Julia Adolphe profiled by The New Yorker ahead of NY Philharmonic premiere

Composer and USC Thornton DMA candidate Julia Adolphe (MM ’12, composition) is the subject of a short profile in the Nov. 21 issue of The New Yorker, ahead of the premiere of her viola concerto, Unearth, Release, with the New York Philharmonic this week. Music critic Alex Ross explored the development of the concerto, which was commissioned by the orchestra in 2014 and was composed especially for violist and Thornton alumna Cynthia Phelps (’78).

“I learned so much along the way,” said Adolphe, reflecting on the process of composing the piece. “In a way, the story I wrote—of the viola starting enmeshed in the orchestra and then asserting her expressive identity—is my own story, too. I found my own voice in the course of the year.”

Unearth, Release will receive its world premiere with the New York Philharmonic in three performances, Nov. 17/18/19, at David Geffen Hall in New York City, led by conductor Jaap van Zweden. Adolphe has also been commissioned to compose a work for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, which will be premiered March 18, 2017 under music director and Thornton faculty member Jeffrey Kahane.