Francis, Ryan

Works for Piano

Label: Tzadik Country: USA

"Ryan Anthony Francis is a remarkable young composer who was born in Portland, Oregon, studied at Julliard and now resides in New York City. His work is brilliant and dynamic, combining the imagination of Ligeti with the minimal language of Steve Reich and John Adams. Fluid and fascinating, his work for solo piano is some of his very best. Performed here by the virtuoso pianist Vicky Chow, a long time colleague of Francis, the music is lush, beautiful and endlessly inventive."-Tzadik

"Ryan Anthony Francis's compositions have been met with audience and critical acclaim throughout the United States and France. His works have been variously described as "sweeping" and "exceptional" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), "compelling" (Los Angeles Times) and "shimmering", "focused" and "rhythmically sharp-edged" (New York Times).

Francis has received commissions from American Composer's Orchestra, Metropolis Ensemble, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Wordless Music Series, the New York Choreographic Institute, the Columbia Symphony of Portland, New Juilliard Ensemble, Axiom, FearNoMusic Ensemble and the New York Youth Symphony, and his works have been performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, New York Times Hall and Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center. His work is available on New Dynamic Records and on an upcoming Tzadik release of his complete piano works.

Francis holds a D.M.A. in composition from The Juilliard School, where he also received his M.M. in composition. He also holds a B.M. in composition from the University of Michigan. He is the only composer to twice receive the Juilliard School's top compositional honor, the Palmer-Dixon Prize (2005, 2008), as well as the prestigious Charles Ives scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His teachers have included Robert Beaser, Bright Sheng, George Tsontakis, Steven Stucky, Susan Botti, Erik Santos and Evan Chambers. A native of Portland, Oregon, Mr. Francis now resides in Brooklyn."-Ryan Anthony Francis website

"Canadian pianist Vicky Chow has performed extensively as a classical and contemporary soloist, chamber musician, and ensemble member, and has been described as "brilliant" (New York Times), "virtuosic" (New Jersey Star Ledger) and "sparkling" with a "feisty technique" (MIT Tech). She is the pianist for the New York based eclectic contemporary sextet, Bang on a Can All-Stars and has performed with other groups such as Wordless Music Orchestra, Opera Cabal, Wet Ink Ensemble, ai ensemble and AXIOM.

Her passion has propelled Vicky to work with an A-to-Z of leading composers and musicians such as John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Nik Bärtsch, Don Byron, Bryce Dessner (The Nationals) Michael Gordon, Glenn Kotche (Wilco), David Longstreth (Dirty Projectors), David Lang, Terry Riley, Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Julia Wolfe, Evan Ziporyn. In 2010, Ms. Chow did a performance tour in China, Italy, Germany, and Holland with the Bang on a Can All-Stars, a performance tour in Malaysia with the Perak Performing Arts Society, and performances in Chicago with Opera Cabal. Recent performances include a recital tour across Canada of a newly commissioned work of Montreal based composer Eliot Britton alongside other new piano works with the support of a touring and commissioning grant from Canada Council for the Arts, Evan Ziporyn's opera 'A House in Bali' at BAM, solo appearances at Carnegie Hall, The Stone, and Merkin Hall, and world premiering Louis Andriessen's work with video titled "Life" written for the Bang on a Can All-Stars."-Vicky Chow website