Courtney Bryan

• Born: 1982, New Orleans, Louisiana

House of Pianos

• Composed: 2022, CSO co-commission
  
• Premiere: These performances are the world premiere of the version for piano and full orchestra; in February 2023, the LA Philharmonic New Music Group gave the premiere of the version for piano with chamber orchestra.
• Instrumentation: solo piano, 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, 2 bass drums, bongo, claves, cowbell, crash cymbals, finger cymbals, flexatone, high hat, rattle, snare drum, tambour de Basque, tom-tom, triangle, vibraslap, wind chimes, strings 
• Duration: approx. 20 minutes

“A pianist and composer of panoramic interests” (The New York Times), Courtney Bryan is currently composer-in-residence with Opera Philadelphia and Creative Partner with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

Bryan performed as soloist in the world premiere of the chamber ensemble version of House of Pianos, with the LA Phil New Music Group led by Paolo Bortolameolli, and performs again in this weekend’s premiere of the full orchestra version with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Louis Langrée. Bryan’s Gathering Song, with libretto by Tazewell Thompson, was premiered in March by the New York Philharmonic and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green, conducted by Leslie B. Dunner. Other recent works include Blessed, commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and produced as a film that weaves together musical recordings and footage from New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia; Syzygy for violin and orchestra, premiered by Jennifer Koh and the Chicago Sinfonietta; and Yet Unheard for soprano, chorus and orchestra, commissioned by The Dream Unfinished and premiered with Helga Davis.

Her compositions have been performed by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony (Mary Carr Patton Composer-In-Residence, 2018–20), London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Chicago Sinfonietta, Quince Ensemble as part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra MusicNOW series, American Composers Orchestra, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, New York Jazzharmonic, Spektral String Quartet and Talea Ensemble. 

Bryan’s interest across multiple artforms have led to collaborations with visual artists Tiona Nekkia McClodden, Steffani Jemison, Abigail DeVille, Kara Lynch, Lake Simons, Amy Bryan and Alma Bryan Powell; director Patricia McGregor; writers Sharan Strange, Matthew D. Morrison and Ashon Crawley; and musicians Branford Marsalis, Jennifer Koh, Ryan Speedo Green, Helga Davis, Brandee Younger and Damian Norfleet.

Bryan holds a doctorate in composition from Columbia University, where she studied with George Lewis. She also holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (BM) and Rutgers University (MM). Bryan completed postdoctoral studies in the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University. She is currently the Albert and Linda Mintz Professor of Music at Newcomb College in the School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University. Recent accolades include the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts (2018), Samuel Barber Rome Prize in Music Composition (2019–20), United States Artists Fellowship (2020), and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship (2020–21).

Bryan has released two recordings, Quest for Freedom (2007) and This Little Light of Mine (2010); a third recording is in progress, Sounds of Freedom.

Of her Piano Concerto, House of Pianos (co-commissioned by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and LA Philharmonic), Bryan says: 

My piano concerto, House of Pianos, is a love letter to the many pianists who have inspired me over the years. It is a dream world where I enter a house full of pianos and journey from room to room witnessing gatherings of legendary pianists from various times and places. I join them in reverence and with thanksgiving and joy.

House of Pianos depicts five “scenes”: “rent party,” “jam session,” “homecoming,” “sanctuary” and “praise house.”