Morris Moshe Cotel

Morris Moshe Cotel moshe.bmp (20586 bytes)
mmcotel@aol.com

Activites Update 1997-2005

Short Bio:

M.M. Cotel supplies his musical biography in less than 100 words:

At 13, Morris Moshe Cotel composed a four movement symphony in full score.
At 23, after graduating from Juilliard, he became one of the youngest winners of the
American Rome Prize in Music Composition.
At 33, he began publicly presenting music inspired by his Judaic studies.
At 43, he conducted the New York world premiere of his opera, Dreyfus, subsequently
produced in Germany and Austria.
At 53, while Chair of Composition at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, he commenced
rabbinical studies.

Selected List of Compositions & Premiere Performances

OPERA

Dreyfus, Opera in Two Acts (1980-83)

World Premiere at Brooklyn Academy of Music— January 17 & 19,1985

Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra— conducted by composer

Libretto
Mordecai Newman

Principal roles
Allan Glassman, Lynnen Yakes, James Rensink

Staging
Maurice Edwards

Movement
Jerome Sarnat

Sets
Robert Edmonds

Costumes
Natalie Walker

Lights
Wm. H. Grant III

European Premiere at Bielefeld Opera, Buehnen der Stadt Bielefeld, Germany, Sept. 21 - Dec. 11, 1993 (nine performances)

Conductor
Rainer Koch

Principal roles
William Oberholtzer, Sharon Markovich and Bent Norup

Staging
John Dew

Choral Direction
Mattias Koehler

Sets
Thomas Gruber

Costumes
Jose Manuel Vazquez

German translation
Alexander Gruber and Frank Harders-Wuthenow

Austrian Premiere at the Wiener Kammeroper, a co-production of the Staatsoper and Volksoper together with the Kammeroper, Vienna, Oct. 26 - Nov. 2, 1994 (four performances)

Conductor
M. M. Cotel

Principal roles
Rainer Zaun, Guri Egge and Rudolf Katzboeck

Staging
Angela Zabrsa

Sets and Costumes
Mimi Zuzanek

SYMPHONIC

Harmony of the World for String Orchestra (1975) Conductor: Sergiu Comissiona
Premiere: Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Theatre, Baltimore, Maryland, December 3/4, 1980.

Trope for Orchestra (1996)
based upon Torah cantillation.

CHORAL

The Fire and the Mountains for Chorus, Children's Chorus, Soloists and Percussion.(1977)
Premiere: Baltimore, Maryland, April 13, 1980, at the Holocaust Memorial Service sponsored by the Baltimore Jewish Council.
Sole U.S. winner in the International Competition "Holocaust and Rebirth".

Singers
The Peabody Concert Singers conducted by Edward Polochick
The Children's Chorus of Maryland conducted by Betty Bertaux

Percussionist
Mark Goldstein

ENSEMBLE

August 12, 1952: The Night of the Murdered Poets for Narrator and Chamber Ensemble (1978)
Premiere: The Lindenbaum Center, New York, November 18, 1978

Narrator
Richard Dreyfuss

Conductor
M. M. Cotel

PIANO

Yetzirah for Two Microtonal Pianos, (1979)
Premiere: "Meet the Moderns," Brooklyn Academy of Music, October 29, 1981;
Great Hall, Cooper Union, New York, October 30, 1981

Pianists
Meade Crane and Paul Hoffmann,

Betelgeuse for Piano Solo (1991)
U.S. premiere: Adalman Recital Series, Cotel Plays Cotel, Friedberg Concert Hall, Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore, January 27, 1993

Pianist
M. M. Cotel

European premiere at Musikpodium Biel, Switzerland, Komponistenportrait, October 14, 1992

Pianist
M. M. Cotel

Biography

MORRIS MOSHE COTEL began composing as a boy and wrote a symphony for full orchestra at age13. Ten years later, he won the American Rome Prize in Music Composition at age 23. He studied at the Peabody Conservatory during his early years and also holds degrees from the Juilliard School of Music where he worked with Vincent Persichetti and Roger Sessions. In addition, he studied composition with Darius Milhaud at Aspen, piano with Mieczyslaw Munz and conducting with Jorge Mester.

