Although new and innovative work has long been a part of Carnegie Hall’s fabric—the world premieres of such now-standard works as Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony and Gershwin’s An American in Paris took place at the Hall—it was only recently that The Carnegie Hall Corporation actively began its own commissioning program. Carnegie Hall’s first two commissioned works were Leonard Bernstein’s Opening Prayer, premiered by the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta in December 1986, and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (commissioned jointly by Carnegie Hall, the Detroit Symphony, and the American Symphony Orchestra League) by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, which was premiered at Carnegie Hall in January 1987.
In the 1990–1991 season, Carnegie Hall’s commissioning program was institutionalized through the Centennial Commissioning Project, a series of thirteen commemorative commissions honoring the Hall’s landmark hundredth season. Thirteen major composers, nine of them Americans, were matched with great artists to form a diverse array of premiere performances of works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, and voice.
List of Commissions
April 30, 2011 Steve Reich: WTC 9/11 (New York Premiere, co-commission)
April 15, 2011 Christopher Rouse: String Quartet No. 3 (New York Premiere, co-commission)
March 29, 2011 Mark Grey: Ātash Sorushān (Fire Angels) Original libretto by Niloufar Talebi (World Premiere, co-commission)
March 12, 2011 Thomas Adès: The Four Quarters (World Premiere)
March 11, 2011 Brad Mehldau: Rock 'n' Roll DancesNo. 3 & 4 (World Premiere)
March 6, 2011 Jake Heggie: The Breaking Waves (World Premiere)
February 19, 2011 Brad Mehldau: Love Songs (New York Premiere of expanded version)
February 7, 2011 David Bruce: Steampunk (NY Premiere)
December 14, 2010 Atsuhiko Gondai: Decathexis (US Premiere, co-commission with Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto)
November 3, 2010 Stephen Hartke: Night Songs for a Desert Flower (New YorkPremiere, co-commission)
October 12, 2010 Timothy Andres: Trade Winds (NY Premiere)
March 25, 2010 Steven Mackey: It Is Time (World Premiere)
March 19, 2010 Thomas Adès Lieux retrouvés (US Premiere, co-commission with Aldeburgh Festival, Wigmore Hall)
March 17, 2010 Stephen Prutsman: Piano Lessons (US Premiere, co-commission)
February 10, 2010 Thomas Ades: Three Mazurkas, Op. 27 (World Premiere, co-commission)
January 29, 2010 Peter Lieberson: Remembering Schumann(New York Premiere, co-commission)
November 21, 2009 Julia Wolfe: Steel Hammer (New York Premiere, co-commission with Bang on a Can)
November 7, 2009 Angel Lam: Awakening from a Disappearing Garden(New York Premiere, co-commission)
November 3, 2009 Various: A Chinese Home (World Premiere, co-commission)
October 28, 2009 Chen Qigang: Er Huang(World Premiere)
May 10, 2009 Jeremy Flower: Three Songs (World Premiere)
May 10, 2009 Kate Soper: Helen Enfettered (World Premiere)
May 10, 2009 Elena Langer: Songs at the Well (World Premiere)
May 10, 2009 Judd Greenstein: Vayomer Shlomo (World Premiere)
May 9, 2009 David T. Little: Scenes from Dog Days (World Premiere)
May 9, 2009 Matti Kovler: Here Comes Messiah! (World Premiere)
May 9, 2009 Paola Prestini: Oceanic Verses (World Premiere)
May 9, 2009 Lev "Ljova" Zhurbin: Niña Dance (World Premiere)
April 22, 2009 André Previn: Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello (World Premiere, co-commission with Anne Sophie Mutter)
