Maribo Miniatures Woodwind Trio Commission-OVPR Curate Program

Project Title: "Maribo Miniatures" Woodwind Trio Commission
Submitted by: Dr. Scott Wright, Associate Professor of Clarinet, University of Kentucky

Project Overview:
"Maribo Miniatures" is a woodwind trio commission that expands the repertoire for the oboe, clarinet, bassoon trio ensemble while engaging and supporting a composer from an underrepresented community. The Maribo Trio, an all-School of Music faculty chamber ensemble is made up of Associate Professor of Clarinet, Dr. Scott Wright, Associate Professor of Oboe, Dr. ToniMarie Marchioni, and Assistant Professor of Bassoon, Dr. Allison Nicotera. The trio began working together as an ensemble in the Fall 2022 semester and has performed formal faculty recitals and on School of Music events many times over the past two years. As a faculty chamber ensemble, The Maribo Trio is dedicated to performing music from the existing repertoire for the ensemble at a high level, but the current canon of woodwind trios is lacking in variety. Music written for this combination of instruments is primarily French and from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It serves an important role in the literature, but expansion of the repertoire through renewed compositional ideas and varied identities of composers is paramount to the continued success of a genre. For that reason, The Maribo Trio has chosen to commission Susanna Hancock to write a piece that will contribute to the future of the woodwind trio as an ensemble by expanding their repertoire.
Asian-American composer Susanna Hancock resides in Cincinnati, Ohio and serves on the faculties of Miami University of Ohio and Northern Kentucky University. She will collaborate with The Maribo Trio to compose a twelve to fifteen minute, three-movement work that will be rehearsed and performed in a faculty chamber recital at the University of Kentucky during the Fall 2024 semester. Hancock will be invited to give a pre-concert talk and conduct a workshop with the composition students at the UK School of Music during her visit. The work will then be professionally recorded in the UK recording studio with audio engineer and UK Visiting Lecturer Eli Uttal-Veroff during the Spring 2025 semester. The recording will be nationally distributed. As a nod to the inception of The Maribo Trio’s name, each movement of the work will be inspired by a different faculty member's dog, exploring the intersection of music and personal narratives. The Maribo Trio seeks $5,000 in funding from the CURATE faculty research grant to help this project come to fruition.
Significance to the Field:
The existing canon of woodwind trio repertoire is relatively small as compared to more popular chamber ensembles such as the string quartet or piano trio. The collection of oboe, clarinet, and bassoon as a set chamber ensemble did not occur until the late 19th century and was not firmly established as a standard ensemble until the 1920s. The first woodwind trios were made up of French musicians, and most of the repertoire for the ensemble is French in its nationality and musical style. Composers from other countries have written for the woodwind trio, but the French roots of the ensemble are still evidenced by the majority of the woodwind trio repertoire. There has been an increased push within the music industry over the past decade to expand the canon with music of composers from underrepresented identities or backgrounds. The Maribo Trio seeks to expand the diversity of the woodwind trio repertoire and make the representative music of the ensemble more current by commissioning a work from a composer identifying with underrepresented groups.
Furthermore, "Maribo Miniatures” sets itself apart in the repertoire by infusing narrative elements into the music. Inspired by canine companions of ensemble members, “Maribo Miniatures” will be unique in the realm of contemporary woodwind trio compositions. The work enhances the repertoire with personal touches while maintaining an artistically professional level of composition. The piece seeks to engage audiences emotionally, fostering a deeper connection to classical music through personal storytelling. Upon in depth study and rehearsal of the work, The Maribo Trio will have the work professionally recorded and nationally distributed, further contributing to the reach and impact of the project.
Composer's Expertise:
Commissioned composer Susanna Hancock brings a wealth of experience to the project with a notable portfolio in composing for various ensembles, including woodwind groups. Her compositions have been performed by notable ensembles JACK Quartet, wildUp, Metropolis Ensemble, and many others. Her musical style is self-described as exploring “color, process, and acoustic phenomena.” Her proficiency in capturing nuanced emotions and storytelling through music, accompanied by a profound love of dogs, make Hancock the ideal collaborator for "Maribo Miniatures." She serves on the faculties of Miami University of Ohio and Northern Kentucky University while maintaining her own studio of private composition students.

Timeline of Events:
● September 2024: Completion of "Maribo Miniatures," followed by rehearsals.
● Fall 2024 semester: Premiere performance of “Maribo Miniatures” at a faculty chamber recital at the University of Kentucky School of Music. Composer Susanna Hancock to visit Lexington for the premiere and engage University of Kentucky composition students in a masterclass.
● December 2024: Proposal to be submitted for performance of “Maribo Miniatures” at the 2025 International Double Reed Society conference.
● Spring 2025 semester: Professional recording at the University of Kentucky recording studio with audio engineer Eli Uttal-Veroff, Visiting Lecturer at UK.
Additional Funding:
To further support the successful realization of "Maribo Miniatures," The Maribo Trio and composer Susanna Hancock anticipate applying for the Chamber Music America "Classical Commissioning" grant upon its next opening for proposals. This application, projected to be due in early April 2024, will provide artist fees of $1,000 to all three members of The Maribo Trio and up to $10,000 in commissioning fees and all projected costs associated with editing, copying, and publishing the work. If awarded these funds, The Maribo Trio will be able to utilize funds from both the CMA and CURATE awards to facilitate additional performances of the work, both regionally and nationally.

