjoyable sound study..."
- American Record Guide, Review of "Textures" by James Zingara, 2017
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Works for saxophone by UAB’s William Price to be performed at Greek tribute, international symposium
December 16, 2016
Works by University of Alabama at Birmingham composer and Associate Professor of Music William Price, DMA, will be performed at a concert in Greece and an international symposium in the coming days. “Remembrance II” for alto saxophone and piano, will be performed at Philippos Nakas Conservatory of Music in Athens, Greece, on Dec. 20. The concert is held in honor of Price’s teacher and mentor, distinguished Greek composer and university teacher Dinos Constantinides. The program will feature saxophonist Athanasios Zervas, who will be accompanied by Amalia Sagona, piano, and Alexander Theodorakopoulos, baritone saxophone.
A recently composed duet of Price’s, “Sonata: Folie à Deux,” will be performed at the International Saxophone Symposium at George Mason University Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2017. The Perrine-Utley Saxophone Duo premiered the work at UAB last March, and will perform the piece at the symposium. The International Saxophone Symposium, hosted by the United States Navy Band, is held each year in early January. The two-day event, first hosted by the Navy Band in 1978, features a mix of performances, master classes and lectures designed for musicians of all ages.
- Shannon Thomason, UAB Media
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June 15, 2016
The Ensemble for These Times (E4TT) has selected A Southern Prelude as part of their 2016 Call for Scores, and will be performed during their upcoming concert season. The ensemble's mission is to bring new, nearly new, forbidden, and forgotten music to light, focusing on 20th and 21st century music that is relevant, engaging, original, and compelling music that resonates today and will speak to tomorrow.
E4TTs call received over 200 entries from around the world. More information can be found at their website.
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New CD "Textures: New Works for Trumpet" released by UAB Music's James Zingara
A new recording by the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s James Zingara, DMA, features 21st-century works for trumpet, including two by Associate Professor of Music William Price, DMA.
As assistant professor of trumpet, Zingara teaches trumpet and directs and coordinates UAB brass ensembles in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music. His new CD, “Textures: New Works for Trumpet,” is his debut release on Ravello Records. Also performing on the recording are Associate Professor Denise Gainey, DMA, clarinet, and instructor Chris Steele, DMA, piano. The works in this collection, all written after 2002, strengthen the trumpet’s diversity and adaptability in settings with computer-generated sounds, syncopated rhythms, blues forms and atonal harmonic structures, according to the label’s overview of the album. “Textures” was chosen by classical music website Naxos of America as one of its “featured” new releases for March 2016. The album is available on Amazon, iTunes and Spotify.
The works by Price, who teaches music theory and composition at UAB, are Sans Titre VII (2010), an extended work for solo trumpet which explores both physical space and musical distance as determinants of musical form, and Ich bin Maroon, Part I (2013), influenced by pandiatonicism, free atonality, traditional dance forms and hyperbolic rhythmic syncopation.
- UAB Media
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" 'Suckerpunch!' is a multi-percussion ensemble blow out." "If an ensemble has all of these instruments…then an interesting musical experience can be created by the players and appreciated by their audience."
- Michael Overman, Percussive Notes, 2015
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New Ablaze Records Release
Release: Nov. 9, 2015
ABLAZE is excited to announce the release of "ELECTRONIC MASTERS VOL. 4," available on its Facebook Store, AMAZON.com, or available on iTunes worldwide. Eight new works from artists are included on the disc, including works by Leah Reid, William Price, Chris Arrell, Peter Hulen, Shuai Yao, Jason Richmond, Chin Ting Chan, and John Nichols III.
WILLIAM PRICE (USA)—returns to ABLAZE with "Triptych: Three Studies in Sound and Gesture," a work that explores and develops artifacts found in the space between recorded sounds. It is a three-part assemblage based primarily on noise, musical remnants, and studio debris.
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Work by UAB's William Price Selected for London Sound Art Exhibition
“Triptych: Three Studies in Gesture and Noise,” a recent electroacoustic work by Associate Professor of Music William Price, DMA, has been selected for exhibition at Morley College in London as part of The Engine Room 2015: International Sound Art Competition and Exhibition.
Price teaches music theory and composition in the University of Alabama at Birmingham College of Arts and Sciences Department of Music.
The monthlong exhibit will open Tuesday, May 12. It will showcase 22 selected works from emerging sound artists from Singapore, Russia, Germany, Colombia, Italy, Canada, France, the United States and the United Kingdom. TC Electronic, Tannoy, Mogami and HBB Communications support the competition and exhibition.