Mar 16, 2009 Laura Karpman: Ask Your Mama! (World Premiere)
Mar 13, 2009 Nico Muhly: The Adulteress (World Premiere)
Mar 8, 2009 Daniel Bernard Roumain: Five Chairs and One Table (World Premiere)
Feb 11, 2009 Brad Mehldau: Love Songs (World Premiere)
Dec 11, 2008 Elliott Carter: Interventions (New York Premiere, co-commission)
Oct 30, 2008 Maya Beiser, Douglas Cuomo, Hamza El Din, Djivan Gasparyan, Jamey Haddad, Kayhan Kalhor, Raz Mesinai, Tamar Muskal, Simon Shaheen, Shane Shanahan, Shahrokh Yadegari, Evan Ziporyn: Provenance (New York Premiere, co-commission)
Oct 23, 2008 David Bruce: Gumboots (World Premiere)
May 4, 2008 Marc-Andre Dalbavie: Piano Trio No. 1 (World Premiere, co-commission)
May 4, 2008 Jorg Widmann: XI Humoresken (World Premiere)
May 1, 2008 Frederic Rzewski: Natural Things (New York Premiere, co-commission)
Apr 17, 2008 Steve Reich: Double Sextet (New York Premiere, co-commission)
Feb 28, 2008 John Adams: Son of Chamber (New York Premiere, co-commission)
Feb 25, 2008 Matthias Pintscher: Osiris (New York Premiere, co-commission)
Feb 22, 2008 Aviya Kopelman: Widows & Lovers (World Premiere, co-commission)
Feb 22, 2008 Aleksandra Vrebalov: ... hold me, neighbor, in this storm ... (World Premiere, co-commission)
Feb 16, 2008 John Adams: Doctor Atomic (New York Premiere, co-commission)
Jun 17, 2007 Kaija Saariaho: Terra Memoria (World Premiere)
Apr 20, 2007 Bright Sheng: Sweet May Again (New York Premiere, co-commission)
Apr 15, 2007 Clarice Assad: Confessions (World Premiere)
Apr 15, 2007 David Bruce: Piosenki (World Premiere)
Apr 15, 2007 Ryan Carter: Doot (World Premiere)
Apr 15, 2007 Angel Lam: Sun, Moon, and Star (World Premiere)
Apr 14, 2007 Anna Clyne: Blush (World Premiere)
Apr 14, 2007 Johannes Lauer: Scenes (World Premiere)
Apr 14, 2007 Gyan Riley: The Wane of More (World Premiere)
Apr 14, 2007 Michael Ward-Bergeman: Three Roads (World Premiere)
Mar 18, 2007 Autechre/Dennis DeSantis: Cfern (arr. DeSantis) World Premiere)
Mar 18, 2007 Stefan Freund: Paper Trails (World Premiere)
Oct 22, 2006 Steve Reich: Daniel Variations (US Premiere, co-commission)
Oct 15, 2006 Elliott Carter: In the Distances of Sleep (World Premiere)
Sep 17, 2006 Christopher Adler: Music for a Royal Palace (World Premiere)
Sep 17, 2006 Gabriela Lena Frank: Ritmos Anchinos (World Premiere)
Sep 17, 2006 Kayhan Kalhor: The Silent City (World Premiere)
Sep 16, 2006 Osvaldo Golijov: From Air to Air (World Premiere)
Sep 16, 2006 Angel Lam: Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain (World Premiere)
Sep 16, 2006 Evan Ziporyn: Sulvasutra (World Premiere)
May 5, 2006 Elliott Carter: Intermittences (New York Premiere, co-commission)
Apr 28, 2006 David Horne: String Quartet No.4 (World Premiere)
Apr 7, 2006 Glenn Branca: Light Field (In Consonance) World Premiere)
Apr 7, 2006 J.G. Thirlwell: Nomatophobis (World Premiere, co-commission)
Apr 7, 2006 Unknown/Wu Man/Kronos Quartet/transc. Ljova: Early Chinese Music (arr. 2005) World Premiere, co-commission)
Mar 24, 2006 Henryk Gorecki: Piesni Spiewaja ("...songs are sung"), String Quartet No.3, Op.67 (US Premiere, co-commission)
Mar 14, 2006 Mack Wilberg: Introit (World Premiere)
Mar 14, 2006 Mack Wilberg: Epilogue (World Premiere)
Mar 9, 2006 Michael Gordon: All Vows (World Premiere)
Feb 19, 2006 Chris Paul Harman: Preludio a rovescio (World Premiere)
Feb 16, 2006 Wolfgang Rihm: Will Sound (World Premiere)
Feb 2, 2006 Charles Wuorinen: Flying to Kahani (World Premiere)
