Boosey & Hawkes signs composer Gabriela Ortiz
Gabriela Ortiz signs an exclusive publishing agreement with Boosey & Hawkes to represent her catalog of works for orchestra, opera, and chamber ensemble, which have been championed by major artists and companies around the world.
WATCH: “Meet Composer Gabriela Ortiz”
Boosey & Hawkes is pleased to welcome acclaimed composer Gabriela Ortiz to its roster of artists. Winner of Mexico’s National Prize for Arts and Literature and a Guggenheim Fellowship, Ortiz is one of the most important Mexican composers today, whose flourishing international career includes recent commissions from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.
Ortiz’s music is championed by conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who stated in an interview with NPR: “Gabriela is one of the most talented composers in the world—not only in Mexico, not only in our continent—in the world. Her ability to bring colors, to bring rhythm and harmonies that connect with you is something beautiful, something unique.” WATCH: Sound/Stage, Gabriela Ortiz and Gustavo Dudamel in conversation
Ortiz’s rhythmically driven musical language embraces folk music and jazz, drawing on a rich musical upbringing by parents in the famous folk music ensemble ‘Los Folkloristas.’ She trained at the National Conservatory of Music (Mexico) with Mario Lavista and at the National University of Mexico with Federico Ibarra, then later studied in London at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama and at The City University in London. Ortiz’s scores reflect these global influences, and she cites the music by Debussy, Revueltas, Chávez, Stravinsky, and Bartók as major inspiration for the way she conceives rhythm and harmony, and how she approaches hercultural heritage in music.
In the last three years, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has premiered three works by Ortiz: Kauyumari, Yanga, and Téenek.Of Kauyumari, the Los Angeles Times wrote: “With her kaleidoscopic eyes (and ears), this Gaby in the sky with diamonds turned the jaunty tune into a ravishing vision, its repetitious rhythms keeping a listener glued while the changing instrumental colors created the unnerving effect of feeling unglued.”
Dudamel premiered Ortiz’s Clara with the New York Philharmonic this past March in Alice Tully Hall. New York Classical Review described the piece as “music that had incredible energy, thrilling in a way that one has rarely heard in a classical concert hall … In a season that has been full of excellent new orchestral pieces, Ortiz’s Clara stood out as both the most complex and the most exciting.”
In addition to orchestral scores, Ortiz’s large catalog includes a range of chamber works and politically charged operas. Ortiz often addresses contemporary topics and real-life stories in her music, including gender and race issues, immigration, and the environment. Political topics particularly come to the fore in her operas Luciérnaga (Firefly), Ana y su Sombra (Ana and her Shadow), and Unicamente la verdad (Only the Truth).
Steven Lankenau, Senior Vice President of Boosey & Hawkes, states: “When I first met Gabriela in 2008, her music made an immediate, deep impression on me. I’ve since been following her impressive career with great interest?and am thrilled to be working with her at last. Her music is an exciting addition to the renowned Boosey & Hawkes catalog.”
Gabriela Ortiz states: “I’m extremely excited to sign with Boosey & Hawkes. It’s important to me that my music will be in wonderful hands and able to reach a larger international audience. Just the idea of signing with such an important publishing company, where I will be on the roster with wonderful composers who I deeply admire such as John Adams and Stravinsky, is a great honor.”
Looking ahead, two new orchestral works receive their world premieres in May: Altar de Cuerda for violin and orchestra debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, violinist Maria Dueñas, and Gustavo Dudamel (May 14-15); and Tzam for orchestra premieres with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Louis Langrée (May 14-15). Ortiz’s Yanga, an epic Beethoven-inspired work for choir, percussion quartet, and orchestra, is performed by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Tambuco Percussion Ensemble, and Maurice Cohn on June 7. This summer, Carlos Miguel Prieto conducts her work Téenek with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional (Jun 24-26), Orquesta Sinfónica de Mineria (Jul 16-17), and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival (Aug 5).
> LISTEN: Gabriela Ortiz on Spotify
> WATCH: “Meet Gabriela Ortiz”
> EXPLORE: Works by Gabriela Ortiz
About Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes, a Concord company, is the world’s leading publisher of contemporary classical music. Its blue chip catalogue of 20th-century masters includes Bartók, Bernstein, Britten, Copland, Prokofieff, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Strauss and Stravinsky alongside an eminent front list of composers that includes John Adams, Harrison Birtwistle, Unsuk Chin, Anna Clyne, Brett Dean, Detlev Glanert, Osvaldo Golijov, HK Gruber, Karl Jenkins, Elena Kats-Chernin, Magnus Lindberg, James MacMillan, Steve Reich, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Eric Whitacre. www.boosey.com
About Concord Music Publishing
Concord Music Publishing is a global, full-service, independent music publisher offering bespoke creative support from its A&R, Synchronization and Marketing teams and diligent administration by its in-house Copyright, Licensing, Income Tracking and Royalty departments. Based in Nashville with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London and Berlin, Concord Music Publishing owns or administers more than 600,000 copyrighted musical works. Spanning nearly two centuries of song, through a vast array of genres and territories, Concord represents the world’s most celebrated songwriters, composers and lyricists. www.concord.com
For press inquiries, contact:
Carol Ann Cheung
Director, Publicity & Marketing, Boosey & Hawkes
[email protected]
212-358-5361
For programming inquiries, contact:
Elizabeth Blaufox
Director, Promotion, Boosey & Hawkes
[email protected]
212-358-5365
Photo courtesy of Boosey & Hawkes
