Phiaton Offers Book Lovers a Great Listen; Announces $100 Discount With Audiobooks from Audible.com!

Irvine, CA ’Äì Phiaton, a top premium headphone brand is giving book lovers an ultimate audiobook experience from Audible.com, a leading provider of premium digital spoken-word information and entertainment. Starting today, customers who sign up to enjoy Audible's more than 60,000 titles for one year can get a $100 discount on any of Phiaton's headphone and earbud models purchased from Amazon.com (www.audible.com/phiaton).

More and more savvy audio book lovers are stepping up to premium headphones for their increased comfort and enhanced fidelity over long listening periods. As Phiaton's James Baik notes, "Great headphones are like reading glasses for your audio book, and are the best choice to ensure that you hear every word clearly and avoid ear fatigue over long periods of listening. Phiaton's headphones and ear phones are the perfect way to enjoy all your favorite Audible selections whether it's an audiobook, magazine, radio show, stand-up comedy or timeless classic."

Here's some key things to think about when buying headphone for extended periods of audio book enjoyment:

-- Make sure the headphone fit is right for you. No matter how great and expensive your headphone is, if the fit isn't right for you, you won't get the best experience. Fit can make a huge difference in terms of sound quality.

-- Make sure the headphones are comfortable. Many headphones and earphones that seem fine at first can become quite uncomfortable during extended use. The pressure from the earphones and the weight affect how a model feels. With any headphones, prolonged listening can make your ears warm and sweaty. High quality headphones offer great comfort and quality with soft ear-cushions and pads, and via material that controls the pressure level. For example, Phiaton uses steel band which helps to maintain the original tension of the headband.

-- For the best sound, stick with corded models. Most corded models and some wireless sets are fine for use with a TV or, if you're not too critical, for listening to music. Over-the-ear corded headphones are often the best choice for serious audio and music listening at home. While wireless headphones can be convenient, many have background hissing and/or dynamic range compression that flattens the sound to some extent.

-- Size Matters. Portable Headphones may sacrifice some sound quality for small size, but they are handy. Ear buds and insert models are great for listening to audio and music during on-the-go activities. If you'll be doing a lot of flying, or listening in a noisy environment, we recommend noise cancelling technology. Also, over-the-ear and insert types can block ambient noise. All of Phiaton's M and S small sized headphones are designed to be folded in to two steps for easy travel.

Just as Audible.com offers one of the widest selections of digital spoken-word information and entertainment, Phiaton offers a full array of premium headphones and earbuds, including the MS 400 headphones ($249 MSRP), PS 320 headphones ($199 MSRP), PS 300 NC Noise Cancelling headphones ($299 MSRP), and the PS 200 earphones ($249 MSRP).

About Phiaton Corporation

Phiaton Corporation is a premium manufacturer of high-end noise cancelling headphones, earphones and Music Docking Stations for consumers who appreciate design, technology and aesthetics. The Phiaton brand is created for audiophiles who demand the extraordinary from the consumer electronics they buy. All Phiaton products provide authentic sound reproduction, eye-catching design, and comfortable fit.

Phiaton's parent company, Cresyn Company Ltd., was founded in 1959 to develop and manufacture high quality phonograph needles. Under the leadership of Chairman Jon

Bae Lee, Cresyn has heavily invested in R&D and developed a significant portfolio of patented audio technologies. Over time, these technologies have become an integral part of today's most popular leading personal audio brands. Today, Cresyn markets its own growing family of industry leading products, including headphones, noise canceling headphones, earphones, Bluetooth headsets and camera modules.

About Audible.com

Audible, Inc. (www.audible.com) is a leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment on the internet. Content from Audible is downloaded and played back on personal computers, CDs, or AudibleReady computer-based and wireless mobile devices. Audible has over 50,000 audio programs from more than 800 content providers that include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is the preeminent provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple's iTunes Store. Audible, Audible.com, AudibleListener, AudibleReady and AudibleKids are trademarks of Audible, Inc. or its affiliates. Other product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

