Breath & Hammer: 2016
Der Heyser Bulgar: version for clarinet, piano and electronics
Traditional, arranged Kathleen Tagg
Erika’s Wall (A Full-length Musical): 2015
All songs by Sophie Jaff & Kathleen Tagg
Beautiful (new)
Reporter Song (revised)
Country Song (revised)
Wooden Lullaby (revised)
Little Girl (new)
Hey You! (new)
Just Wait till you Fly Her (revised)
Dirty Girl (new)
Curves and Lines (revised)
Everyone Wishes on Stars (new)
William’s Song (revised)
Works for Two Pianos: 2015
** First Performance July 6th, National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, South Africa
*** Recorded for release on Where Worlds Collide, 2016
Berimbau version for 2 pianos
Second Time Around version for 2 pianos
As the Flowers Bloom version for 2 pianos
Song of the Hammer: 2015
Stand-Alone song premiered March 7th 2015, 54 Below, New York.
Breath & Hammer: 2015
Berimbau version for clarinet, piano and electronics
** First Performance January 17th, National Sawdust, New York.
November 22
Music by Kinan Azmeh, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Shron
Music by Roberto Rodriguez, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Demon Chopper
Music by Rob Curto, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Moldavian Journey
Music by Emil Kroito, arr. David Krakauer & Kathleen Tagg
Parzial
Music by John Zorn, arr. David Krakauer & Kathleen Tagg
Der Heyser Bulgar: version for clarinet and piano
Traditional, arr. David Krakauer & Kathleen Tagg
Orchestral Commissions: 2015
* Commissioned by David Krakauer.
** First Performance Krakauer & New Century Chamber Orchestra; December 16th 2014, Kanbar Performing Arts Center, San Francisco.
Tradition from Fiddler on the Roof
Composed by Sheldon Harnick & Jerry Bock arr. Kathleen Tagg
Hanukkah, O Hanukkah
Traditional, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Chamber Commissions: 2015
* Commissioned by Jewish Culturefest Vienna
** First Performance June 25th 2015, Kulturehaus Wien, Schubert Saal.
Tradition from Fiddler on the Roof
Composed by Sheldon Harnick & Jerry Bock arr. Kathleen Tagg
Si Tu Vois Ma Mére
Composed by Sidney Bechet, arr. Kathleen Tagg
New piano works: 2014
Berimbau for piano and electronics
** First Performance April 27th 2014, Spectrum, New York.
As the Flowers Bloom for piano and electronics
** First Performance April 27th 2014, Spectrum, New York.
Second Time Around for piano solo
** First Performance April 27th 2014, Spectrum, New York.
Orchestral Commissions: 2013
Plek van Goeie Hoop for Symphony Orchestra with 2 solo soprano, 1 solo tenor
Composed by Kathleen Tagg using as a starting point a melody by Kathleen Tagg & Zanne Stapelberg. Lyrics by Willem de Vries.
* Commissioned by the Suidoosterfees for the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra.
** First Performance January 30th 2014, Cape Town City Hall, South Africa.
Mali, die slaaf, se lied- arrangement for string orchestra and solo soprano
Composed by S. Marais, arranged Kathleen Tagg
* Commissioned by the Suidoosterfees for the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra.
** First Performance January 30th 2014, Cape Town City Hall, South Africa.
Spieel Speel: 2013
** First Performance July 9th 2014, VryFees, Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Vroppenvroom
Music by Kathleen Tagg; Lyrics by Kathleen Tagg
Lullaby after Brahms
Music by Kathleen Tagg after a melody by Brahms
Lyrics, trad. Afrikaans after the German by Georg Scherer
Noag die Tweede
Music by Kathleen Tagg; Lyrics by Hennie Aucamp
Marie Louise de Lange se BoereRate
Music by Kathleen Tagg; Lyrics by Zanne Stapelberg & Marie-Louise de Lange
Lied van die Vroulike Stiervegter
Melody by Katheen Tagg & Zanne Stapelberg; Score by Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics by Willem de Vries
Bergbrand
Melody by Kathleen Tagg & Zanne Stapelberg; Score by Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics by Willem de Vries
Bo-Karoo Blou
Melody by Kathleen Tagg & Zanne Stapelberg; Score by Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics by Deon Meyer
Jy Raak My nie Meer
Melody by Zanne Stapelberg & Kathleen Tagg; Score by Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics by Antjie Krog
Herinnering
Melody by Zanne Stapelberg & Kathleen Tagg; Score by Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics by Elizabeth Eybers
Kinders Moenie met die Water Mors Nie
Melody by Zanne Stapelberg & Kathleen Tagg; Score by Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics Traditional Afrikaans
Vat Jou Goed
Music Traditional, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics Traditional Afrikaans
‘The Big Picture’ Commission: 2012
March from the “Love of Three Oranges”
Music by Sergei Prokofiev, arr. Kathleen Tagg
* Commissioned by David Krakauer for ‘The Big Picture’
** First Performance December 2012, Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York
*** Recorded for release on Table Pounding Records in 2014
Soul of Fire: 2011
** First Performance December 11 2011, Oude Libertas Amphitheatre, South Africa
A la Nanita Nana
Music Traditional Spanish arr. Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics Traditional Spanish
Nana from ‘Siete Canciones Espagnolas’
Music by Manuel de Falla, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics Traditional Spanish
Zapateado from ‘La Tempranica’
Music by Geronimo Gimenez, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics by Antonio Paso y Enrique García Álvarez
De Espana Vengo from El Nino Judeo
Music by Pablo Luna, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics by Julian Romea
Mi Sarie Marais
Music Traditional Afrikaans, arr. Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics Traditiona Afrikaans
Quiero Ser tu Sombra
Music by Hector Quattromano arr. Kathleen Tagg
Lyrics by Zulema Alcayaga
Erika’s Wall (A Full-length Musical): 2010
All songs by Sophie Jaff & Kathleen Tagg
** First Performance July 22, 2010 The Music Theatre Company, Chicago
Reporter Song
Country Song
Wooden Lullaby
Drum Song
Postcards from Berlin
Just Wait till you Fly Her
PTSD
Curves and Lines
Archery Song
William’s Song
Comp’ny
Transfer of Energy
Blogger Song
Wooden Lullaby Reprise
Why?
