Ezra Donner

From the Depths (2011) SATB choir a cappella

November 1, 2011November 17, 2016Leave a comment

Complex, passionate, and heartfelt setting of three Psalms.

Trio Premiere in Ann Arbor, MI

October 15, 2011November 1, 2016

with the Aurea Silva Trio in Kerrytown Concert House after the premiere of Variations

In October my Variations (2011) was premiered by the Aurea Silva Trio, comprised of Brandy Hudelson, flute; Gareth Thomas, bassoon; and David Gilliland, piano. The piece was composed for the trio and they blew the doors off with their performance!

New Work for Choir – “A Requiem” Premiere

October 1, 2011November 1, 2016

after the premiere of A Requiem for Mixed Chorus and Piano

September in Bloomington saw the premiere of A Requiem (2011), a work for choir and piano submitted last April as my Master’s Thesis. The performance was incredible thanks to the brilliant leadership of Benjamin Geier, my colleague from Indiana University and music director of Vox Reflexa. The first movement (“The Tower”) will be released on the upcoming Vox Reflexa New Millennium Composer’s Forum CD this Summer–more info will be available soon!

String Quartet performance in Kapadokya, Turkey

August 24, 2011November 1, 2016

from left: Beril Sun, Meriç Esen, Ezra Donner, Heidi Hoffman, Orhan Ahıskal

From August 8-16, 2011, I attended the Klasik Keyifler Composers’ Cauldron in Kapadkoya, Turkey. Composers Kamran Ince, Marc Mellits, and Michael Ellison, were in residence, along with many fabulous musicians from Turkey, Europe, and the United States. My new string quartet, was workshopped and performed by Orhan Ahıskal and Beril Sun, violins; Meriç Esen, viola; and Heidi Hoffman, cello, for a full house in Şakir Paşa Medrese, an Ottoman School. It was an amazing time and I was so grateful to be a part of it!

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Kapadokya, Turkey

August 24, 2011Leave a comment

DCIM100MEDIA

Istanbul – Day 2

August 6, 2011November 2, 2016Leave a comment

The famous Hagia Sophia:

The amazing Ottoman-era Topkapı Palace:

After sightseeing we went to Taksim to get some fresh air and dinner:

The awesome night life in Istanbul:

Istanbul – Day 1 (Continued)

August 6, 2011November 2, 2016Leave a comment

A scenic view of the Anatolian side of the city from across the water:

Formerly Ottoman Palaces, these amazing structures are now upscale hotels:

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When it began to get dark we hung out at this nice riverside park. I picked up a few postcards at a nearby gift shop:

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We ended the night with tea with more new friends, Nil and Tuba (who took the picture):

Istanbul – Day 1

August 5, 2011November 2, 2016Leave a comment

From August 5-19, 2011, I spent two amazing weeks sightseeing and studying in Turkey. This series of blog posts will hope to share some highlights of this incredible trip.

I arrived at Istanbul Atatürk Airport around noon on Friday. I had to buy a new cell phone after discovering that mine did not work in Turkey, and then spent almost an hour trying to connect to the wireless network in the airport before reaching my friend, Murat. He gave me instructions for how to get to Taksim on the Havas shuttle, and we met at an outdoor cafe, where he had tea and I had a beer (Efes, one of the national brews).