To continue to build a library of guitar music for Diller-Quaile. 

Thomas has researched and selected new repertoire and method books for solo guitar and classical guitar ensemble to add to Diller-Quaile’s Library. These new acquisitions, which include the works of Ida Presti, Emilia Giuliani, and Dale Kavanaugh have been curated with the goal of creating an improved curriculum for all Diller-Quaile guitar students and one which better highlights women composers and contemporary music from around the world. This music will be shared with all guitar faculty colleagues.

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Creation and performance of an evening length work with the improvising music and movement group, ‘Loco Motors’.

Loco Motors is a music and dance group inspired by both the practice of Dalcroze eurhythmics and the jazz tradition of open-form improvisation, sometimes known as ‘free jazz’. The group also has a special interest in the somatic connection between sound and movement, and in using that connection as a basis for artistic creation. The core members are Michael Joviala, piano and composition, and Dawn Pratson, dance and choreography. The group will be part of a year-long pilot residency program of the New York Chapter of the Dalcroze Society of America during the calendar-year of 2023.

For its residency, Loco Motors will create an evening length performance that combines the compositions of Michael Joviala, the choreography of Dawn Pratson, and the improvisation of both. This grant supports the inclusion of a master musical improviser, saxophonist/clarinetist/flutist Marty Ehrlich, who will act as mentor to the project and will also perform with the group.

The developing work will be presented in-progress at several points during the residency through a series of workshops which will focus on different aspects of collaboration and improvisation.

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“Two”: An Afternoon of Art and Music With Miranda Sielaff and Barbara Woods

In this intergenerational and interdisciplinary workshop, people of all ages will explore the theme of “Two” through the mediums of visual art and music and create their own visual improvisations on paper. Miranda will play music for solo viola by Telemann, Stravinsky and Ligeti. Barbara Woods, an artist and art educator, will discuss artwork from different time periods that deal with concepts of duality. Then participants will have an opportunity to create their own self-portraits by making three-dimensional paper sculptures. This workshop is designed to build community among participants through a shared experience of art -- its capacity to bring people together, to allow for emotional expression, and to heal.

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