Commissioning and New Music
David Hattner’s work with living composers has been a central part of his artistic life for more than two decades. His programming has resulted in approximately 45 commissioned works and more than 60 world, national, and regional premieres, ranging from major orchestral works to music created specifically for young musicians.
These projects have developed through long-term relationships with composers, collaborations with performers and ensembles, and a commitment to giving new music a life beyond its premiere. Many of the works Hattner has commissioned or introduced have subsequently received additional performances, recordings, and wider circulation.
Collaborating with Living Composers
Hattner’s commitment to new music extends throughout his tenure with the Portland Youth Philharmonic and includes commissions, world premieres, American premieres, and first performances of new orchestral versions. These projects have ranged from concertos and symphonic works to music created for unusual combinations of performers, often developing through direct collaboration with the composers.
David Hattner with Anna Song, composer Jessica Meyer, and poet Alicia Jo Rabins following the world premiere of Because I Will Not Despair, featuring In Mulieribus
Major Projects
Selected artistic projects and collaborations reflecting David Hattner’s work as a conductor, programmer, and advocate for new approaches to orchestral performance.
David Hattner rehearses with clarinetist David Shifrin and the Portland Youth Philharmonic in James Stephenson’s Clarinet Concerto Liquid Melancholy, co-commissioned by PYP.
Youth Orchestra Commissioning Initiative
During the COVID-19 pandemic, David Hattner launched the Youth Orchestra Commissioning Initiative to create meaningful artistic opportunities for living composers while expanding the repertoire available to youth orchestras. The initiative commissioned more than 30 new works by composers from across the United States. Conceived for young musicians working under extraordinary circumstances, the project has had a life well beyond the pandemic: many of its works have subsequently received performances by youth, university, and professional orchestras.
More than 30 new works commissioned since 2020
Musicians of the Portland Youth Philharmonic performing remotely during the 2020–21 season as part of the Youth Orchestra Commissioning Initiative.
Jeff Scott: Collaboration Across Projects
Composer Jeff Scott has been a recurring artistic collaborator in David Hattner’s work. PYP commissioned Scott’s The Journey, and Hattner later toured with Scott and Imani Winds in performances of Paradise Valley Serenade. Together, the projects reflect a collaboration extending from the creation of new orchestral repertoire to performances bringing professional chamber musicians together with young orchestral musicians.
David Hattner with composer Jeff Scott following a performance of Paradise Valley Serenade at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Polina Nazaykinskaya: An Evolving Collaboration
David Hattner’s collaboration with composer Polina Nazaykinskaya has developed across commissions, recordings, and multimedia projects. PYP commissioned The Rising for ten violins, which later became the score for Yuri Possokhov’s ballet of the same name, premiered by San Francisco Ballet at its 89th Anniversary Gala in 2022. PYP also commissioned Nazaykinskaya’s Symphony No. 2 for string orchestra, and Hattner conducted and recorded her Symphony No. 1. Their collaboration continued with the 2023 New York production Site Specific Dances, where Hattner conducted Megaflora, derived from the First Symphony, and Fenix in live performances synchronized with pre-edited dance films.
Polina Nazaykinskaya and the musicians of Site Specific Dances following the 2023 New York performances.
“There are people who enter a composer’s life at exactly the right moment and, through their generosity, trust and artistic conviction, change its course. David has been one of those people in my life. Several works that are now central to my life as a composer exist, or found their way into the world, because David believed in them—and in me.”
— Polina Nazaykinskaya, composer
Bruce Stark: An Ongoing Collaboration
David Hattner’s collaboration with composer Bruce Stark has included four premieres with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, encompassing works that came to PYP through both commissions and submissions. Their work together has developed through an ongoing exchange about Stark’s music, with Hattner offering feedback during the process of bringing new works from score to performance.
David Hattner with composer Bruce Stark following the world premiere of Serenade for Strings.
“David Hattner has premiered many of my pieces, several of them commissioned by PYP, and my work with him is one of the most valuable and rewarding collaborations of my musical career. In addition to amazing me with the quality of performance he achieves with the Portland Youth Philharmonic, he has offered many insightful and helpful suggestions and feedback on my compositions. I’m deeply appreciative of David’s commitment to excellence, and his generosity in assisting the process of realizing that goal through a warm and fruitful friendship.”
— Bruce Stark, composer