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“MADE IN BALTIMORE” – BCGS Commissioning Program
In 2006, the BCGS Artistic Director Manuel Barrueco initiated a new program called “BCGS Commission Award” where a young and talented composer is commissioned to write a piece for the BCGS to be premiered during our concert season.
For the 2024-2025 season, the awardees are Zhishu Chang, Zac Fick-Cambria, Jack McGrath, and Antonio Sanz Escallón who will write ensemble works inspired by Charm City to be premiered on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 3:00 PM.
Zhishu Chang is a Chinese composer and performer based in Baltimore. Zhishu’s music has been described as “adventurous, meticulous, and inclusive with influences from traditional Chinese music.” Artistically, she strives to express humanity’s sympathy and arouse people’s-concerns regarding self-esteem, the natural environment, and intercultural reflections. Zhishu received a BM and MM in composition from China Conservatory of Music and an MM in composition at the Peabody Institute in 2022. Currently, she is pursuing a DMA in composition at the Peabody Institute. Her piece As Dawn Takes Rosy Steps takes inspiration from Baltimore’s urban landscape
Antonio Sanz Escallón is a composer and pianist who focuses on projects involving theater, poetry, and music. His work explores unusual, surreal, intense, and mystic experiences embodied through sounds and texts. His music has been performed by the ensembleLoadbang, Hub New Music, Ensemble Concept/21, and The Rhythm Method Quartet, among others. Antonio received a BM in composition at the Moores School of Music, where he studied with Rob Smith and Marcus Karl Maroney. He is currently working toward his MM in composition studying under Kevin Puts at the Peabody Institute. His piece City Fragments is inspired by three places in Baltimore.
Zac Fick-Cambria is an American composer and upright bassist. His compositional work has largely been focused on chamber and electronic music. Navigating a sea of genre fluidity, his aesthetic leans toward warped rhythmic gestures and post-minimalist soundscapes. Fick-Cambria’s works have been premiered by ensembles and performers such as Nadia Sirota, Chris Gross, and Parker Quartet. Zac earned a BM in composition with a minor in conducting from Berklee College of Music and an MM in composition from the Peabody Institute, where he is currently a doctoral candidate. His piece Frew Tape, 1982, takes inspiration from purported footage of “Chessie,” the Chesapeake Bay Sea Monster
Jack McGrath is a Baltimore-based composer and recent UMBC graduate. Primarily inspired by soundtracks, he incorporates elements of folk, jazz, and electronic music in his works. His composition Days Passing was premiered by the Bergamot String Quartet in Fall ’23 and his piece River premiered last May by the UMBC Cello ensemble, directed by Gita Ladd. Outside of composing, he enjoys playing guitar in his free time and playing bass with the UMBC Jazz Ensemble, which recently performed at Keystone Korner. His piece Smalltimore is inspired by the idea of connections and coincidence in the city.
Linehan Concert Hall is easy to visit, with plenty of free parking. Please visit here for directions and parking information.
This program is supported in part by Musica Canis Avem.
BCGS programs are supported by The Maryland State Arts Council, The Citizens of Baltimore County, the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County, the Augustine Foundation, the Cape Foundation, the D’Addario Foundation, the Guitar Center Music Foundation, the Savarez Foundation, William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artist Portfolios, www.BakerArtist.org, and individual donors and members. Thank you.