"The Fusion Wireless MP4" Modified MP3 Player Invented

PITTSBURGH...InventHelp announces that one of its clients, an inventor from Coatesville, Pa., has designed an MP3 player that would allow for a more enjoyable listening experience.’Ä®’Ä®THE FUSION WIRELESS MP4 was developed to make it easier for the user to listen to an MP3 player when engaged in other activities. The device would minimize distractions for the user, and it would be ideal for use by exercise enthusiasts and other active individuals. Additionally, it would contain lightweight features and could be produced in different colors and sizes.’Ä®’Ä®The inventor conceived the idea for THE FUSION WIRELESS MP4 from personal experience. "I wasn't satisfied with the MP3 player I owned because it was troublesome to use, so I designed an alternative," said the inventor.’Ä®’Ä®The original design was submitted to the King of Prussia office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 07-KIP-475, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.’Ä®

Phiaton Headphones Win ’ÄúGood Design Award’Äù ¬Ý Japan's Top design Award Recognizes Phiaton In The Network/Personal Audio-Video Equipment Category

Irvine, CA ’Äì Phiaton, a worldwide audio leader that is earning raves here in the U.S., has just been honored with a coveted "Good Design Award" for its PS 320 Primal Series headphones. Phiaton's advanced PS 320 features a coaxial dual driver system that delivers a wider frequency response and higher definition reproduction for discerning music lovers. Phiaton won the "Good Design Award" in the "Network/Personal Audio-Video Equipment" category. They were chosen from almost 3,000 entries from around the world.

Jong-Bae Lee, Chairman of Phiaton Corporation, said, "Phiaton is very honored to once again receive the extremely prestigious "Good Design Award" from Japan's Industrial Design Promotion Organization, this time for the PS 320. This award underscores Phiaton's ongoing dedication to design excellence in all of our personal audio products."

The Good Design Award (generally known as the "G Mark system") is Japan's only comprehensive design evaluation and commendation system. The Good Design Awards accept submissions from around the world and has earned a reputation for being a prestigious trademark for outstanding design and quality. Good Design Awards have been presented to 34,000 products to date.

Phiaton's PS 320 headphones ($199 MSRP) are designed for music aficionados who want to enjoy every last note and detail of their favorite classical, jazz, rock or acoustic music. Compact, lightweight and supremely comfortable, these closed air, dynamic headphone feature leather ear cups and soft ear pads that assure relaxing comfort even after hours of listening. Matching comfort with the latest in technology, the PS 320's employs a coaxial dual dynamic driver with passive crossover network to ensure richer bass and the full spectrum of the high frequency range. The dual driver system incorporates a 40mm subwoofer, middle range speaker and a 16mm in one housing for superior music reproduction.

About Phiaton Corporation
Phiaton Corporation is a premium manufacturer of high-end noise cancelling headphones, earphones and Music Docking Stations for consumers who appreciate design, technology and aesthetics. The Phiaton brand is created for audiophiles who demand the extraordinary from the consumer electronics they buy. All Phiaton products provide authentic sound reproduction, eye-catching design, and comfortable fit.

Phiaton's parent company, Cresyn Company Ltd., was founded in 1959 to develop and manufacture high quality phonograph needles. Under the leadership of Chairman Jong-

Bae Lee, Cresyn has heavily invested in R&D and developed a significant portfolio of patented audio technologies. Over time, these technologies have become an integral part of today's most popular leading personal audio brands. Today, Cresyn markets its own growing family of industry leading products, including headphones, noise canceling headphones, earphones, Bluetooth headsets and camera modules.

AFM Disappointed With FCC Decision to Allow "White Space" Devices

AFM Disappointed With FCC Decision to Allow "White Space" Devices

Yet Committed to Working With the Commission and Others to Ensure That Our Members' and Creative Partners' Wireless Microphone Use is Protected

The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) is disappointed by the Federal Communications Commission's recent decision to open the television "white spaces" - the frequencies in between television stations - for use by unlicensed, mobile Internet devices. The final order has not yet been released, however, it is reported that the decision relies on unproven, unreliable technology to ensure that these devices do not interfere with wireless microphones.

The AFM recognizes the potential of these new devices to bring broadband Internet access to millions of Americans. Yet, the Commission has opened the door to these devices prior to proving that they will not adversely affect the wireless microphones that Broadway theaters, symphony performances, live concerts and others depend on to deliver the highest-quality audience experience.

