Greetings,

I have just posted a video from my performance t the 2nd Dushanbe International Jazz Festival, May 3. 2010, Dushanbe, Tajikistan. This is my collaboration with the Tajik traditional band Mizrob, performing my composition Open Letter to Dushanbe, which is based loosely on Mingus’ Open Letter to Duke, and was dedicated to the people of Dushanbe for their kindness and hospitality. This piece combines jazz with traditional Tajik music.

The words in the 2nd section, sung in Tajik, basically mean, ‘I look at you with undying love, but even though you turn away, I know your heart calls me, too’

Demetrius Spaneas, alto saxophone, composer
Mizrob, traditional Tajik ensemble
Sponsored by the Bactria Cultural Centre, Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Enjoy!!!

The Cup of Agony (Recitative and Aria) from my opera Cassandra, which is being created for premier in 2013. This one-woman opera is based on the enigmatic character Cassandra from Greek mythology, including the Iliad and the Oresteia. Cassandra, the daughter of King Priam of Troy and the High Priestess of Athena, has the gift of prophecy, but a curse from Apollo that no one will believe her. This scene takes place in the palace of Agamemnon, where she is brought as a slave after the fall of Troy.

Cassandra is a project which i have been wanting to undertake for many years. Her temptation, empowerment, descent into madness, and eventual destruction make her the perfect subject for a one-act, one-woman contemporary opera.

The monodrama’s structure will be based on both Ancient Greek tragedy and the Eleusinian Mysteries. The Mysteries were ritual ceremonies that gave birth to the concept of the individual as distinct from society; they also served as the basis of Greek drama. The opera will use contemporary multimedia theater to achieve the same effect as Ancient Greek drama and ritual, which sought to stimulate all of the participants’ senses. This multimedia performance will allow the onstage transformation of Cassandra to have a transformative effect on the audience. The idea of Jungian archetype and meaning of ritual play a central role in this transformation.

Cassandra must be a transformative experience. Our challenge is to use today’s technology and the techniques of contemporary art to bring about a ‘ritual’ (in the sense of a transformative experience) that evokes ancient times yet is evidently relevant to the challenges of everyday contemporary life. Through her burden of suffering, Cassandra will present the audience a chance to transcend spiritual or psychological constraints of contemporary life. Cassandra, in this way, will serve as a catalyst for the transformation of the audience

Jacquelyn Familant, soprano
Demetrius Spaneas, composer and saxophone
Adam Blanshay, director
Kate Light, libretto
Danny Bonner, camera and post production

Dear All,

Please join me as I perform a solo set as part of an evening of new music, hosted by Diana Wayburn, at the 5C Cultural Center and Cafe, one of NYC’s hidden gems for avant-jazz.

5 C Cultural Center & Cafe

Review of venue in New York Magazine

5C Cultural Center and Cafe

Dear All,

Since my last post was about 2010 and all of the surprises it held (especially since, as I mentioned, I assumed it would be a ‘quiet’ year), I’ve decided to write a little about the major projects that I have cooking for 2011. Most of these are for the spring, as the summer and fall are only now beginning to take shape. Again, I never know what will actually happen, but in many ways, that’s a lot of the excitement of it all…stressful at times, but exciting overall.

Strangely enough, one of the major upcoming events in 2011 was signed on December 30th. This would be the reissue of my first two solo CDs–When Wind Comes to Sparse Bamboo (2003) and From a Far-off World (2006)–which were originally released on Capstone Records. The Capstone catalog, which is now facilitated by Parma Recordings and under the profound stewardship of Bob Lord, will release the CDs through the Naxos Online Library, as well as Amazon and iTunes, as part of their new ‘Capstone Collection’. I am very pleased that these recordings will have a new life, and perhaps a new audience. This will happen in the first part of 2011.

This past weekend ushered in another stage of a major multi-year project. Many years ago, I had the idea to create a multimedia monodramatic opera entitled Cassandra, based on the enigmatic character from Greek mythology (Iliad, Orestia, and others). After some failed attempts at finding grant funding, I put together a very strong artistic team (Jacquelyn Familant, soprano; Adam Blanshay, director; Kate Light, librettist; Sylviane Jacobsen, set designer; others) and we have decided to make this happen for 2013. This weekend, we filmed a scene from the opera (a recitative and aria, titled The Cup of Agony, which, by the way, we created, rehearsed, and staged starting two weeks ago) to use for both grant applications and other methods of fundraising and publicity. The film of this scene will go up on my youtube channel by week’s end.

Speaking of my youtube channel, I will be posting new live performance videos from my festival performances in Tajikistan and Poland very soon. Stay tuned!

Many of you know about my work promoting American women composers abroad, especially to women composition students in the former Soviet Union that have no proper role models. On March 10, I have the honor of presenting a solo concert for the Women’s Work 2011 series, featuring many of the composers whose works I have promoted, and many new ones, as well. This series has been undergoing a difficult time due to having their funding and support cut last-minute with no warning, and past any deadlines to apply for other funding. Below is a link with series director Beth Anderson-Harold talking about this year’s plight and concerts. The project is now fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, and any support or donation is considered a charitable donation.

Women’s Work 2011

I am truly delighted with my collaboration with sculptor Laura Evans. Laura and I have created a project entitled Corpus Apparatus. This work is a visual/sonic installation that will be presented as both a featured work in Laura’s show at the Boston Sculptors Gallery from March 15 to April 17, 2011, and as a featured work for the TransCultural Exchange 2011 Conference on International Opportunities in the Arts: The Interconnected World, April 7-10, 2011. My music is an acousmatic (electronic music, created in the studio and using as source material recordings of me created specifically for this) piece which will emanate from within the sculpture. My electronic score to Corpus Apparatus won the CAP award from the American Music Center this fall. This award is to fund the final production and presentation of the work.

2011 will also start off with a bang compositionally. The wonderful German pianist Suzanne Kessel has engaged me to write a new work for her that also utilizes her playing ‘percussion’ as well as piano. I have decided to use Tibetan singing bowls as the ‘percussion’ instrument. The new piece, with a working title of Breathe, will be premiered this year in Germany and other European locations.

I will also be collaborating as both composer and performer with the wonderful Boston-based choreographer Rebecca Rice in a performance to be held at New York City’s Merce Cunningham Studio. Details of this June 13 performance soon to follow.

Amidst all of the major projects, the numerous other smaller concerts scattered throughout the year, some intense recording sessions, and a very heavy teaching schedule, I am in fact planning on composing and recording a new CD that combines new compositions, improvisation, world music, and electronics. All I am saying at this point is that it will happen…you’ll have to wait for details…:)

As always, i am humbled and honored by your continued interest and support. I wish you all a wonderful, successful, and peaceful New Year.

Warmly,

Demetrius

"Cassandra", stage for filming, Jan 02, 2011