Jan 29, 2006 Bill Frisell: Probability Cloud (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission/New York Guitar Festival)
Dec 4, 2005 Yi Chen: Ballade, Ji-Dong-Nuo (New York Premiere)
May 15, 2005 Brad Mehldau: Songs from The Book of Hours: Love Poems to God (World Premiere)
May 15, 2005 Brad Mehldau: Songs from The Blue Estuaries (World Premiere)
Mar 15, 2005 David Del Tredici: Gotham Glory (World Premiere)
Feb 5, 2005 Meredith Monk: Stringsongs (US Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission/The Barbican)
Jan 20, 2005 Bent Sorensen: The Shadows of Silence (World Premiere)
Jan 15, 2005 Wolfgang Amadeus/Levin, Robert Mozart: Mass in C min., K.427 (World Premiere)
Oct 10, 2004 Lisa Bielawa: Hurry (World Premiere)
Oct 10, 2004 Gabriela Lena Frank: Songs of Cifar and the Sweet Sea: Selections (World Premiere)
Oct 10, 2004 Keeril Makan: Target (World Premiere)
Oct 10, 2004 James Matheson: Songs of Desire, Love and Loss (World Premiere)
Jun 2, 2004 Jeff Blumenkrantz: The Seven Deadly Sins: My Book ("Sloth") World Premiere)
Jun 2, 2004 Stephen Flaherty: The Seven Deadly Sins: I Eat ("Gluttony") World Premiere)
Jun 2, 2004 Ricky Ian Gordon: The Seven Deadly Sins: Can You Look Me in the Eyes? ("Envy") World Premiere)
Jun 2, 2004 Jake Heggie: The Seven Deadly Sins: Blah, Blah, Me ("Vanity") World Premiere)
Jun 2, 2004 Michael John LaChiusa: The Seven Deadly Sins: The Christian Thing to Do ("Anger") World Premiere)
Jun 2, 2004 Steve Marzullo: The Seven Deadly Sins: Burning the Sauce ("Lust") World Premiere)
Jun 2, 2004 John Pizzarelli: The Seven Deadly Sins: The Greedy Tadpole ("Greed") World Premiere)
Apr 24, 2004 Steven Stucky: Sonate en forme de preludes (World Premiere)
Apr 19, 2004 Marc-Andre Dalbavie: Axioms (World Premiere)
Apr 12, 2004 Kaija Saariaho: Je sens un deuxieme coeur (World Premiere)
Mar 31, 2004 Osvaldo Golijov: Ayre (World Premiere)
Sep 10, 2003 John Corigliano: Shatter Me, Music (World Premiere)
May 4, 2003 André Previn: String Quartet (with Soprano) (World Premiere)
Mar 9, 2003 William Bolcom: Medusa (New York Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission/Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra)
May 19, 2002 William Bolcom: Seventh Symphony: A Symphonic Concerto (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission/Metropolitan Opera)
Feb 25, 2002 John Adams: American Berserk (World Premiere)
Feb 3, 2002 Philip Glass: Symphony No. 6 "Plutonian Ode" (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission/Brucknerhaus Linz)
Dec 6, 2001 Muhal Richard Abrams: Blues All Around Us (World Premiere)
Dec 6, 2001 Peter/Foster, Frank Chatman: Every Day I Have the Blues (World Premiere of arrangement)
Dec 6, 2001 Marvin Gaye/William Stevenson/Norm Whitfield/Dave Stryker: Pride and Joy (World Premiere of arr. by Stryker))
Dec 6, 2001 Slide Hampton: The Blues Ain't Necessarily Bad (World Premiere)
Dec 6, 2001 W.C. Handy/Michael Philip Mossman: St. Louis Blues (World Premiere of arrangement)
Nov 1, 2001 Alberto Barretto/Michael Philip Mossman: Corazon rebelde (World Premiere of arrangement)
Nov 1, 2001 Mario Bauza/Michael Philip Mossman: Mambo Inn (World Premiere of arrangement)
Nov 1, 2001 Michael Philip Mossman: Mambo No.9-3/4 (World Premiere)
Nov 1, 2001 Tito Puente/Michael Philip Mossman: Ran kan kan (World Premiere of arrangement)
Nov 1, 2001 Tito Puente/Michael Philip Mossman: Oye Como Va (World Premiere of arrangement)
May 21, 2001 Nick Scarim: A Simply Melody (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (for LinkUP!)
