In Thursday’s (9/15) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Andrew Druckenbrod writes, “Pop and rock groups have had the choke hold on bizarre and absurd names for decades: from the Lovin’ Spoonful to Toad the Wet Sprocket to Death Cab for Cutie. … So while at first blush it might appear that the Slee Sinfonietta, performing Friday at University of Pittsburgh’s Bellefield Hall, is a hip indie group or perhaps a contemporary of the Electric Light Orchestra, there’s no such intrigue. It has a less sexy origin: a name. ‘Frederic Slee was a Buffalo-area lawyer and patron, a person who had studied composition and musicianship with [Nadia] Boulanger,’ says David Felder, a composer on the faculty of SUNY Buffalo and director of its Center for 21st-Century Music. … Founded by Mr. Felder in 1997, the Slee Sinfonietta is the in-house, professional orchestra of the Center for 21st-Century Music. It can be a small group of soloists one day and an orchestra the next, depending on the works being performed. ‘Such flexibility allows for diverse repertoire,’ he says. ‘Our mandate is to present neglected repertoire.’ … Slee Sinfonietta’s appearance on the Pitt series will do just that with a concert of Donald Erb’s ‘Sunlit Peaks and Dark Valleys,’ Mr. Felder’s ‘Another Face,’ Andrew Rindfleisch’s’ ‘What Vibes!’ and Mr. Rosenblum’s ‘Ancient Eyes.’ ”
Posted September 15, 2011
