Bertolozzi’s gift for melody is nowhere more evident than in this gentle collection of compositions. Effortlessly shifting from sparkling meditations to the directness of a child’s gaze, Bertolozzi’s simplicity of presentation speaks to his confidence as a mature composer, capable of creating sophisticated, large scale works, but who can still pour out one beautiful melody after another. The composer writes more about his work: Meditation on “Divinum Mysterium”: From my many years in playing in houses of worship, this has become a signature piece. It is a simple adornment of the Gregorian Chant upon which it is based, and has suggested many things to different people…water, snow flakes, the twinkling of starlight, and even butterflies. I enjoy the myriad interpretations my listeners have come back with. The Children’s Corner: These miniatures were written as birthday, Christmas, and bar mitzvah gifts for little friends of mine (not so little any more!) for them to play on their instruments (flute, trumpet, piano, etc.). In using the letters of their names that correspond to the names of the musical notes, the gifts were further personalized, and part of the game was to see if one could hear the name as it appeared. Songs & Waltzes: For some reason I seem to have composed a fair number of waltzes. It’s not something I consciously set out to do, or did for any particular love of the genre, although I suppose in retrospect one could say that it was for love of the genre and that I just didn’t know it! I decided to assemble some of the better ones in alternation with contrasting pieces and present this piano suite in my solo concert performances. ARTIST BIOGRAPHY American composer Joseph Bertolozzi is forging a unique identity as a 21st century musician with works ranging from full symphony orchestra to solo gongs to suspension bridge. With increasingly numerous performances across the US and Europe to his credit, his music is performed in concert halls and conservatories, and he himself has played at such diverse venues as The Vatican and The US Tennis Open. His latest explorations in sound have brought him to ‘Tower Music,’ using the Eiffel Tower in Paris itself as his instrument for its 125th anniversary in 2014. This project builds upon ‘Bridge Music,’ his “audacious plan” (New York Times) to compose music for a suspension bridge using New York’s Mid Hudson Bridge. These works have brought Bertolozzi sustained international attention. In 2009 his CD “Bridge Music” (Delos) reached #18 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Music Chart. His concert music and theatrical scores have also enjoyed particular success, including “The Contemplation of Bravery,” an official 2002 Bicentennial commission for The United States Military Academy at West Point and his incidental score to “Waiting for Godot” at the 1991 Festival Internationale de Café Theatre in Nancy, France. He also has a large body of liturgical music for use in both Christian and Jewish worship. Skilled as a concert organist, he’s performed his own compositions as well as those of the classical literature in the US and in Italy, Poland, Portugal (for the US State Dept.), and Spain on some of the finest and oldest organs in the world, including St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. He is Organist and Choirmaster at Vassar Temple in Poughkeepsie, NY and Christ Episcopal Church, Suffern, NY. He also performs and composes for his percussion project “The Bronze Collection,” a unique collection of over 60 gongs and cymbals from around the world. Born in 1959 in Poughkeepsie, NY one year after his parents and sister emigrated from Lucca, Italy, he was a voracious reader as a child. When his interest turned to music he read biographies of composers, music encyclopedias, and ultimately musical scores from the local library. He began organ lessons solely to learn how to notate the compositions he aspired to create. He went on to receive his B.A. in music from Vassar College, and did further study at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana (with Xenakis and Donatoni), Westminster Choir College, and The Juilliard School, as well as numerous professional workshops with ASCAP, The American Music Center, and Carnegie Hall (contemporary conducting techniques with Boulez). His foremost influences are Wendy Carlos, Rick Wakeman, Yes, Messaien, Stravinsky, Gregorian Chant, Caravaggio and Bernini. He also counts among his favorites the work of Scriabin, Bartok, The Beatles, Leonardo da Vinci, Salvador Dali, Mark Rothko, the English Romantic painters Millais, Leighton and Waterhouse, poet Amy Jo Zook, and writer Nikos Kazantzakis.