The AFM hopes that when the order is finally reviewed and the rules for manufacturing "white space" devices are written, the needs of wireless microphone users are taken into serious consideration. AFM will continue to work with the Commission and others in the creative community to ensure that the AFM's needs are adequately met.

ABOUT THE AFM

Founded in 1896, the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM), AFL-CIO, is the largest organization in the world dedicated to representing the interests of professional musicians. With more than 90,000 members, the AFM represents all types of professional musicians, including those who record music for sound recordings, film scores, radio, television and commercial announcements, as well as perform music of every genre in every sort of venue from small jazz clubs to symphony orchestra halls to major stadiums. Whether negotiating fair agreements, protecting ownership of recorded music, securing benefits such as health care and pension, or lobbying legislators, the AFM is committed to raising industry standards and placing the professional musician in the foreground of the cultural landscape. www.afm.org

National Arts Centre Roundtable

Broadcaster Valerie Pringle and daughter Catherine Pringle to act as keynote speakers for National Arts Centre Foundation Roundtable on Media, Communications and Technology:
Healthy Mental Development for Children and Youth

Ottawa (Canada) ’ÄìThe National Arts Centre is delighted to announce that broadcaster Valerie Pringle and her daughter Catherine Pringle, will be this year’Äôs keynote speakers at the National Arts Centre’Äôs (NAC) Foundation Roundtable called Media, Communications and Technology: Healthy Mental Development for Children and Youth, to be held on Saturday, October 4, 2008, at 8:30 a.m. in the NAC Salon.

A prominent group of leaders in the medical and social policy fields, as well as arts supporters and senior public policy makers, will join Valerie and Catherine Pringle to discuss how media and the arts can contribute effectively and creatively to improved mental health for children and youth. Mother and daughter will also share their personal experience coping with mental illness.

Participants will discuss topics ranging from pure science to clinical applications, in a language that is both simple and engaging.

The Roundtable is held each year in tandem with the National Arts Centre’Äôs Annual Gala, which raises funds for the Centre’Äôs National Youth and Education Trust. The Trust supports the artistic development of young Canadians through educational resources, professional training, mentoring programmes and young audience performances. This year’Äôs Gala, featuring Tony Bennett, takes place on the same day as the Roundtable.

’ÄúIt is an honour for the National Arts Centre to host this important discussion with so many of Canada’Äôs brightest minds, as well as leading Canadian arts supporters,’Äù said Darrell Louise Gregersen, CEO of the National Arts Centre Foundation.

Roundtable participants include Dr. Stan Kutcher, Sun Life Chair in Adolescent Mental Health, Dalhousie University; Dr. Bruce Ballon, head of the Adolescent Clinical and Educational Services for Problem Gambling, Gaming and Internet Use at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH); Dr. Michael Rich, Director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Harvard and Children’Äôs Hospital, Boston, and; Dr. David Wolfe, RBC Investments Chair in Children’Äôs Mental Health Chair at the CAMH.

Beginning in 2002, three NAC roundtables on philanthropy in the performing arts explored the importance of adequate financial resources for arts organizations, to ensure that they can fulfill their vital role of fostering a creative culture in Canada. In 2005, the Roundtable began a series of discussions on healing and the arts, exploring the profound role that music and other performing arts play in different aspects of human health and development. Each year, results of the discussions from Roundtables are shared with more than 3,000 arts and health organizations.

The Roundtables have featured a wide range of Canadian and international participants including the Hon. Michael Wilson, Canadian Ambassador to the U.S.; Louise Blouin MacBain, international arts philanthropist; Richard Bradshaw, the late General Director of the Canadian Opera Company; Martha Piper, former University of British Columbia; President, James Wolfensohn, business leader, arts patron, former President of the World Bank and Chairman Emeritus of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; Frank O’ÄôDea, Second Cup co-founder, as well as a long list of federal Cabinet ministers.

The National Arts Centre Foundation gratefully acknowledges Sun Life Financial as the Presenting Sponsor and the University of Ottawa and Rx&D as Associate Sponsors of the NAC Roundtable.