My Love is a Wall
The Lights Went Up
The Lights Came Down
Jaff ‘n Tagg’s Chamber Poetry: 2009
All songs by Sophie Jaff & Kathleen Tagg, in new arrangements by arr. Kathleen Tagg
** First Performance December 2012, Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York
Sonnet for my Sister
The Secret (new arr.)
Sonnet for a King (new arr.)
Why Didn’t You (new arr.)
February (new arr.)
Apple Heart: 2009
All songs by Sophie Jaff & Kathleen Tagg
** First Performance June 11, 2009 Gershwin Hotel, New York
Apple Heart
Why Didn’t you?
Yellow
Bad Habits
Month of Prepositions
The Secret
Taken
Mistake
Marty
Angry Girl
Piano & Electronics: 2004
First time Around
OLD COMPOSER TEXT:
Kathleen Tagg, a 2014-15 Composition Fellow of the Dramatist Guild of America, is a pianist, composer, producer and music director based in New York City. Over the past decade she has been prolific as a songwriter, but has also written for combinations as diverse as symphony orchestra, choir, string quartet, piano with electronics and six-piece band.
Recent commissions have been for the Jewish Culture Fest Vienna (2015), David Krakauer with the New Century Chamber Orchestra led by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenburg (2015), the Suidoosterfees/Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (2014), and clarinetist David Krakauer’s multimedia show, The Big Picture, also included in the CD, released worldwide on Table Pounding Records (2014) and Label Bleu (2015). Listen to the Kathleen’s arrangement of the March from Prokofiev’s Love of 3 Oranges here.
Kathleen is a member of ASCAP, and her works are published by Spotted Kat Music (ASCAP).
Kathleen holds the Helen Cohn Award as outstanding Doctoral graduate of the Manhattan School of Music (2009), where she taught for four years, as well as an M.M. degree from the Mannes College (2003) and both a B.M. and Honors Degree in Music from the University of Cape Town.
Kathleen’s largest work to date is the full-length musical, Erika’s Wall, co-written with Sophie Jaff. Erika’s Wall was first presented in Chicago in a run of workshop performances in July 2010 by The Music Theatre Company under the direction of Jessica Redish. Kathleen and Sophie were 2014/15 fellows of the Dramatist Guild of America to rework Erika’s Wall. During their time as fellows, they were incredibly fortunate to have received mentoring from, amongst others, Michael Korie, Andrea Lepcio, Ricky Ian Gordon, Dianne Son, Lynn Ahrens, Steven Flaherty, Tom Kitt and Polly Penn.
Kathleen’s recent work includes the full-length Afrikaans alt-cabaret Spieël Speel, co-created with South Africa singer Zanne Stapelberg, which premiered in July 2013 with a multi-city South African tour. The show features all-new original songs by Tagg as well as songs by Tagg and Stapelberg- with lyrics by Afrikaans luminaries such as Hennie Aucamp, Elizabeth Eybers, Deon Meyer, Antjie Krog and Willem de Vries. The works are for a six-piece ensemble of voice, piano, violin, guitar, bass & percussion.
Her Orchestrated Songs of Heartbreak, written with Sophie Jaff, have been heard at venues such as New York’s Lincoln Center, while songs from their evening-long collection of songs “Apple Heart” have been heard at the Music Theatre Company in Chicago, and the Duplex and Gershwin Hotel in New York.
The 2012 show Soul of Fire features arrangements by Kathleen for 5-piece ensemble, and was also released as a CD of the same name. Kathleen acted as the pianist, music director and producer on the recording, which was nominated for a 2014 South African Music Award (SAMA) in the category ‘Best classical or instrumental album’. Kathleen’s arrangement of Nana was included in Deon Meyer’s 2013 film Die Laaste Tango, as well as being released on the film’s official soundtrack on Gallo Records and other tracks have been used for South African TV. Kathleen acted as the producer on the Soul of Fire CD, as well as acting as musical director on Erika’s Wall, Soul of Fire and Spieël Speel.
Kathleen is currently half of the Krakauer-Tagg Duo with Grammy-nominated clarinet star David Krakauer. Their new project, Breath and Hammer, is an innovative re-imagining of the traditional clarinet and piano recital. The program contains original works by Tagg and Krakauer, and they also created all of the arrangements and, in collaboration with a sound designer, further expanded the scope of sound possibilities by incorporating electronics.
Most recently, Kathleen also recorded three of her original compositions for the album Where Worlds Collide with South African jazz pianist Andre Petersen (released 2016).
Piano Circus is the umbrella for Kathleen’s solo works. She continues to work on redefining a new sound for the piano by writing new work for piano (using both the inside and outside), combining them with electronics- as well as commissioning new works by composers she loves. Her sound world draws on her native South Africa as well as her years spent in New York.