The works of Florie Namir have been performed worldwide by NotoRious and Dinosaur Annex ensembles (USA), Meitar Ensemble (Israel), Quartetto Mansi (Italy), Prometheus Ensemble (Belgium), and Trio Elixir (France), among others.
“Expressive,” “vibrant” and “rhythmically driven” describe well the character and temperament of Namir’s music. It derives inspiration from various composers and sources, such as Debussy, John Adams, traditional Jewish melodies, while maintaining a unique language. Namir’s composition Dialogue for Two Pianos, received an honorary mention of Prof. Giselher Schubert, director of the Paul Hindemith Institute in Frankfurt. In this piece Namir integrated three sketches by Paul Hindemith which the composer never used himself. The score lives in the institute’s collection.
Native of Israel (b.1979) Florie Namir earned her Bachelor’s degree from Tel Aviv University under the guidance of Joseph Dorfman. Florie continued her studies in the USA with Richard Lavenda and Pierre Jalbert at Rice University. She earned her PhD from Brandeis University, where she studied with Eric Chasalow, Martin Boykan and David Rakowski.
Apart from “classical” works, Namir’s compositions include original songs and incidental music. Her collaboration project “Three Drops on My Hand” with choreographer Mina Muraoka was showcased at the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. Her commissioned work, “Delevarnu”, for reed quintet ensemble, has been recorded by Akropolis Reed Quintet on their album “Unraveled” and is soon to be published on Akropolis Collection. Most recently, Namir was commissioned by Israeli pianist Hagai Yodan to write a piece for his “60 seconds” project.
Education
Ph.D., Brandeis University, USA (2017)
M.Mus., Rice University, USA (2007)
B.Mus., Tel Aviv University, Israel (2004)
Residencies
Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, Nebraska City, NE (2012)
Czech-American Summer Music Institute, Prague (2010)
Film Scoring, Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Siena, Italy (2009)
Académie Musicale De Villecroze, France (2009)
Classical Composition, Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Italy (2008)
International Summer Academy of Music, Germany (2006, 2007)
Teaching
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Piano Lab (2012-18)
Northeastern University, Piano instructor (2012-2014)
Harvard University, Teaching Fellow (2012)
Brandeis University, Solfège and ear training (2008-2011)
Michael P. Hammond Preparatory Program, Rice University (2006-7)
Awards and Honors
Provost Award, Brandeis University (2014)
Firebrand Call for Scores, Selected Composition, ISAM Variations (2012)
Invited Composer, lecture, Tel-Aviv University (2012)
Israel Women Composers Forum Commission, Her Beloved Eyes (2012)
Irving G. Fine Fellowship for Music Composition, Brandeis Uni (2007-2012)
Outstanding Teaching Fellow Award, Brandeis University (2010)
Williamson Foundation for Music, grant (2010)
highSCORE Festival Commission, duo E110, Pavia, Italy (2010)
Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts grant (2009)
Prometheus Ensemble, Young Composers Workshop, Belgium (2009)
Accademia Musicale Chigiana, merit scholarship (2008-2009)
Gruppo Sperimentale Villanuccia Commission, Florence, Italy (2008)
Luoghi Immaginari Ensemble Commission, Turin, Italy (2008)
Accademia Musicale Chigiana, merit scholarship (2008, 2009)
International Summer Academy of Music scholarship (2006-2007)
The John H. Rauch Competition for Composers, Germany (2006)
Paul Hindemith Composition Competition, Tel-Aviv, Israel (2003) Holon Mayor’s Scholarship, Israel (2003)
Vocal
Her Beloved Eyes, recorder, violin, cello, harpsichord, 6.5’ (2012)
Prelude and Ariette C’est lextase langoureuse (Debussy orchestration), version I: soprano, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 5.5′ (2008)
version II: soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 5.5′ (2008)
And I Had No Time, baritone and piano, 12′ (2006)
Shedim (demons), choir, SMATB, 5′ (2004)
Entrance, mezzo-soprano, oboe, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass 10′ (2004)
Orchestra
Interruptions, 3,2,3,3 4,2,3,1 timp,3 perc, pno, strings, 8′ (2007)
Morphing Carter, 2,2,2,2 4,2,2 timp, perc, strings, 4.5′ (2005-6)
Other
Three Drops on My Hands, for tape, 3 pieces for dance, 6′ (2009)
Interruptions
ISAM Variations
for clarinet, violin, cello, piano; 8’ (2006)
The work was written for The John H. Rauch Memorial Composition Competition for Composers and named after the place of “birth”- The International Summer Music Academy (ISAM), Germany. Based on the melody “Baruch Habah” from the Amsterdam and Portuguese Jewish Diasporas’ Liturgy. The melody first appears in variation no. 5 in the cello and reappears in the final variation, where it is transformed to an original tune.
Recording:
Jonathan Hadas: clarinet ; Moshe Aharonov: violin Dan Weinstein: cello; Amit Dolberg: piano, Michelstadts, Germany 2012
R. II
for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion; 8’ (2005)
After I moved to the US, I discovered American Minimalism. I remember sitting at the music library at Rice University, listening to Phrygian Gates by John Adams. The music was so energizing and what you could do with so little change over time was a brand new and exciting language for me. It inspired me to write a work that will have the same rhythmic energy.
Prometheus Ensemble, Conductor: Bart Bouckaert
Antwerp, Belgium May 12, 2009
Call for scores winner
Her Beloved Eyes
for recorder, violin, cello, harpsichord; 6.5’ (2012)
The piece is based on a melody from the aria “Don’t weep, beloved eyes” by Maria Teresa Agnesi. When the melody appears the harmonic pace is stretched out and the music moves much slower than Agnesi’s aria, spending time on the dissonances of the new harmony. The music is structured in ¾ meter as a reference to Agnesi’s work, however, the result should sound unmetered. In this atmosphere, where time stands still, the work connects between the contemporary world and Agnesi’s world, two hundred years back.
Velo Haya Li Zman (And I Had No Time)
Three songs for baritone and piano on text by Haim Gouri; 12’ (2006)
Text by Haim Gouri
To purchase Delevarnu (reed quintet) sheet music, please contact: info@akropolisquintet.org
For all other scores and inquiries, please contact: florie@florienamir.com