The Philadelphia composer will create an original composition inspired by the museum’s Mercedes de Acosta collection; Performances offered in conjunction with April 2011’s Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts

PHILADELPHIA – The Rosenbach Museum & Library welcomes internationally-recognized Philadelphia-based composer and instructor Joseph Hallman as Composer-in-Residence to the museum. In April 2011, Hallman will premiere an original ensemble composition inspired by the Rosenbach’s Mercedes de Acosta collection, which includes letters, photographs, and ephemera relating to cinema and lesbian history. A famed poet, playwright and socialite, de Acosta was a prominent figure in early 20th century gay society, known for her numerous affairs with Hollywood’s elite.

Hallman’s premiere will run in conjunction with the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts 2011 (PIFA), which will be held from April 7 – May 2, 2011. Inspired by the Kimmel Center, PIFA will feature painters, sculptors, writers, dancers, musicians, and artists of all kinds from around the world. The first-ever festival is centered around the theme “Paris: 1910-1920” – one of the world’s most artistically creative places and time periods, infused all art forms with a creative spirit that defined the world’s concept of art throughout the 20th century. Visit www.pifa.org for updates on the Festival.

Since 1998, the Rosenbach has commissioned artists to bring its collections to life in unexpected ways and through a variety of projects. After exploring the Rosenbach’s de Acosta collection, Joseph Hallman will distill his research into an original composition to be performed by a small ensemble. Hallman will also conduct two compositions from the early 20th century, the time period PIFA is celebrating, and write an essay on the de Acosta collection to be used as a part of a forthcoming de Acosta exhibition at the Rosenbach.

JOSEPH HALLMAN

Joseph Hallman is ayoung American composer based in Philadelphia. The New York Timessays, “Mr. Hallman’s writing is eclectic, ranging from Bartokian muscularity to the evocation of a zither.” Hallman’s recent series of chamber concerti has garnered much acclaim, and has been composed for members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, among others. His works have been performed in the U.S. and internationally. He has collaborated with some of today’s most talented musicians and artists including poet and screenwriter Antwone Fisher, the experimental music collective ThingNY, Kathy Supove, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and the Fischoff Grand Prize-winning Linden Quartet.

MERCEDES de ACOSTA COLLECTION AT THE ROSENBACH

Mercedes de Acosta(1893-1968) was born into an aristocratic Spanish-Cuban New York family, and grew up in the world of New York high society. She married the painter Abram Poole in 1921, but they came to lead separate lives and were divorced in 1935. At various times during her life she was a novelist, a playwright, a poet, and a Hollywood scriptwriter. She was a prominent member of gay society in New York and Hollywood, and became well-known for her lesbian relationships with such stars as Marlene Dietrich, Isadora Duncan, and Eva Le Gallienne.

Mercedes de Acosta spent time in Paris during the early 20th century, often visiting her sister Rita de Acosta (1875-1929) who lived in Paris. Rita de Acosta was a great patron of the arts in Paris and New York and a socialite who was painted and sculpted often. Together they visited Rodin’s studio and attended several salons or “at-homes”. It was Rita who introduced Mercedes to Sarah Bernhardt, Isadora Duncan, and John Singer Sargent, among others.

The Rosenbach’s Mercedes de Acosta collection features over 600 photographs, from snapshots and studio portraits of friends and celebrities to movie stills, photos of stage productions of her works, and fragments of motion picture film. The bulk of the material is correspondence with friends, literary and theatrical associates, and other celebrities, with a large collection of correspondence with actress Greta Garbo. Other objects in the collection include:

• An essay on Diaghilev by Stravinsky, translated from French by de Acosta
• de Acosta’s autobiography Here Lies the Heart
• An autographed page of the score of Stravinsky’s Sacre du printemps
• A revision of Theatre Street, the autobiography of Tamara Karsavina, the dancer who created the title role in Stravinsky’s Firebird
• Three chapters of Isadora Duncan’s My Life
  
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