Live Vs. Digital | Baltimore Chamber Orch. | Fauxharmonic Orch. | Nov. 2 | Bargemusic

AN EXPERIMENT IN MUSIC-MAKING: BALTIMORE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA AND FAUXHARMONIC ORCHESTRA PRESENT A COMPARISON OF LIVE SOUND VERSUS DIGITAL ORCHESTRA, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2008, 4 P.M., AT BARGEMUSIC

PROGRAM WILL INCLUDE NEW YORK PREMIERE OF JONATHAN LESHNOFF'S TROMBONE CONCERTO

Live versus digital: Can audiences tell the difference? Can a performance created by computer-based sound technology deliver the kind of aesthetic experience that we can expect from a traditional orchestra? These are questions for our time.

On Sunday, November 2, 2008, at 4 p.m., the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Markand Thakar, and The Fauxharmonic Orchestra under the Wii-mote of Paul Henry Smith, will allow audiences to answer the questions for themselves. In the bold experiment of a side-by-side comparison, Mr. Smith's digital orchestra will perform composer Mathew Quayle's Gridley Paige Road first, followed by the live performance by the twenty-one strings of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. This performance will take the digital orchestra out of the studio and into the concert hall.

The program will also offer the world-premiere of the Trombone Concerto by Baltimore Chamber Orchestra Composer-in-Residence Jonathan Leshnoff, performed by soloist Christopher Dudley. A selection of adagios and fugues fill out the program: Mozart's Adagio and Fugue, K. 546; Bruckner's Adagio from the String Quintet in F major; and Beethoven's Grosse Fuge, performed by string orchestra.

The Program:

Matthew Quayle: Gridley Paige Road

Performed sequentially by The Fauxharmonic Orchestra and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra

Jonathan Leshnoff: Trombone Concerto (World Premiere)

Christopher Dudley, soloist

Mozart: Adagio and Fugue, K. 546

Bruckner: Adagio from the String Quintet in F major

Beethoven: Grosse Fuge (for string orchestra)

Tickets for the November 2 event are available through Bargemusic. For reservations, call 718/624-2083 or 718/624-4061, or email: info@bargemusic.org. Tickets: $50; student: $25.

The BCO will present this program also in Baltimore on November 1 at Mintzes Theatre, Beth Tfiloh Synagogue, and on November 5 in Kraushaar Auditorium, Goucher College.

Markand Thakar, Music Director of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, commented, "The BCO is committed to providing audiences with moving musical experiences, in highly diverse repertory -- from Mozart to Leshnoff, from violins to pipas to computers. Technology is advancing with extraordinary speed, to the point that digitally produced sound can approximate acoustic sound to a startling degree. We don't expect to ever be replaced by a computer, but we find this musical experiment fascinating."

Paul Henry Smith stated that "this concert poses a John Henry-like challenge for the digital orchestra -- whether it succeeds or fails, what will this mean for classical music performance?" Mr. Smith is bringing his "instruments" -- computers, wireless controllers, and speaker arrays -- into the concert hall to see if it is possible to produce a superb aesthetic experience.

What is a Digital Orchestra?

A digital orchestra, as explained by Paul Henry Smith, is the use of digital technology by musicians to approximate the sound of live orchestral performance. Simply put, digital orchestra music is produced on a computer. Like the production of any recorded music, the computer is involved in the mastering and mixing process. But unlike other recordings, the computer is also the instrument on which the music is played. Sound source material is housed on disks (or generated by the computer) and is organized by performance software. Sequencer software is then used to pull in the right sounds for the particular musical elements called for by the score (or by the musical keyboard or other instrument). Computing power is now great enough that the real-time selection of a single note from among hundreds of gigabytes of data is performed in milliseconds.

Preparation

Mr. Smith works in advance to get the music to sound as close as possible to what he will want in the performance, but will leave certain details open for the spontaneity of the live event. He will go through the piece bar by bar to determine all the parameters of the work. At the performance, he will gauge how certain sounds resonate in the space, making real time decisions as to what he wants. Using his "controller," he can alter any aspect of the performance, including pitch and rhythm.

Conducting a digital orchestra

Live digital orchestral music is performed by incorporating real-time performance control into the mix. The conductor is on stage with a wireless controller, known as a Wii-mote, modified from the controller used with Nintendo's Wii gaming console, which acts as a baton. With that, the conductor can modify tempo, loudness, balance, timbre, brightness, and darkness -- many things that a conductor might alter in a given performance.

