2008 SPCO Reading/title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <style type="text/css">  </style></head>  <body bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#333333" link="#ff0000" vlink="#ff0000" alink="#ff0000" leftmargin="0" topmargin="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="5" valign="top"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="1" bgcolor="#ffffff"> <tbody><tr> <td width="23" bgcolor="#ff0000"><img src="spacer.gif" width="23" height="10"></td> <td width="181" valign="top" bgcolor="#000000"> <table width="181" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody><tr> <td><img src="spacer.gif" width="50" height="65"></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center"> <img src="MikespcoReading.JPG" border=0 alt=""><br> <font color="#ffffff" size="1.5" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>2008 SPCO Reading</strong></font></div></td> </tr> </tbody></table></td> <td width="165" bgcolor="#333333"><img src="red-molecule.gif" width="165" height="103"></td> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#232323"> <div align="left"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#333333"> <tbody><tr> <td width="142" rowspan="2" valign="top"><strong><img src="black-molecule.gif" width="142" height="103" align="bottom"></strong></td> <td valign="top"><img src="spacer.gif" width="50" height="65"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> <div align="left"><font color="#ffffff" size="3" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong></strong></font></div></td> </tr> </tbody></table> </div></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#666666"> </td> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#333333"> </td> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#666666"><img src="gray-molecule.gif" width="165" height="19"></td> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#484949"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="24" valign="top"><img src="spacer.gif" width="24" height="23"></td> <td width="1" rowspan="2" bgcolor="#999999"><img src="spacer.gif" width="1" height="1"></td> <td width="181" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"> <table width="181" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" height="400"> <tbody><tr> <td width="20"> </td> <td width="169"><img src="spacer.gif" width="159" height="23"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign=top> <div align="left"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="index.html">Home</a></font></strong></div><br><br>  <div align="left"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href=p6.html>Audio Samples</a></font></strong></div><br><br> <div align="left"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href=p1.html>Elizabeth LaCroix</a></font></strong></div><br><br> <div align="left"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href=p2.html>Baby!</a></font></strong></div><br><br> <div align="left"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href=p3.html>Music/Arts Links</a></font></strong></div><br><br> <div align="left"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href=p4.html>Food Links</a></font></strong></div><br><br> <div align="left"><strong><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href=p5.html>Contact Info</a></font></strong></div><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br> <img src="cancounlogo.jpg" border=0 alt="">   <a href=# xxx="Elizabeth LaCroix"></a> <a href=# xxx="Baby!"></a> <a href=# xxx="Music/Arts Links"></a> <a href=# xxx="Food Links"></a> <a href=# xxx="Contact Info"></a> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td width="1" rowspan="2" bgcolor="#999999"><img src="spacer.gif" width="1" height="1"></td> <td> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="15" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td valign="top"> <p class="title"><font color="#ff0000" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><div align=left><font color=>Michael LaCroix</font></div></strong></font></p> <p><font size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <div align=left><font color=><br><br>Michael LaCroix is a composer born in Canada and currently living in Chicago with his wife Elizabeth and their two daughters.<br><br>He has received awards in the <a href=http://www.socanfoundation.ca>SOCAN Foundation's</a> Young Composers Competition in Canada (for his piano work, Potens Nuntius), and in the <a href=http://www.ivanspassov.hit.bg/ecompwin4.htm>Fourth International Prof. Ivan Spassov Composition Competition in Bulgaria</a> (for Twelve Faces of the Emerald). His music has been featured in concerts, festivals, and workshops across North America, South America, and Europe, by such performers as: <a href=http://www.thespco.org/>The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra</a> and conductor <a href=http://contempo.uchicago.edu/people/colnot_bio.html>Cliff Colnot</a> in Chicago; The <a href=http://www.orchestrenational-lorraine.fr>Orchestre National de Lorraine</a> and conductor <a href=http://www.ingpen.co.uk/artist_detail.php?aid=37>Diego Masson</a> in <a href=http://www.mairie-metz.fr/METZ/ARSENAL/ARSENAL_ACOUS-REP.html>Metz</a>, France as part of the <a href=http://acanthes.com>Acanthes Festival</a>; <a