Composer Stephen Jaffe. Photo credit: Les Todd

On April 26, 2020, the Musical Fund Society celebrates its 200th anniversary with the creation and sharing of music by nationally recognized composers. Stephen Jaffe, one of the four winning composers for the event, will be writing for the Network for New Music Ensemble this year. We were able to catch up with the acclaimed composer on his life and anticipation for the special event.

Jaffe comes from a long line of musicians and teachers, hearing a variety of classical, pop, religious, and show music at an early age. He creates his music through reflections of his own experiences with other musicians of over 50 years and derives his happiness through all types of music. Jaffe says that music reminds him that he is able to be part of something “amazingly grand in dimension.”

Currently, Jaffe lives in North Carolina, where he holds the post of Mary and James H. Semans Professor of Music Composition at Duke University. Jaffe's music has been performed across the United States, Europe, and Asia by ensembles like the National Symphony Orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the R.A.I. of Rome, the Miami String Quartet, the Ciompi Quartet, and more.

His list of accomplishments is too long to share, but among his awards are the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, Composer of the Year from the Classical Recording Society, the Best Newly Published Music Citation from the National Flute Association, and many more. Now, audiences in Philadelphia will hear the compositions of this great artist as the celebration of the Musical Fund Society’s 200th anniversary commences this spring.

Stephen Jaffe’s Three Arcs

Jaffe’s contribution to the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia’s 200th Anniversary is Three Arcs (Chamber Concerto No. 5), written for a Network for New Music Ensemble. It will be the second work he’s created for the Network for New Music and the second chamber concerto written for the group, following Light Dances (Chamber Concerto No. 2 of 2009). With a desire to compose with different instrumentation in mind, Jaffe composed Three Arcs with “muted colors” of an ensemble featuring flute, harp and guitar, percussion, and a string trio composed of violin, viola and contrabass.

With the Musical Fund Society in mind, the three movements of Three Arcs are linked to the region of Philadelphia in some way. Each movement describes a “musical arc” and includes simple polyphonic music where a chorus may be added. The first movement, Across the Vale, takes inspiration from the viola’s opening solo, which will be echoed by the ensemble.

The second movement, Still Life With Bell, references the ceramic Bell hanging above the Schuylkill River outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rather than paying tribute to Philadelphia’s most famous bell, the third movement, At Liberty, evokes Whispering Bells, Reginald Beauchamp’s sculpture outside the African American Museum at 7th and Arch. Jaffe wants his work to influence audiences to become fluent with our lives now, rather than touch on the nice pieces of our past.

“In this piece, I want listeners to have an experience encompassing adventure, sonically poetic beauty, and even humor,” Jaffe says. “I want them to feel the psychological curve of a whole, unusual theater of music as it unfolds, reflects on the symbols of Philadelphia, and presents a new and original music.”

Where Stephen Jaffe Finds Inspiration

Jaffe desires to inspire beautiful experiences of making music for his listeners, as well as himself. His greatest piece of advice to artists starting their careers as professional musicians is to learn how to do many musical things, write in a “variety of captivating speeds” and harmonic languages. He advises artists to be aware of what qualities of music move them most and discover how to bring these qualities to life in their own musical creation.

Ten years from now, Jaffe says, “God willing — Inshallah in Arabic — I will be healthy and enjoying composing, my walks and runs in the woods, and my family. To be able to continue collaborating with other musicians on new works, while not repeating myself: that would be pretty good, too.”

Tickets are on sale now for the Musical Fund Society’s Bicentennial Celebration on April 26. To experience unique music and remarkably special performances by some of the nation’s most esteemed artists, buy your tickets now!