About Paul Henry Smith

Paul Henry Smith began his conducting studies with Gustav Meier and Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood and continued with Sergiu Celibidache at the Curtis Institute and in Munich. He studied orchestration and composition with Richard Hoffmann, Lukas Foss, and Steven Scott Smalley. After stints as a conservatory professor and as an Internet entrepreneur he is now devoted to his work with digital instruments to widen the expressive possibilities of orchestral music performance.

In the 1980s, as a visiting researcher at MIT's Media Lab, Mr. Smith worked on early digital orchestra systems. Since then he has been pushing them to approach the facility, simplicity, quality, and responsiveness of acoustic instruments. Recently, these endeavors have begun to flower, due in part to recent advances in computer technology in general, as well as to a surge in the development of software specifically for orchestral music performance.

Mr. Smith is the founder of the Digital Orchestra League, a worldwide non-profit organization that brings together researchers, composers, and theorists, all working on digital orchestral music. He also oversees an annual international composition contest that promotes new orchestral music and encourages composers and performers to explore the artistic possibilities of digital instruments.

An amateur cellist, Mr. Smith lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, with his wife and two children.

About Markand Thakar

Markand Thakar is Music Director of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, where he has earned a national reputation as a creative programmer and an orchestra builder. He was cited by Symphony Magazine for "creative programming and rising artistic standards [that] fill the house," by New Yorker critic Alex Ross, who said, "On the subject of brilliant programming see this season's programs by the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra," and by The Baltimore Sun, which praised his "novel programming concept" for the BCO's 2005-06 season as "one of the most successful examples of thematic programming heard around here in some time."

Thakar first came to national attention in 1997 when he made his debut with the New York Philharmonic, stepping in for Leonard Slatkin on short notice and with no rehearsal. He returned to the podium that summer, opening the Philharmonic's outdoor season with concerts in Central Park and the boroughs. Appearances in recent seasons include additional concerts and a national radio broadcast with the New York Philharmonic, and concerts with the National, San Antonio, Columbus, Alabama, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Charlotte, Knoxville, Richmond, Colorado Springs, Greensboro, Illinois, Kalamazoo, Windsor, Flint, Maryland, Ann Arbor, Waterbury, Annapolis, and Florida West Coast symphony orchestras; the Calgary and Long Island philharmonics; and the Boston Pro Arte and National and Cleveland chamber orchestras. A frequent guest conductor at the Aspen Music Festival, Mr. Thakar has appeared with Yo-Yo Ma and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and with Itzhak Perlman and the Boulder Philharmonic. He is a winner of the Geraldine C. and Emory M. Ford Foundation Award. Familiar to national radio audiences as a frequent commentator for National Public Radio's Performance Today, he has appeared on CBS This Morning and CNN conducting the Colorado Symphony.

Most significant for Markand Thakar was his work with Sergiu Celibidache in Munich. "From Celibidache I came to understand that the 'magic moments' that we all experience from time to time can be extended -- from the very first sound of a movement even possibly through the very last. In such an extended 'magic moment' we experience a remarkable transcendence: we accept the sound, we absorb the sound, we become the sound, and in so doing we transcend everyday consciousness of time and space; we touch our conscious soul in a most remarkable way. My driving interest has been an exploration of the conditions -- from the composer, from the performer, and from the listener -- that allow this most profoundly exquisite, life-affirming experience." Thakar is the author of Counterpoint: Fundamentals of Music Making (published in English by Yale University Press and in Italian by Rugginenti Editore), which uses species counterpoint to promote an understanding of how both composer and performer contribute to the experience of musical beauty.

About the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra

Described by The Baltimore Sun as "a significant player in the local music scene for more than 20 years," the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra is in its 26th season of providing world-class performances of the small-orchestra repertoire. Known for its innovative programming, the BCO has recently presented concerts that included works for pipa, veena, and charango, as well as numerous world and U.S. premieres. The orchestra performs five programs annually at Goucher College, with repeat performances across the county. Upcoming BCO releases on the Naxos label include world premiere recordings of concertos for violin and viola by Ignaz Pleyel, and works by Jonathan Leshnoff.