href=http://eighthblackbird.com>Eighth Blackbird</a> in Chicago; mezzo-soprano <a href=http://www.sospeso.com/contents/musicians/bentley.html> Julia Bentley</a>; the <a href=http://fluxquartet.com>FLUX String Quartet</a> at CAMI Hall in NYC; <a href=http://www.eighthblackbird.com/lisa_kaplan>Lisa Kaplan</a> at PianoForte Inc. in Chicago; by Detroit Symphony Orchestra pianist, <a href=http://www.music.wayne.edu/profile.php?id=105 >Robert Conway</a> in solo concerts in Detroit and Windsor, Canada, as well as part of a duo with Canadian pianist <a href=http://catherinewilson.com>Catherine Wilson</a> in Abbotsford, B.C. and Toronto, Canada, Detroit, MI and Columbus, OH; the ensemble of the <a href=http://www.musicacademyonline.com/composer/biographies.php?bid=91>ARCANA Composers’ Meeting</a> in Capriolo, Italy; Brazilian concert pianist Paulo Gazzañeo on two separate tours across South America; Third Angle New Music Ensemble in Portland, OR; Ensemble Green in California; by the composer as pianist at La Schola Cantorum in Paris, France, and at the Detroit International Jazz Festival; and others.<br><br>Michael has received grants from the <a href=http://canadacouncil.ca>Canada Council of the Arts</a>; the Arts Council at the University of Chicago; a Wadmond Travel Stipend from the University of Chicago Music Department; a François Furet Travel Grant from the Chicago France Center at the University of Chicago; a scholarship to attend the EAMA program in Paris, France; a Bursary from Centre Acanthes to attend the Composers Workshop; a Humanities Travel Grant from Wayne State University as well as full scholarships from the University of Chicago and Wayne State University in addition to many other one time scholarships and awards from various organizations.<br><br>Upcoming or very recent performances include:<br><br>a tour of <a href=http://michaellacroix.com/12faces.htm>Twelve Faces of the Emerald</a> (read about the first performance of the work in 8bb’s blog in the entry <a href=http://www.eighthblackbird.com/blog/2007/05/14/prima-primas/>Prima Prima’s</a>) beginning at the Chicago Cultural Center on July 21, 2008 featuring soprano Jennifer Macfarlane Haworth and members of the <a href=http://mcplayers.com>Millennium Chamber Players</a>, as well as dates in early August 2008 in Toronto and Montréal including a performance at the <a href=http://www.myspace.com/jusquauxoreilles>Jusq’ aux oreilles Festival</a> with baritone Brad Jungwirth as soloist. (Read the short, but favorable, review from the <a href=http://communities.canada.com/MONTREALGAZETTE/blogs/wordsandmusic/archive/2008/08/08/george-iii-telling-it-like-it-isn-t.aspx>Montréal Gazette</a>.)<br><br><a href=http://michaellacroix.com/presence.htm>A Presence Close as Breath</a>, which received its première by Eighth Blackbird on May 23, 2008, will be featured during a reading session at the <a href=http://aventa.ca>Aventa</a> Composers Workshop in Victoria, B.C., Canada, in early September 2008.<br><br>…like the strain waked…, his new work for viola and cello, will receive its première in Italy this coming season (date TBA). He began composing the new work while attending the 2008 <a href=http://intrasonus.eu>Intrasonus</a> Workshop in Mestre-Venice, in consultation with performers Garth Knox and Rohan de Saram, and composers Roberto Rusconi and Adriano Guarnieri. Support for the completion of this project comes from a Summer Stipend from the Chicago Arts Council at the University of Chicago.<br><br>A new work, yet to be titled, commissioned by the <a href=http://windsorsymphony.com>Windsor Symphony Orchestra</a>, with support from a Commissioning of Canadian Composers Grant from the Canada Council of the Arts, to be premièred as part of the Windsor Canadian Music Festival in February 2009.<br><br> Michael is currently in residence as a student in the PhD program in music composition at the <a href=http://music.uchicago.edu>University of Chicago</a>, where his principle teachers have included <a href=http://www.presser.com/Composers/info.cfm?Name=MARTAPTASZYNSKA> Marta Ptaszynska</a>, <a href=http://www.presser.com/Composers/info.cfm?Name=SHULAMITRAN> Shulamit Ran</a>, <a href=http://elzbietasikora.com>Elzbieta Sikora</a>, and electronic and multimedia music with Howard Sandroff and <a href=http://www.kotokasuzuki.com>Kotoka Suzuki</a>. He graduated Cum Laude from <a href=http://music.wayne.edu>Wayne State University</a>, Detroit, MI, with a BMus in Jazz Piano, and continued at WSU with graduate work in composition under <a href=http://jameshartway.com>James Hartway</a>. He has also had short term studies or participated in master classes with internationally recognized composers Jan Radzynski, Salvatore Sciarrino, Fabio Nieder, Michèle Reverdy, Lukas Foss, Noël Lee, Leslie Bassett, James Lentini, Narcis Bonet, and Philip Lasser.<br></font></div></font></p></td> </tr> </tbody></table></td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td bgcolor="#e0e0e0"> </td> <td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10"> <tbody><tr> <td><div align="right"><font color="#000000" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="1"> © Copyright Mike & baby after long hunt for true Neapolitan pizza in lower Manhattan 2003. 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