Nov 18, 2000 Mauricio Kagel: Kidnapping in the Concert Hall ("Entfuehrung im Konzertsaal") US Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission/ECHO)
Sep 24, 2000 Joseph Turrin: West Side Story Suite for Brass Ensemble (World Premiere)
Mar 28, 2000 Brian Ferneyhough: The Doctrine of Similarity (World Premiere)
Mar 22, 2000 Judith Weir: woman.life.song (World Premiere)
Mar 15, 2000 John Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan (World Premiere)
Mar 13, 2000 George Benjamin: Palimpsest (US Premiere, co-commissioned with Edinburgh International Festival, Internationale Festwochen Luzern, Koelner Philharmonie, London Symphony Orchestra, Societe Philharmonique de Bruxelles and Bruxelles 2000, "Les Symphoniques" Paris, Konzerthaus Wien, Salzburger Festspiele, Teatro Lir)
Mar 12, 2000 Olga Neuwirth: Clinamen/Nodus (US Premiere, co-commissioned with Edinburgh International Festival, Internationale Festwochen Luzern, Koelner Philharmonie, London Symphony Orchestra, Societe Philharmonique de Bruxelles and Bruxelles 2000, "Les Symphoniques" Paris, Konzerthaus Wien, Salzburger Festspiele)
Mar 11, 2000 Salvatore Sciarrino: Recitativo Oscuro (US Premiere, co-commissioned with De Singel Antwerp, the Edinburgh International Festival, Koelner Philharmonie, and London Symphony Orchestra)
Mar 10, 2000 Peter Eotvos: zeroPoints (US Premiere, co-commissioned with Edinburgh International Festival, Internationale Festwochen Luzern, Koelner Philharmonie, London Symphony Orchestra, Societe Philharmonique de Bruxelles and Bruxelles 2000, "Les Symphoniques" Paris)
Mar 2, 2000 Louis Andriessen: Image de Moreau (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (Millennium Piano Book)
Mar 2, 2000 Milton Babbitt: The Old Order Changeth (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (Millennium Piano Book)
Mar 2, 2000 Elliott Carter: Two Diversions (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (Millennium Piano Book)
Mar 2, 2000 Hannibal: John Brown and Blue (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (Millennium Piano Book)
Mar 2, 2000 John Harbison: On An Unwritten Letter (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (Millennium Piano Book)
Mar 2, 2000 Wolfgang Rihm: Zwiesprache (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (Millennium Piano Book)
Mar 2, 2000 Frederic Rzewski: The Days Fly By (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (Millennium Piano Book)
Mar 2, 2000 Dun (Tan Dun) Tan: Dew-Fall-Drops (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (Millennium Piano Book)
Mar 2, 2000 Chen Yi: Ba Ban (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (Millennium Piano Book)
Mar 2, 2000 Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Lament (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission (Millennium Piano Book)
Feb 27, 2000 Laurie Anderson: Songs for A.E. (World Premiere)
Apr 12, 1999 Jason Eckardt: A Glimpse Retraced (World Premiere)
Apr 12, 1999 Michael Hersch: Piano Quartet (World Premiere)
Apr 12, 1999 Gary Powell Nash: Brass Magnolia Suite (World Premiere)
Apr 12, 1999 Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez: Luciernagas (World Premiere)
Dec 2, 1998 Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: String Quartet No.2 (World Premiere)
Mar 26, 1998 Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Concerto for Violin (World Premiere)
Mar 22, 1997 Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Peanuts Gallery (World Premiere)
Feb 20, 1997 Bright Sheng: Spring Dreams (New York Premiere)
Apr 30, 1995 Yehudi Wyner: Lyric Harmony (World Premiere)
Apr 13, 1993 George Perle: Adagio for Orchestra (World Premiere)
Jan 5, 1992 Andre Previn: Honey and Rue (World Premiere)
May 5, 1991 Joan Tower: Third Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman (World Premiere)
May 2, 1991 Alfred Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No.5 for Violin, Piano and Orchestra (World Premiere)
Apr 19, 1991 Maury Yeston: December Songs (World Premiere)
Apr 15, 1991 Michael Tippett: Byzantium (New York Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
Mar 26, 1991 William Bolcom: I Will Breathe a Mountain (World Premiere)
Mar 18, 1991 Bernard Rands: Ceremonial 3 (World Premiere)
Mar 15, 1991 Malcolm Arnold: Fantasy for Recorder and String Quartet (World Premiere)
Feb 8, 1991 Ned Rorem: Spring Music (Trio in Five Movements) World Premiere)
Feb 4, 1991 Terry Riley: The Jade Palace Orchestral Dances (World Premiere)
Feb 3, 1991 Anthony Davis: Sonata for Violin and Piano (World Premiere)
Feb 1, 1991 George Rochberg: Muse of Fire (World Premiere)
Oct 19, 1990 Toru Takemitsu: From Me Flows What You Call Time (World Premiere, commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Sep 27, 1990 Steven Stucky: Angelus (World Premiere, Carnegie Hall commission & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Apr 25, 1989 David Lang: Dope Beat (World Premiere)
Feb 18, 1987 Lukas Foss: Tashi (New York Premiere, co-commissioned with Kennedy Center, & UCLA)
Jan 30, 1987 Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (New York Premiere, co-commissioned with Detroit Symphony, & ASOL)
Dec 15, 1986 Leonard Bernstein: Opening Prayer (World Premiere)