About Matthew Quayle

Matthew Quayle has composed music in a wide range of styles and genres, from concert orchestral works to musical theater comedy. In recent years, his music has been performed by Alarm Will Sound, the Arditti String Quartet, Avalon String Quartet, eighth blackbird, International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), and the Southeastern Trio. He has received commissions from the Almeida Theatre in London, the New London Children's Choir, flutist Claire Chase, saxophonist Gail Levinsky, and cellist Ashley Sandor Sidon. In 2007, his string orchestra piece Gridley Paige Road received both the Grand Prize and the People's Choice Award in the Adagio Composition Contest of the Fauxharmonic Orchestra. He composed the introduction to 'Round Midnight Variations, a collection of variations by prominent contemporary composers on the Thelonius Monk theme. This work was premiered by pianist Emanuele Arciuli at New York's Miller Theater in 2002.

Quayle frequently performs as a piano soloist and chamber musician. Recent collaborations have included recitals with clarinetist Deborah Andrus, cellist Jameson Platte, and flutist Elizabeth Ransom. He was featured as a composer and performer at the 2006 Glens Falls Symphony Musicbridge Festival. In 1998, he performed his Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with the Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, as winner of the Oberlin Conservatory Concerto Competition. He was a keyboardist and songwriter for the pop-rock sextet If I Told Napoleon in 2005-06.

A native of Waterville, NY, Quayle is a doctoral candidate at New York University (GSAS) and holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Cincinnati. He has served on the faculty at New England Music Camp in Sidney, Maine, since 2002. In August 2007 he moved to North Carolina where he is a Lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

About Gridley Paige Road

Gridley Paige Road is the grand prize winner of the Fauxharmonic's 2007 Adagio Composition Contest, chosen from over 160 worldwide entries.

In the words of the composer: "This piece was inspired in part by memories of my childhood years living on Gridley Paige Road, a rural road set amid farmland, woods and fields in central New York state. Originally composed for string quartet, this movement was premiered by the Avalon Quartet in Merkin Concert Hall, New York, in 2003. In 2005, three more movements were added and Gridley Paige Road became the first movement of my String Quartet No. 1. The full quartet was premiered in Merkin Concert Hall by members of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in April of 2005. This movement was then orchestrated for string orchestra in March 2007."

About Jonathan Leshnoff

34-year-old Jonathan Leshnoff, who was named by The Baltimore Sun as a 2006 "Artist to Watch," is Composer-in-Residence of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra. His works have been performed and are currently programmed internationally by the Tokyo Philharmonic and the Kyoto and Extremadura (Madrid) symphony orchestras, and, in this country by the orchestras of Buffalo, Kansas City, Columbus, Oakland, Duluth, and Boca Raton; the National Gallery, Curtis Institute, and National Repertory orchestras; the Baltimore and IRIS chamber orchestras, the Da Capo Chamber Ensemble, Smithsonian's Twentieth Century Consort, Opus 3 Trio; and the United States Marine Band.

Three recordings devoted exclusively to Leshnoff's music are scheduled for release on the Naxos "American Classics" label. They include the Violin Concerto, performed by violinist Charles Wetherbee and the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra conducted by Markand Thakar; the Symphony No. 1 (subtitled "Forgotten Chants and Refrains"), premiered by Michael Stern and the IRIS Chamber Orchestra; and chamber works. Leshnoff's recent projects include a Double Concerto (performed by the Curtis Symphony at the Kimmel Center), a String Sextet for Concertante (premiered at Merkin Hall in New York City in 2007) and a Quartet for Viola, Harp, Flute and Percussion (premiered in February 2008 as part of the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society's 2007-2008 season).

Leshnoff's music has been lauded by The Kansas City Star as "a diaphanous orchestral fabric of beautiful transparency," by The Commercial Appeal (Memphis) as "a fluid, thoughtful work, superbly textured and unafraid to be intellectual," and by The Baltimore Sun as "remarkably assured, cohesively constructed and radiantly lyrical." He is currently an Associate Professor of Music at Towson University in Maryland.

About Christopher Dudley

Christopher Dudley is Principal Trombone of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and the Aspen Festival Orchestra. He has performed and recorded with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia, Cleveland and Atlanta Symphony orchestras, IRIS Chamber Orchestra, Washington Symphonic Brass, and the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. Mr. Dudley is a member of the trombone faculty at the University of Maryland, and is on the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and School. He performs on Shires trombones and is an S. E. Shires artist.