December 10, 2008 — University of Virginia music professor Judith Shatin's work "Tower of the Eight Winds" will have its world premiere Thursday at 8 p.m. as part of a special Elliott Carter 100th Birthday Celebration at the Library of Congress' Coolidge Auditorium, located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, S.E. in Washington.

The Verge Ensemble will present the new work for violin and piano, which was commissioned by the McKim Fund of the Library of Congress. "Tower of the Eight Winds" is named for the Tower of the Winds, still standing below the Acropolis in the ancient Roman agora in Athens. The four movements of the 14-minute work are named for particular winds: Taku, Barber, Caver and Williwaw. Complete program notes are online here.

Other works by Carter and Steve Antosca will also be performed. Antosca and Shatin will present a pre-concert lecture at 6:15. Read more about the Verge Ensemble here.

This concert is free but requires tickets, available from TicketMaster for a nominal service charge or by  calling 202-397-7328; 703-573-7328 or 410-547-7328. Click here for more information.

Called "marvelously inventive" by the Washington Post and "exuberant and captivating" by the San Francisco Chronicle, Shatin's music reflects her adventures as a timbral explorer. Her music is internationally performed and has been featured worldwide.

Shatin's music can be heard on the Centaur, Neuma, New World and Sonora labels. She has been commissioned by many organizations and ensembles across the United States.

You can hear a Noizepunk and Das Krooner interview with Shatin here. Read her Hearing Things newsletter here. Visit her online here.

For information about Judith Shatin, contact Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-586-3433 or jamesarts@worldnet.att.net.