American Narratives – Music by Kyle Hovatter & Emma Logan

Experience American storytelling through new works by San Francisco-based composers Kyle Hovatter and Emma Logan for soprano and chamber ensemble. Program will include “Been Away (2018)” by Kyle Hovatter, and “War Letters (2015, 2018)” by Emma Logan. Featuring performances by Amy Foote (soprano), Sophie Huet (clarinet), Mia Nardi-Haffman (violin), Bridget Pasker (cello), and Naomi Stine (piano).
Kyle Hovatter’s (b.1986) works span orchestral, choral, chamber, and electronic genres. Often working closely with local San Francisco ensembles, his music has also been championed by players in Italy, Germany, France, Hungary, Romania, Australia, and throughout the United States. Recent collaborators include Sarah Cahill, sfSound, Jeff Anderle, Susan Nelson, Miguel Bonachea Diaz, Nonsemble, Amy Foote, Jarring Sounds, the International Low Brass Trio, the Silver Keys Trio, and Nicole Paiement. A collection of his works have been published by Imagine Music Publishing, and recently, his music was featured at the Sonic Bloom Festival and the International Double Reed Society.
Originally a chemistry major, Kyle Hovatter studied with Robert Coburn and Francois Rose at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. After graduating, he spent two years as the Director of Music at St. Peter School in Lodi, CA before moving to San Francisco to study with Elinor Armer at the San Francisco Conservatory and privately with Belinda Reynolds. He serves on the board of the Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition, is an active musician in San Francisco, a member of the International Orange Chorale, and a student of Dan Becker’s. Mr. Hovatter has a private piano studio and works as the organist and Director of Music at Zion Lutheran Church in San Francisco.
San Francisco-based composer Emma Logan (b. 1990) writes music that is emotionally compelling through the use of gesture, experimentation, and storytelling. Her piece, “Three Sisters” for flute trio, was selected as a finalist in the 2017 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. Emma is co-founder of the Helia Music Collective, an organization dedicated to promoting women in music. Helia’s next project will be in collaboration with Liaison Ensemble in the fall of 2018, featuring new music for Baroque instruments by women composers. Emma is also a curator for San Francisco’s Center for New Music and will present concerts for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In addition to her creative endeavors, Emma is the Operations Manager at the San Francisco Symphony.
Emma has worked with musicians and ensembles across the United States, including Inbal Segev, Opera Theater Unlimited, Fifth House Ensemble, Areon Flutes, the Guerrilla Composers Guild, Miolina, Aki Tsuyuko, Elevate Ensemble, Jane Rigler, SopraDuo, Ensemble for These Times, Siroko Duo, Fête Concerts, Fog City Duo, and Emblems Quintet. She has participated in the International Music by Women Festival in Columbus, MS, the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium with composer Robert Kyr, the Fresh Inc Music Festival with Fifth House Ensemble, and the Skaneateles Music Festival with composer Paul Moravec. Emma studied with David Garner at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (MM) and with Andrew Waggoner, Daniel S. Godfrey, and Nicholas Scherzinger at Syracuse University (BM).