Project Title: "Maribo Miniatures" Woodwind Trio Commission
Submitted by: Dr. Scott Wright, Associate Professor of Clarinet, University of Kentucky

Project Overview:
"Maribo Miniatures" is a woodwind trio commission that expands the repertoire for the oboe, clarinet, bassoon trio ensemble while engaging and supporting a composer from an underrepresented community. The Maribo Trio, an all-School of Music faculty chamber ensemble is made up of Associate Professor of Clarinet, Dr. Scott Wright, Associate Professor of Oboe, Dr. ToniMarie Marchioni, and Assistant Professor of Bassoon, Dr. Allison Nicotera. The trio began working together as an ensemble in the Fall 2022 semester and has performed formal faculty recitals and on School of Music events many times over the past two years. As a faculty chamber ensemble, The Maribo Trio is dedicated to performing music from the existing repertoire for the ensemble at a high level, but the current canon of woodwind trios is lacking in variety. Music written for this combination of instruments is primarily French and from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It serves an important role in the literature, but expansion of the repertoire through renewed compositional ideas and varied identities of composers is paramount to the continued success of a genre. For that reason, The Maribo Trio has chosen to commission Susanna Hancock to write a piece that will contribute to the future of the woodwind trio as an ensemble by expanding their repertoire.
Asian-American composer Susanna Hancock resides in Cincinnati, Ohio and serves on the faculties of Miami University of Ohio and Northern Kentucky University. She will collaborate with The Maribo Trio to compose a twelve to fifteen minute, three-movement work that will be rehearsed and performed in a faculty chamber recital at the University of Kentucky during the Fall 2024 semester. Hancock will be invited to give a pre-concert talk and conduct a workshop with the composition students at the UK School of Music during her visit. The work will then be professionally recorded in the UK recording studio with audio engineer and UK Visiting Lecturer Eli Uttal-Veroff during the Spring 2025 semester. The recording will be nationally distributed. As a nod to the inception of The Maribo Trio’s name, each movement of the work will be inspired by a different faculty member's dog, exploring the intersection of music and personal narratives. The Maribo Trio seeks $5,000 in funding from the CURATE faculty research grant to help this project come to fruition.
Significance to the Field:
The existing canon of woodwind trio repertoire is relatively small as compared to more popular chamber ensembles such as the string quartet or piano trio. The collection of oboe, clarinet, and bassoon as a set chamber ensemble did not occur until the late 19th century and was not firmly established as a standard ensemble until the 1920s. The first woodwind trios were made up of French musicians, and most of the repertoire for the ensemble is French in its nationality and musical style. Composers from other countries have written for the woodwind trio, but the French roots of the ensemble are still evidenced by the majority of the woodwind trio repertoire. There has been an increased push within the music industry over the past decade to expand the canon with music of composers from underrepresented identities or backgrounds. The Maribo Trio seeks to expand the diversity of the woodwind trio repertoire and make the representative music of the ensemble more current by commissioning a work from a composer identifying with underrepresented groups.
Furthermore, "Maribo Miniatures” sets itself apart in the repertoire by infusing narrative elements into the music. Inspired by canine companions of ensemble members, “Maribo Miniatures” will be unique in the realm of contemporary woodwind trio compositions. The work enhances the repertoire with personal touches while maintaining an artistically professional level of composition. The piece seeks to engage audiences emotionally, fostering a deeper connection to classical music through personal storytelling. Upon in depth study and rehearsal of the work, The Maribo Trio will have the work professionally recorded and nationally distributed, further contributing to the reach and impact of the project.
Composer's Expertise:
Commissioned composer Susanna Hancock brings a wealth of experience to the project with a notable portfolio in composing for various ensembles, including woodwind groups. Her compositions have been performed by notable ensembles JACK Quartet, wildUp, Metropolis Ensemble, and many others. Her musical style is self-described as exploring “color, process, and acoustic phenomena.” Her proficiency in capturing nuanced emotions and storytelling through music, accompanied by a profound love of dogs, make Hancock the ideal collaborator for "Maribo Miniatures." She serves on the faculties of Miami University of Ohio and Northern Kentucky University while maintaining her own studio of private composition students.

Timeline of Events:
● September 2024: Completion of "Maribo Miniatures," followed by rehearsals.
● Fall 2024 semester: Premiere performance of “Maribo Miniatures” at a faculty chamber recital at the University of Kentucky School of Music. Composer Susanna Hancock to visit Lexington for the premiere and engage University of Kentucky composition students in a masterclass.
● December 2024: Proposal to be submitted for performance of “Maribo Miniatures” at the 2025 International Double Reed Society conference.
● Spring 2025 semester: Professional recording at the University of Kentucky recording studio with audio engineer Eli Uttal-Veroff, Visiting Lecturer at UK.
Additional Funding:
To further support the successful realization of "Maribo Miniatures," The Maribo Trio and composer Susanna Hancock anticipate applying for the Chamber Music America "Classical Commissioning" grant upon its next opening for proposals. This application, projected to be due in early April 2024, will provide artist fees of $1,000 to all three members of The Maribo Trio and up to $10,000 in commissioning fees and all projected costs associated with editing, copying, and publishing the work. If awarded these funds, The Maribo Trio will be able to utilize funds from both the CMA and CURATE awards to facilitate additional performances of the work, both regionally and nationally.

Due to some delays in the compositional process, the commissioning project was completed late in the Fall 2024 semester and the actual premiere performance took place on Thursday March 13, 2025 in the Singletary Center for the Performing Arts on the UK campus. This premiere performance was a 'live' performance attended by approximately 100 people. Students, faculty, community members, and the commissioned composer were in attendance for the premiere.

Because of the delay in receiving the actual composition and the resultant delayed public performance, the recording of the piece was also delayed. The actual recording took place over a three-day period--May 14, 14 and 21st 2025. Initial edits were received later in the summer, and final edits for the professional release are ongoing. It is our hope that those edits will be completed during the Fall 2025 semester with the professional release of the recording in early 2026. Along with the new piece by Susanna Hancock three other works from the Woodwind Trio canon of repertoire will also be included on the recording.