Robert Honstein's 25-26 Season PreviewNYU appointment, Rocket City New Music commission, Juvenalia & Sonnets premiere, and videos of my Hong Kong residency
News and events for Robert Honstein! Visit my website for more info.
Performing Sonnets for soprano, percussion and piano at the Sheung Wan Civic Centre Theater, Hong Kong with soprano Joanne Shao and percussionist Matthew Lau, June 7, 2025 (Photo Credit: Jeff Cheng)
Hello friends,
Happy fall and the start of the 2025-26 concert season! I have some exciting premieres coming up, but first, I wanted to let you know that I’ve accepted the position as Clinical Assistant Professor of Music at NYU Steinhardt, starting this year. As most of you know, I've been teaching and working at NYU in various capacities for almost ten years. During that time, working with NYU students and colleagues has been a privilege, joy and source of constant inspiration. I'm thrilled to continue that work in this new role and excited to see where it takes me next. On to the music...
Last season ended on a high note, with a week long residency with the Up:Strike Project at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, culminating in a portrait concert where I performed in a new version of my Sonnets for soprano, percussion, and piano, while the Up:Strike Project premiered my Yet in my sad heart for percussion quartet and track alongside older works, Patter and Is it Auburn?. We were even interviewed on Hong Kong’s RTHK, with a preview performance of Sonnets (Video here).
On the premiere front, I’m currently finishing up a large chamber ensemble work for Rocket City New Music. Premiering December 20th in Huntsville, AL, with a Meet-the-Composer event on the 18th, the three-movement work is scored for eight performers (oboe, clarinet/bass clarinet, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, vibraphone, and piano). In March and April, percussionist Garrett Arney will premiere the wind ensemble arrangement of my percussion concerto, Juvenalia, with the ASU Wind Symphony, Yale Concert Band, and East Carolina University Wind Ensemble. Finally, the complete eight-part song cycle Sonnets for soprano and chamber ensemble will be premiered and recorded by the No Exit New Music in Ohio May 28-30, 2026.
Last but not least, keep your ears out for an album of my string quartets, slated for release in June 2026 on New Focus Recordings. Much more to come about that as we get closer to the release date. In the meantime, please take a look at my full season calendar here: https://www.roberthonstein.com/202526-season
Sonnets, version for soprano, percussion and piano
Music to Hear, commissioned by The Living Earth Show and Tanner Porter (more info soon)
Interview/Performance on Ratio Television Hong Kong
Upcoming Performances
Oct. 3: "Bow Lines" from An Economy of Means in Cologne, Germany
Oct. 29:De Apostolis in Manitoba, Canada
Nov. 2: Iwo Jedynecki and Karolina Mikolajczyk perform selections of Floriography, arranged for accordion and violin.
Nov.13-15: VT Percussion Ensemble performs An Index of Possibility with choreography at PASIC
Jan. 30: The Living Earth Show with Tanner Porter perform Music to Hear at PIVOT Festival in San Francisco
Feb. 14: Colin Currie & Ensemble 360 perform Continuous Interior
Yet in My Sad Heart was commissioned by The Up:Strike Project, Dr. Matthew Lau & Karen Yu, directors. It was premiered on Saturday, June 8, 2025 at the Sheung Wan Civic Centre Theater, Hong Kong by the Up:Strike Project, featuring Matthew Lau, Karen Yu, Samuel Chan, and Bevis Ng.
