Performances

Brian Kershner has performed with Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Jupiter Symphony in New York, and the New Jersey Symphony. He has performed concertos with Newtown Chamber Orchestra, the New Brunswick Chamber Orchestra, and the Riverside Symphonia.

As part of an all-Hindemith CD, he is recording the Hindemith Concerto for Trumpet and Bassoon with the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra. Dr. Kershner can also be heard in other recordings with the MCO.

Compositions

Brian Kershner's compositions have received enthusiastic premieres across the United States.

The Sonata for Bassoon and Piano (1989) and Contours, Canons, and Caricatures (1992), for saxophone quartet are available on CD on the Vienna Modern Masters label. The latter won a special commendation from the judges in their 1994 VMM competition and is published by Roncorp. He is also the performer on the bassoon recording, playing with Rutgers colleague, Paul Hoffmann.

Many of his double reed compositions as well his wind quintet are published by Bocal Music.

Of his American Songs, for tenor, bassoon and chamber orchestra, based on the poetry of several American poets of this century, Classical New Jersey (June 11, 1997) says "...Kershner's textpainting was particularly moving and effective, capturing both the nuances and general feeling of each poem. The seamless streams of consciousness in these poems were well adapted into fluid gestures and orchestration."

Conundrums, for unaccompanied clarinet, was premiered in November 1997, and was published by Roncorp in Fall 1999. Strata (1998), a suite for Wind Ensemble, was premiered and recorded by the Rutgers Wind Ensemble in the Spring of 1999, and is part of a new Mark CD.

His most recent works are Duo Fantasia, for Tuba and Percussion (1999), premiered in Fall 2000, and a new concerto, Portraits for Bassoon and Orchestra, commissioned by Riverside Symphonia and premiered in a series of concerts, the composer as soloist, in April of 2001.

Sound Clips {RealAudio format}

• Sonata for Bassoon and Piano (1989)
  (from Vienna Modern Masters CD VMM2016)
• Contours, Cannons, and Caricatures (1992)
  (from Vienna Modern Masters CD VMM2015)
  Contours, Cannons, and Caricatures for saxophone quartet is in three movements. The first, Largheto, is intensely contrapuntal, but non-imatative. Each voice expresses its own distinct "contour". The second movement, an energetic Allegro, is a set of intertwining cannons, providing a foil to the Contours movement. Caricatures is a distorted homage to the traditional saxophone quartet of the French school.
  
• Strata : I - Fanfare * II - Fables * III - Fripperies * IV - Festivus
  

[e-mail: bkk@rci.rutgers.edu] [Music 117] [732-932-8788]