In the thousands of pages of music which he has composed during his career, Cotel has cultivated a wide range of expression - from his early romantic scores to atonal works, from aleatoric music to microtonality, and back again to the neo-romantic idiom. Cotel has also been active as pianist and conductor. As pianist, he took second prize in the International Arnold Schoenberg Piano Competition in Rotterdam in 1975. As conductor, he took the baton for the world premiere of his 2-act opera, Dreyfus, based upon the Dreyfus Affair, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York in 1985. Opera News hailed the work as "an opera that is musically compelling in its traditional lyricism and new-wave originality." Cotel was the sole U.S. winner in Israel's International "Holocaust and Rebirth" Competition for his choral cantata, The Fire and the Mountains. His political protest piece, The Night of the Murdered Poets, was premiered in New York with actor Richard Dreyfuss narrating and the composer conducting.

Cotel has received annual ASCAP awards since 1975 and is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. His works have been produced by major performance organizations in the United States, as well as foreign agencies such as Radiotelevisione Italiana and the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants such as National Endowment for the Arts, American Music Center and Meet the Composer, and his works have been played and broadcast throughout the world. His music has been published by Transcontinental Music and Israeli Music Institute as well as Midbar Music Press, his own imprimatur. He acted for many years as Chair of the Composition Department of the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University. He has been listed in Who's Who in American Music, International Who's Who in Music, and Who's Who in World Jewry.

Cotel's opera, Dreyfus, received its European premiere with the Bielefeld Opera in Germany in
September, 1993. Bielefeld staged 9 performances of the work to rave reviews. During the 94/95 season the opera received its Austrian premiere in a co-production of the Vienna Statts-and Kammeroper with the composer conducting. Cotel has also composed a 3-act opera, Deronda, based upon George Eliot's final novel, Daniel Deronda.

In May, 2000, Morris Moshe Cotel took early retirement from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, where he had been Chair of Music Composition, in order to undertake full-time rabbinical studies. In January, 2002, he was featured in the ABC documentary "Faith First - 2nd Career Clergy" which aired nationally. In February, 2002, Cotel travelled to Africa as a member of the bet din (rabbinic court) which performed the formal conversion of the Abayudaya tribe of Uganda to Judaism.

Cotel was ordained at the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York on May 20, 2003. Presently, he is Rabbi at Temple Beth El of Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn, NY. Concurrently, he is performing his one-man show Chronicles: A Jewish Life at the Classical Piano around the United States during the 2004-2005 season.

MAJOR COMPOSITIONS AND PREMIERE PERFORMANCES

OPERA

1. Dreyfus, Opera in Two Acts (1980-83)

World Premiere at Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the composer; libretto by Mordecai Newman, staged by Maurice Edwards, movement by Jerome Sarnat, sets by Robert Edmonds, costumes by Natalie Walker, lights by Wm. H. Grant III. Principal roles sung by Allan Glassman, Lynnen Yakes, James Rensink; January 17 & 19, 1985.

European Premiere at Bielefeld Opera, Germany, conducted by RainerKoch, staged by John Dew, sets by Thomas Gruber, costumes by Jose Manuel Vazquez, choral direction by Mattias Koehler, German translation by Alexander Gruber and Frank Harders-Wuthenow; Principal roles sung by William Oberholtzer, Sharon Markovich and Bent Norup; Buehnen der Stadt Bielefeld, Sept. 21 - Dec. 11, 1993 (nine performances).

Austrian Premiere at the Wiener Kammeroper, a co-production of the Staatsoper and Volksoper together with the Kammeroper, conducted by the composer, staged by Angela Zabrsa, sets and costumes by Mimi Zuzanek; Principal roles sung by Rainer Zaun, Guri Egge and Rudolf Katzboeck; Vienna, Oct. 26 - Nov. 2, 1994 (four performances).

2. Deronda, Opera in Three Acts (1985 - 1989)

Based upon George Eliot's final novel, Daniel Deronda. Libretto by Susan Yankowitz.

SYMPHONIC

1. Symphonic Pentad for Orchestra (1964)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma della Radiotelevisione Italiana, Foro Italico, Rome, F. Scaglia, Conductor — September, 1967.

2. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1968)

Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma della Radiotelevisione Italiana, Foro Italico, Rome, E. Gracis, Conductor; Composer as soloist — September, 1968.

3. Variations on a Theme by Haydn for Orchestra (1973)

Kol Israel Symphony Orchestra, recorded at Israel Broadcasting Authority; Sergiu Comissiona conducting, Jerusalem — June, 1973.

4. Harmony of the World for String Orchestra (1975)

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu Comissiona conducting Lyric Theatre, Baltimore,
Maryland — December 3/4, 1980.

