PRISM Quartet to premiere new commissioned work by Walden student
Young Musicians Program (YMP) alum Henry Vidaver was selected last year as the winner of The Walden School/PRISM Quartet Student Commissioning Award, a longstanding partnership in which Walden and the PRISM Quartet collaborate to select a student composer, mentor that composer in completing their final score, and PRISM provides a world premiere performance experience.
On June 6 and 7, PRISM will give the first performances of Vidaver’s commissioned piece for saxophone quartet, Via Appia, on a program titled Premieres. The concerts will also feature a new commissioned work by YMP alum Teddy Poll, entitled There/back.
Premieres by PRISM Quartet
Saturday, June 6, in Philadelphia, at 7 pm
Settlement Music School, Germantown Branch
6128 Germantown Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19144
$10, $22.50, or $35 General Admission (pay-what-you-wish)
Free Parking
Sunday, June 7, in New York City, at 4 pm
Christ & St. Stephens Church
120 W 69th St, New York, NY 10023
June 07, 2026
4:00 PM
$10, $22.50, or $35 General Admission (pay-what-you-wish)
There will be casual receptions after the concerts in both Philadelphia and New York for Walden alumni and friends to gather.
Please write to us if you are interested in attending either of these concerts.
Henry Vidaver is the 24th winner of the PRISM Quartet/Walden School Student Commissioning Award, initiated in 2000 and presented annually to a current or recent YMP student. Described as “a bold ensemble that set the standard for contemporary-classical saxophone quartets” (The New York Times), PRISM has commissioned more than 300 works from eminent composers. Walden is proud to collaborate with PRISM Quartet on this opportunity to support young composers in their creative development.
About Henry Vidaver
Henry Vidaver (b. 2007) is a Boston-based composer, pianist, and cellist who has written for ensembles including Friction Quartet, International Contemporary Ensemble, The Walden School Players, and now PRISM Quartet. During the year, Henry is a member of the choir at Trinity Church Boston, plays cello in the chamber orchestra at Belmont High School, and performs as a pianist in the composer chamber music group at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. Henry spends his summers at Walden’s Young Musicians Program, where he continues making music through composing, singing, and performing. Henry currently studies composition with Rodney Lister.
About Via Appia
We are grateful to PRISM Quartet for sharing the following interview responses from Henry Vidaver about his commissioned work:
Vidaver writes, “Via Appia is loosely inspired by a bike ride along the historic Appian Way during a school trip to Rome last spring. The Appian Way traverses the Roman countryside, featuring abundant ancient ruins and relics of ancient life. Our path took us from the city’s center into almost magical areas where ruins of churches, tombs, and palaces seamlessly integrate into nature and modern development. The motif of staggered entrances by each saxophone represents the pushing of bike pedals, one after the other, until we enter a ‘groove’ when the bike gains momentum.
“A moment of calm on our ride came when we were stopped in a crowded public park, overlooked by a Roman aqueduct. However, as crowds were picnicking and playing soccer, celebrating the coming of Easter, news broke of the death of Pope Francis, creating a kind of strange and surreal moment as joy transformed into shock or even grief for those around us. This informed my inclusion of an excerpt of The Exsultet, a chant traditionally sung at the Easter Vigil, commemorating Christ’s death on the eve of his resurrection.”
Recipients of The Walden School/PRISM Quartet Commissioning Award
2024-25 Henry Vidaver
2023-2024 Aaron Nichols
2020-2021 Helen Feng
2019-2020 Julian Hofstetter
2018-2019 Francesca Hellerman
2017-2018 Max Chung
2016-2017 Reiny Rolock
2015-2016 Jane Lange
2014-2015 Mark Macaluso
2013-2014 Solon Snider
2012-2013 Kaeli Mogg
2011-2012 Samuel Phillips-Corwin
2010-2011 Cara Haxo
2009-2010 Ilana Rainero-de Haan
2008-2009 Andrea Grody
2007-2008 Victoria Cheah
2006-2007 Michael Rosen
2005-2006 Alex Christie
2004-2005 Nathaniel Osborn
2003-2004 Eliza Brown
2002-2003 Peter Krag
2001-2002 Ethan Borshansky
2000-2001 Ali Crockett