The Engine Room gives visitors the chance to immerse themselves in soundscapes, watch audiovisual works, experience the stimulating interaction of sound and video, and observe and interact with sound sculptures and sound installations, according to the website news release. Visitors to the free exhibition will be able to find themselves in a forest of radios surrounded by bird cantatas, witness the subtle cries of a wounded violin, or experience a flirtatious dance between speakers, turntables and microphones. The Engine Room sets out to leave visitors with a fresh perception on the sounds that surround them.
- UAB Media
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"…a beautifully crafted lyrical introduction with long, flowing, song-like phrases and a faster playful, syncopated section…Pieces of Eight would be a welcome addition to any trumpet ensemble or studio recital program."
- Benjamin Fairfield, review of "Pieces of Eight" in the International Trumpet Guild Journal, June 2014
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"A quiet, melancholy theme opens this work, with beautifully written harmonies that, as the music develops, become more lively and passionate before falling back and quietening. Bolder, richer chords lead to a faster syncopated theme that even has, to my ears, hints of a Latin rhythm. This music is an intricate tapestry of invention, no doubt reflecting the narrative of a good story teller."
The Classical Reviewer, review of "A Southern Prelude" on American Vernacular: New Music for Solo Piano, 3/4/14
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UAB presents Nicholas Phillips with "American Vernacular: New Music for Solo Piano"
Release: December 12, 2013
Guest pianist Nicholas Phillips will perform “A Southern Prelude,” an original work for solo piano by UAB Associate Professor William Price, DMA, in a free concert at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014, in UAB’s Hulsey Recital Hall, 9501 13th St. South.
Phillips’ recital will feature several newly commissioned works for piano from his forthcoming “American Vernacular” CD project. The project includes works that comment on the American experience from several prominent composers, including David Maslanka, David Rakowsi, Mohammed Fairouz and Ethan Wickman.
Phillips has been described by The New York Times as an “able and persuasive advocate” of new music, and his playing has been praised for its “bejeweled accuracy” (Fanfare) and as “razor-sharp yet wonderfully spirited” (American Records Guide). He maintains an active schedule as a soloist and collaborative artist, and his current season includes solo recitals in New York, Chicago, Baltimore, Alabama, Ohio, Michigan, Montana, Texas and Wisconsin. Recent international appearances include a solo recital in Korea sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, and a solo recital in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In 2011 he released two CDs on Albany Records: “Portals and Passages,” which features the piano music of American composer Ethan Wickman, and “Boris Papandopulo: Piano Music.” His most recent CD, “American Vernacular: New Music for Solo Piano,” will be released on New Focus Recordings in January 2014.
Phillips holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music, Indiana University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is associate professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
- UAB Media
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Price’s “Gridlock” to be performed at 2013 Electroacoustic Barn Dance
Release: October 22, 2013
A recent work for saxophone and digital sound file, “Gridlock,” by University of Alabama at Birmingham Associate Professor of Music William Price, DMA, will be performed at the Electroacoustic Barn Dance.
The annual three-day festival of electronic music and art, to be held Nov. 7-9 on the University of Mary Washington campus in Fredericksburg, Va., will include works by more than 70 artists and composers from across the country. The works will be presented in 13 concerts.
Originally commissioned and premiered by saxophonist John Perrine at the 2012 World Saxophone Congress, “Gridlock” explores structural chance and improvisational choice as determinants of musical structure. Using multiple variants of a limited number of electroacoustic “events,” the saxophonist, using a limited number of written “choices,” reacts and improvises to a predetermined yet ever-changing collage of musical styles and narratives. Price teaches music theory and composition in the UAB Department of Music.
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Works by Price at National Association of Composers USA Conference
Release: September 18, 2013
Works by Assistant Professor of Music William Price, D.M.A., will be presented at the National Association of Composers USA Conference, Oct. 3-5, 2013.
Three electroacoustic compositions, “WOOSH,” “A Memory of Tomorrow 2.0” and “Spline,” were selected for inclusion in the conference. The event will feature works by composers from around the country. The conference will take place at the Howard Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La.
Founded by Henry Hadley in 1933, the National Association of Composers USA is one of the oldest organizations devoted to the promotion and performance of American concert hall music. Price teaches music theory and composition in the UAB Department of Music.