5. Trope for Orchestra (1994-1995)

CHORAL

1. The Fire and the Mountains for Chorus, Children's Chorus, Soloists and Percussion.(1977)

Sole U. S. winner in International Competition "Holocaust and Rebirth," The Peabody Concert Singers conducted by Edward Polochick and the Children's Chorus of Maryland conducted by Betty Bertaux, with Mark Goldstein as percussionist; Baltimore, Maryland ; Holocaust Memorial Service sponsored by Baltimore Jewish Council — April 13, 1980 Recording: GS 1060 Grenadilla Records.

2. My Shalom, My Peace (poems by Jewish and Arab children) for Treble Chorus, Harp and Percussion (1980)

The Boys Choir of the 92nd St. Y together with The Boys Choir of The Day School conducted by Herman Perelshteyn; City Hall, New York; Jewish Heritage Week Inaugural Ceremony, May 26, 1982.

CHAMBER ENSEMBLES

1. August 12, 1952: The Night of the Murdered Poets for Narrator and Chamber Ensemble (1978)

Richard Dreyfuss, narrator; composer conducting, The Lindenbaum Center, New York, November 18, 1978 — Recording: GS 1051 Grenadilla Records.

2. Music for a Finite Space for Piano and String Quartet (1965)

Guarini Quartet with composer as pianist Villa Aurelia, Rome — April, 1967.

3. Suite Nonsense for Chamber Ensemble and Narrator (1965)

Villa Aurelia, Rome, composer conducting members of Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma — April, 1968

4. Variations for an Infinite Space for Strings and Winds (1970)

Members of Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra; composer conductingWise Auditorium, Jerusalem — May 1971

5. Humanoid Ritual Dances for Prepared Piano, Percussion and Tape (1971)

Composer as pianist; Pamela Jones as percussionist, U. S. Cultural Center, Tel Aviv — November, 1971.

6. Great Mother Goose Sweetmerge and Grand Foog for Pop-Vocal, Piano and Tape (1971)

Composer - Piano and Vocal; U. S. Cultural Center, Tel Aviv — November, 1971.

7. Scales and All for Alto Sax, Vibe, Bass and Percussion (1972)

Peabody Conservatory students with composer conducting, Peabody Concert Hall, Baltimore — February, 1974.

8. Oogamous for Piano, Vibraphone, Bass and Percussion (1972)

Peabody Conservatory students with composer as pianist, Peabody Concert Hall, Baltimore — February, 1974.

PIANO

1. Sonata for Piano, Four Hands (1966)

Composer and Sara Fuxon-Heyman, pianists, U. S. Cultural Center, Tel Aviv — November, 1971, Recording: GS 1060 Grenadilla Records.

2. Tehom for Three Pianos (1974)

Mark Wait, Meade Crane, Morris Cotel - pianists John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Wash., D.C.— July,1975.

3. Piano Sonata (1976)

Composer performing, Carnegie Recital Hall, New York — October, 1977, Recording: Grenadilla Records GS 1051.

4. Yetzirah for Two Microtonal Pianos (1979)

Meade Crane and Paul Hoffmann, pianists "Meet the Moderns," Brooklyn Academy of Music, October 29, 1981; Great Hall, Cooper Union, New York, October 30, 1981.

5. Haftarah for Piano Solo (1986)

Performed by the composer, Adalman Recital Series, Friedberg Concert Hall, Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore, April 1, 1987

6. Betelgeuse for Piano Solo (1991)

Performed by the composer, Adalman Recital Series, Cotel Plays Cotel, Friedberg Concert Hall, Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore, January 27, 1993; European premiere at Musikpodium Biel, Switzerland, Komponistenportrait, Morris Moshe Cotel, composer/pianist.

ACTIVITIES UPDATE 1997-2005

� Five Quatrains premiere performance on Adalman Recital Series at Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore; Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Soprano & Robert Sirota, conductor January 10, 1997.

� CAJE (Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education) Seminar at Stanford University, August 17-21, 1997. Presentation on compositions inspired by Judaic studies.

� Night of the Murdered Poets, Chicago Sinfonietta, Orchestra Hall, Chicago; Paul Freeman, conductor, October 26-27, 1997.

� Composition Seminar, University of Chicago, October 28, 1997.

� Night of the Murdered Poets, Musica Viva, University of Missouri at Kansas City, October 29, 1997. On this concert, the composer also performed Variations with a Little Help for Piano, Left Hand Alone.

