User:Naamusic/sandbox

Biography
"""Nicholas Anthony Ascioti""" was born in Syracuse, New York on May 30th 1974. He attended the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY where he graduated in Composition and Conducting. He earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in Composition from Bennington College in Vermont. Many of his works such as Credo, song cycle for voice and guitar; Four Memories for piano and chamber orchestra; and String Quartet no. 2 have received premiere performances at Bennington College. Nicholas has studied with Allen Shawn, Dr. Amy Williams, and Stephen Siegel.

In October of 2006 Nicholas released his debut CD, Creation’s Voice, on the Albany Records label. Nicholas received his debut at the age of 21, with a commission from conductor David Allen Miller, to write for the Albany Symphony’s Chamber Orchestra the Dogs of Desire.

Nicholas focuses on chamber music, song cycles, and choral works. His piano music has received performances throughout the United States and Canada by Justin Kolb. His chamber works have been performed by sopranos Eileen Strempel & Nancy Loesch, tenor Alex Diaz, pianists Sylvie Beaudette and Amy Dissanayake, guitarist Christopher Ladd, and internationally recognized organists Maria Helena and Stephen Tharp. Ensembles include the Hyperion String Quartet, Adirondack Saxophone Quartet, Musicians of Ma’awlyck, Arcadia Brass Ensemble, The College of St. Rose Chamber Singers (under the direction of Robert Sheehan), The Bennington Contemporary Ensemble, and the Society for New Music. Nicholas has been a guest and his music is frequently heard on the Fresh Ink radio program on WCNY-FM. Nicholas was a composer-in-residence with the Society for New Music in Syracuse, where he participated in the ‘Composer in the Schools Program.’ As a conductor, Nicholas focuses on performances of the 20th century choral repertoire and as a concert promoter he oversees the Concert Series at St. Jude the Apostle Church. Nicholas currently lives in West Sand Lake, NY with his wife Emily and daughters Melody and Noelle. He serves as the Director of Music at St. Jude the Apostle Church and the St. Jude the Apostle School.

Creation's Voice
Nicholas’ debut CD Creation’s Voice was released in 2006 on the Albany Records Label. This CD features five song cycles Nicholas composed between 1999-2005. Credo (1999) is a set of prayers composed for tenor and guitar, Natural Questions (2004) has a text written by Richard Hibbert composed for soprano, flute, and piano, One Child’s Life (2004) also has a text by Hibbert was composed for tenor and cello, Music of the Spheres (2005) again a text by Hibbert is composed for tenor, oboe, and harp, and Four Settings of Margaret Atwood is a set of songs composed for soprano and piano with a text by Canadian poetess Margaret Atwood. Musicians on the CD include: Eileen Strempel, soprano, Mark Lawrence, tenor, Kenneth Myer, guitar, Christopher Dranchek, flute, Patricia DeAngelis, piano, George Macero, cello, John Lathwell, oboe, Karlinda Caldicott, harp, and Sylvie Beaudette, piano. At the heart of a poem is the struggle of the human spirit to discover its place in the universal reality of being and to give expression to its unique reality.[3] The soul of a poet is engaged in an ongoing conversation with life. Sometimes that conversation is dialectic; sometimes it is an exchange of questions; sometimes it is a proclamation of perceived truth; and sometimes it is a shout of joy at the mystery of it all. Whatever form it takes, the text is a baring of the soul that lies within as it seeks to find a connection with other souls. Music is an engagement of the universal human spirit with the interior being. When there is no language to give voice to what lies within, music becomes the channel through which the spirit can speak. Even as two listeners find different messages or interpretations in the music, they are joined by the language of music itself in what may be the most basic conversation in life. The intersection between the soul of the poet and the soul of the composer brings that conversation to a new level. As the composer lets the text draw forth the music, or as the text sparks the spirit of the music that is already present, there is a union created that is a whisper of the voice of the universe. The spirit that is life speaks in a mysterious way in that exchange and can then draw those who hear into an ever-expanding song of life. The pieces presented here offer a variety of perspectives in both textual and musical form. Yet they are phrases in the human dialogue that may help all of us find a new depth of understanding in our own conversation with life. They reveal our human desire to connect, to relate – to ourselves, to other human beings, to the cosmic reality of being, and ultimately to the Source of our being. In them, word and music give voice to our deepest longing and our eternal hope.