Anthony Paul De Ritis completed a major draft of an arrangement of his earlier work Zhongguo Pop for solo pipa (originally written for Wu Man) for Chinese ensemble (pipa, guzheng, erhu, dizi) and string orchestra, which will be included on an upcoming CD with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP); completed a sketch of a new work for violin solo and orchestra titled Long Time No See featuring violinist Isabella Li Lao and based on folk music from the Li ethnic group in China’s Hainan Province; and reviewed and selected takes from the recording session of De Ritis’ The Legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl, premiered by the Boston Orchestra Orchestra Project on April 21, 2018, featuring Chinese percussion virtuoso Wang Beibei (and recorded on April 22, 2018 at Worcester’s Mechanics Hall).
The Legend of Cowherd and Weaver Girl was reviewed by Allan Kozinn on April 24, 2018, in the Wall Street Journal in an article titled “Music Across Generations and Cultures” — “[De Ritis’] concerto for a large array of Chinese percussion instruments… is what captured the attention in this colorful, 20-minute score.”
Additional summer 2018 activities include De Ritis being installed on the Board of Advisors for the Hamburg School for Music and Theater’s new “Innovation University Award” where he will present to Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (June 19); a presentation on the subject “Arts-Based Learning for Innovation” at the Electroacoustic Music Society 2018 at the Villa Finally, Florence (June 20-23); an invitation to study Korean traditional music at the International Gugak Workshop in Seoul, Korea (July 7-21); and a return to Korea for the 2018 International Computer Music Conference in Daegu, where his new work Arirang Arirang Arariyo for saengwhang and electronic sounds will be premiered featuring virtuoso soloist Gamin Kang (August 7).