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"American Vernacular" Kickstarter Campaign
Release: September 7, 2013
Last year, pianist Nicholas Phillips commssioned ten composers to write a piece for solo piano on the theme "American Verancular." The works have been recorded and will be released on CD in early 2014. For m
ore information and to help fund Nick's project, please visit the Kickstarter project site:
American Vernacular: New Music for Solo Piano
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New Ablaze Records Release
Release: August 1, 2013
ABLAZE is excited to announce the August 1 release of "ELECTRONIC MASTERS VOL. 2," available on its Facebook Store, AMAZON.com, or available on iTunes worldwide. Nine new works from artists from six different countries are included on the disc, including works by Hubert Howe, Nikolet Burzynska, Juan Carlos Vasquez, Steve McCourt, William Price, Nicola Monopoli, Mei-Fang Lin, Cody Kauhl, and John Nichols III.
WILLIAM PRICE (USA)—joins ABLAZE with "WOOSH," a work that explores abrupt, visceral changes in gestural noise, dynamics, and stereo spatialization, while also focusing on timbral counterpoint and the superimposition of thick, slow-moving, granulated textures.
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Tantric Dreams of a Lotus Blossom” by Price chosen for Italian festival
Release: May 24, 2013
An electroacoustic work by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Assistant Professor William Price, D.M.A., “Tantric Dreams of a Lotus Blossom,” will be presented as part of a concert series at the Spazioersetti Gallery in Udine, Italy, on May 25, 2013.
The series, “Are You Listening?” is a two-day event that will offer a selection of multi-channel sound installations and electroacoustic compositions by international artists. The program features the best proposals submitted to Spazioersetti in response to an international open call for works. Price’s work was selected from the open call.
Spazioersetti is a privately funded exhibition venue based in Udine, found in northeast Italy. It is entirely dedicated to sound and architecture. Its annual program includes exhibitions, talks and workshops led by international sound artists, curators, architects and musicians.
Another electroacoustic work by Price, “A Crime of Passion,” was included in the Sound Devices Concert series in Dublin, Ireland, on April 25.
- UAB Media
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"...William Price's "Rush Hour" represents a melancholy narrative of of a musician practicing while distant sounds get closer, then recede. Enhanced by John Perrine's brilliant soprano saxophone improvs and a crystalline electronic sound accompaniment, its mood-setting ambiance was engaging."
- Michael Huebner, The Birmingham News, review of a Birmingham Art Music Alliance Concert, 11/13/11
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"William Price's tasty little "Three Short Pieces for Tape #3 [Spline]"...is a good example of variety, unity and economy that some of the other composers on this compilation would do well to pay attention to..."
- Diffusion: Sonic Arts Network, review of "Sonic Circuits X" CD
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"On Monday, the Birmingham Art Music Alliance presented four more recent works... William Price's inventive "Sans Titre IV" conjured a huge noise with cymbals, bass drum and four timpani, Laura Noah performing percussion acrobatics in a circle of instruments."
- Michael Huebner, The Birmingham News, 4/5/08
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“Much has been written solo timpani, and except for adding more than the four standard timpani and using considerable pedal tuning, where does a composer go? One way is adding percussion that complements the timpani. ‘Sans Titre IV’ for solo timpani and percussion does just that. ...Sans Titre IV’ is challenging and rewarding for the performer and would be interesting for the audience from both an aural and visual standpoint.”
- John H. Beck, Percussive Notes
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"...William Price's "Three Short Pieces for Tape #3", also apparently called "Spline", ... makes one wonder what John Zorn's Godard tribute might have sounded like if he'd had C-Sound and ProTools back in 1985."
- Paris Transatlantic Magazine, review of "Sonic Circuits X" CD
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William Price’s moody saxophone piece, ‘Sans Titre II,’ starts with a plaintive cry before it explodes in flourishes of finger-twisting virtuosity.”
- Michael Huebner, "The Birmingham News," 6/3/07
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"....William Price's "Prayer for the Forgotten," performed by the Red Stick Saxophone Quartet, offers harmonies that are warm and solemn... Then the piece moves gradually into more unsettled territory, which sounds striking after the chorale-like beginnings. ...also represented by "Sans Titre II," ...the piece is a nine-minute [saxophone] solo, it remains intriguing. Price's lines are melodic, pretty, but agitated."
- Sequenza 21 Contemporary Music Weekly
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“William Price’s ‘Remembrance’ makes use of unconventional playing techniques while making a poignant statement.”
- American Record Guide, Review of "Masks" by Rex Richardson, 2005
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"...'Remembrance' is a lovely, mournful meditation"
- Style Weekly, review of "Masks"