Stephen Hartke has been hailed as ”one of the most distinctive and important living composers” by The New York Times.

His album, “The Ascent of the Equestrian in a Balloon,” recorded by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project with conductor Gil Rose, was voted one of the “Best Classical Music” recordings in 2017 by The New York Times.

Hear the title work here.

SHIP OF STATE, Chamber Concerto for Piano and 20 Instruments by Stephen Hartke will receive its premiere on March 9, with Xak Bjerken, piano and the Oberlin Sinfonietta, Tim Weiss, conductor. Additional performances will follow on April 11, with the University of Southern California Thornton Edge Ensemble, Donald Crockett, conductor; and on April 15, given by Ensemble X, led by Tim Weiss. This performance is the first of two concertos by Hartke to receive its premiere this year.

The Aspen Music Festival announced a Paris-themed summer season 2018, bringing with it the welcome promise of warm weather and elegant sounds in the air. This year’s offerings will include the world premiere Stephen Hartke’s cello concerto DA PACEM, performed by Darrett Adkins with the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Kerem Hasan on July 25. Adkins will perform the work again with the Oberlin Symphony and Robert Spano on December 8. For more information on new works or perusal scores, contact our rental department.

Other noteworthy performances this season have included the West Coast Premiere of A BRANDENBURG AUTUMN, by the Kaleidoscope Ensemble in California on October 28, 2017. The Cleveland Institute of Music performed Hartke chamber works on their November 5, 2017 concert, including GRADUS, THE BLUE STUDIO, and OH, THEM RATS IS MEAN IN MY KITCHEN. Stephen Hartke’s FROM THE FIFTH BOOK has been performed frequently on tour this season by the Brentano String Quartet, who commissioned the piece, including a concert at the Princeton University Summer Chamber Concerts series. For more information on Stephen Hartke or his published works, visit his Composer Page.