Student Recital
Dovetailing: A Composition Recital by Aaron Morrison & Leila Gottlieb
Aaron Morrison, composer
Leila Gottlieb, composer
Welcome to this duo-composers recital featuring composers Aaron Morrison and Leila Gottlieb. Our program features a wide array of styles, with original compositions, arrangements, and a on-the-spot four-hand piano improvisation performed by Leila and Aaron. Come enjoy some chamber music, solo piano, and jazzy arrangements along with an audience interactive experience of interpretive art. We will be holding a reception in the Great Hall.
Program:
Leila Gottlieb Wordless Poems: I. Follow
Leila Gottlieb, piano
Aaron Morrison Ripples
Andrew Gray, violin
Brooke Gunter, violin
Billy Holtz, viola
Haley Rasmussen, cello
Aaron Morrison with open eyes
Aaron Morrison, piano
Leila Gottlieb Wordless Poems: III. Flow
Claire Gunsbury, flute
Lena Shea, marimba
Leila Gottlieb, piano
Viviana Antonio, cello
Dovetailing: A free four-hand piano improvisation
Aaron Morrison, piano
Leila Gottlieb, piano
Errik Garner/Arr. Leila Gottlieb Misty
Claire Gunsbury, alto flute
Ellie Durr, bassoon
Camden Johnson, drum set
Leila Gottlieb, piano
Andrew Gray, violin
Aaron Morrison, viola
Viviana Antonio, cello
Radiohead/Arr. Aaron Morrison Weird Fishes
Leila Gottlieb, vocalist
Camden Johnson, drum set
Andrew Gray, violin
Brooke Gunter, violin
Billy Holtz, viola
Kai Su, viola
Haley Rasmussen, cello
Viviana Antonio, cello
Aaron Morrison is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and passionate music enthusiast. He is currently studying composition with Nancy Galbraith, with a minor in conducting, and will be graduating in the spring. This March, the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, conducted by Daniel Curtis, premiered Aaron’s orchestral work at the speed of trees at the annual Student Composer’s Concert. Also during his time at CMU, he has had a number of chamber works premiered at composer’s concerts, and last year organized Metamorphosis, a multimedia recital incorporating visual and electronic elements into his music. Born in New City, NY, and raised in Langhorne, PA and Mt. Washington, MD, Aaron has been surrounded by music his whole life, picking up viola, clarinet, and piano before high school. Growing up, he played in multiple bands and wrote the soundtracks to a number of homemade short films. He has recently been taking his music further outside of the classical bounds, collaborating with an animator on a short project and working with a singer-songwriter as a producer. His music is influenced by jazz pianists, film scores, minimalist composers, pop experimentalists, and video game soundtracks. He tries to find inspiration in all corners of the musical world and is on a mission to listen to as much music as he possibly can before dying.
Leila Gottlieb is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and budding conductor. She is currently studying composition with Nancy Galbraith, hoping to also complete a minor in conducting before graduating in the spring of 2025. Leila has directed and produced the “Freshman Showcase” for two consecutive years—a concert dedicated to the freshman composer’s compositions—and is excited to work with Nancy Galbraith more in the future in organizing more composer concerts. She is a dedicated performer in multiple ensembles across campus and on her own, including the CMU Chorus, CMU Singers, Counterpoint A Cappella, and a jazz band called “Lost and Found”. After premiering two new chamber works at the Showcase last year, she’s excited for more premieres to come. Growing up in Dallas, TX, Leila wasn’t originally set on the music path. After a lifetime of playing piano and section leading her high school choir, she realized music was more important to her than any other passion, and decided to dedicate herself to music. Although she loves chamber music and conducting, she’s not sure whether her main passion lies in that, electronic house music, or in singer- songwriting. Those are three very different musical worlds, but she’s attempting to bring them together and see how it goes. Her music takes influence from her favorite Impressionist/20th century composers, like Debussy, Kapustin, Gershwin, or Beach. She also loves to listen to as much new music as possible, and tries her best to incorporate a new style into each piece she writes. A lover of jazz, alternative/R&B, funk, house, and EDM music, her music holds a rhythmic mood that tries its best to encapsulate the right “vibe”.
Cost: Free and open to the public; No tickets required.
In accordance with Carnegie Mellon’s COVID-19 mitigation policies, all visitors to the university’s campus age 12 and older are required to be either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or, if not fully vaccinated, must have received a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of the event.
All campus visitors who wish to participate in this event must adhere to all current COVID-19 mitigation requirements. As of March 28, 2022, per CMU policy, facial coverings are optional in indoor campus spaces.
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