� Ketzel the cat's Piece for Piano, Four Paws, transcribed by the composer, won Special Mention in the Paris New Music Review's "60 Seconds for Piano" International Competition. The article in the New York Times, which appeared
on November 10, 1997, was picked up by wire services around the country and throughout the world.

� Tehom for Three Pianos
� Haftarah, Fantasy for Piano Solo
� Variations With a Little Help for Piano, Left Hand Alone
� Piece for Piano, Four Paws by Ketzel the cat
All performed on Peabody Conservatory's Here & Now Series, January 21, 1998. World premiere of Ketzel's piece, performed by 10-year-old Shruti Kumar, was broadcast on National Public Radio the same day.

� One-hour video interview with the composer taped in New York on February 23, 1998, for Milkin Archive of American Jewish Music. This project is sponsored by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

� Five Quatrains published by SCI/European American Music, 1998 CD released by SCI/Capstone Records, 1998.

� Discussant, International Symposium, "The Act of Composition - Towards the 21st Century", Rubin Academy of Music, Jerusalem, Israel; Mar. 29 - Apr.3, 1998 Also delivered presentation of compositions at Bar Ilan University, Tel Aviv.

� United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Concert Series, Washington, D.C.. February 28, 1999: My Shalom, My Peace for Treble Choir, Harp and Percussion; Night of the Murdered Poets for Narrator and Ensemble. Performed by Concert Artists of Baltimore, Edward Polochick, Artistic Director.

� Mews' Muse for orchestra, based upon Ketzel's prize-winning piece, composed and scored summer 1999.

� Early retirement as Chair of Music Composition, Peabody Conservatory of Music of The Johns Hopkins University, May, 2000.

� Appointed Spiritual Leader of Congregation Beth David, Amenia, NY, September 2000.

� Ketzel's piece featured on 2 CD's released in 2001:
in Europe: WERGO 66492 "Don't Panic! 60 Seconds for Piano." Guy Livingston, piano.
in USA: CENTAUR 2511 "Purrfectly Classical." Noel Lester, piano.

� April 2001 - Cotel's "Variations on a Theme by Haydn" performed by Peabody Concert Orchestra, conducted by Edward Polochick.

� Cotel featured on ABC documentary "Faith First - 2nd Career Clergy" which aired nationally in January, 2002.

� In February, 2002, Cotel travelled to Africa as a member of the beit din (rabbinic court) which performed the formal conversion of the Abayudaya tribe of Uganda to Judaism.

� May 26, 2002, Memorial Day Weekend, Ketzel's piece was broadcast (again!) on National Public Radio, this time on Morning Edition.

� September, 2002, My Shalom, My Peace performed on special 9/11 concert at University of California/Berkeley by U.C. Berkeley University Chorus conducted by Marika Kuzma. Also performed at U.C. Berkeley on Oct. 26, 2002. Subsequently performed at Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco by same chorus, Marika Kuzma conducting, on Nov. 24, 2002.

� Dec. 6-10, 2002, Participant/discussant at think tank/conference "Be'chol Lashon" ("In Every Tongue"), Institute for Jewish and Community Research, San Francisco.

� April, 2003, Los Angeles Jewish Music Festival, "Beyond Bim-Bam: New Directions in Jewish Music," Neal Brostoff, Artistic Director. Cotel performed his solo piano fantasy, Haftarah, based upon synagogue trope. Also, 4 performances of Chronicles: A Jewish Life at the Classical Piano, a 75-minute one-man show conceived, written, and performed by Moshe Cotel.

� May 20, 2003, Ordained as Rabbi at Academy for Jewish Religion, New York.

� May 22, 2003, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion presents world premiere showing of documentary film Moving Heaven and Earth on the formal conversion of the Abayudaya Jews of Uganda. Produced by Diva Communications, Inc., the documentary was later broadcast on the Hallmark Channel and featured at film festivals around the U.S. Cotel was a member of the bet din (rabbinic court) that traveled to Africa on this mission and he is featured in this film.

� June, 2003, Appointed Rabbi at Temple Beth El of Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, New York.

� 2003-2004 season, 15 performances of Chronicles: A Jewish Life at the Classical Piano at synagogues and community centers around the country.

� Summer, 2004, Wrote monologues and chose repertoire for Chronicles II: More Teachings from a Jewish Life at the Classical Piano.

� 2004-2005 season, Continuing as Rabbi at Temple Beth El while also performing Chronicles in NY metropolitan area as well as 4 week-long mini-tours around the country. 18 performances currently scheduled for 2004-05 season.