The Arts in Conversation
Bruce Wolosoff, Artistic Director
Reflections in Music is a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring in new audiences of all ages and backgrounds to classical music. Through performances and conversation, we present our audiences with original programming that is intended to spark new ways of thinking about and engaging with the classical musical experience.
Our artistic director is Bruce Wolosoff, an internationally acclaimed composer, pianist and educator, who frequently collaborates with leading artists across a variety of disciplines.
Since Bruce took the helm at Reflections at the end of 2020,
we have presented the following programs:
Reflections on Poetry and Inspiration
An online mini-festival of three programs exploring the relationship between poetry and other art forms, featuring acclaimed poets, composers, musicians, dancers and artists-
(Mostly) Music Inspired by Poetry, (Mostly) Poetry Inspired by Music, Young Musicians Concert
Music in Response to Climate Change
A live concert featuring the world premieres of two cello sonatas “Paradise Found” and “Requiem for the Planet” composed by Bruce Wolosoff during the pandemic. Joining the composer was world renowned cellist Sara Sant'Ambrogio, a Grammy-award winner and founding member of the Eroica Trio.
An on-line program reminding us of the beauty of this world featuring artwork, music and dance performances.
A conversation and performance in which Mr. Wolosoff discussed some of his favorite piano works by Claude Debussy, providing a look under-the-hood into how they are made.
Live concert featuring music inspired by the artwork of Henri Matisse including the world premiere of Wolosoff’s “Matisse Fantasies”.
A survey of Ellington’s music, including concert music, sacred music, and dance music, performed by Art Baron & The Duke’s Men.
Our next season will include a new series of presentations by Mr. Wolosoff entitled "How to Listen,” in which he will teach people how to listen to music with an insider’s understanding of its basic elements
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
BRUCE WOLOSOFF is a pianist and internationally performed composer of solo, chamber, and orchestral music. Lauded as “an authentic American voice” by critic Thomas Bohlert for his integration of classical, jazz, blues, and contemporary influences, Wolosoff often composes in response to visual art and through collaborations with leading artists across a variety of disciplines.
Recent projects include a Billboard Top 10 chart recording of two cello sonatas, Paradise Found and Requiem for the Planet, for Avie Records with cellist Sara Sant’Ambrogio of the Eroica Trio; a double concerto for violinist Michael Guttman and cellist Jing Zhao; and Lacrymae for cellist Inbal Segev’s “20 for 2020” project.
Photo Credit: Jaime Lopez
Upon its release in 2019, the recording of Wolosoff’s “Concerto for Cello and Orchestra,” performed by Sant’Ambrogio and Grzegorz Nowak with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, also reached the Billboard Top 10 classical chart. Critic Jerry Dubins of Fanfare Magazine described the concerto as one of “compelling beauty” that “can be declared an instant masterpiece.” Wolosoff joined Ms. Sant’Ambrogio in another recording, for April, a work for cello and piano inspired by the charcoal drawings of April Gornik. In honor of the Roswell Artists-in-Residence Program’s 50th anniversary, Wolosoff was commissioned to write The Astronomer’s Key, a piano quartet informed by the artwork of Milton Resnick. The Eroica Trio commissioned The Loom, a piece inspired by watercolors by Eric Fischl. These last three pieces were recorded by the Montage Music Society for the 2019 album “Creating Music Inspired by Visual Art.”
Wolosoff collaborated with the late choreographer Ann Reinking on two ballets: The White City, and
A Light in the Dark. The White City, based on the novel by Erik Larsen and made in partnership with Thodos Dance Chicago, enjoyed a two-season tour around the country. The Chicago Sun-Times named it “Best Dance of 2011.” A Light in the Dark, inspired by the lives of Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan, was nominated for an Emmy Award in Outstanding Achievement for Arts Programming. The Chicago Sun-Times described the production as “a feast for the senses,” Dance Magazine as “masterful,” and the Chicago Stage Standard as having “the hallmarks of an instant classic.”
Born in New York City in 1955, Wolosoff played in a variety of rock bands as a teenager while pursuing studies in classical piano performance. During his early career as a freelance classical pianist, Wolosoff’s debut recital earned a glowing review from then-New York Times music critic Tim Page, who wrote that “Mr. Wolosoff is an artist with ideas. He combines keen musical insight with a prismatic sense of tonal color.” Wolosoff began receiving wider acclaim as a composer with the release of Songs Without Words on Naxos American Classics, a collection of 18 divertimenti performed by the Carpe Diem String Quartet.
Wolosoff earned a B.A. from Bard College and an M.M. from the New England Conservatory. He lives on Shelter Island with his wife, the artist Margaret Garrett.