King of Prussia, PA – Theodore Presser Company is pleased to release Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Commedia Dell’Arte (446-41282 - Study Score - $25.00) for violin and string orchestra. Given the opportunity to create a concertante work for violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and the spirited New Century Chamber Orchestra, violinist-turned-composer Zwilich looked to the commedia dell’arte tradition for a special theatrical program. With movements depicting the Harlequin, Columbine, and Captain characters from Italian Renaissance romantic comedies, Zwilich has created a playful, charming, and dramatic work, also adding percussion surprises for extra color in the string orchestra. For advanced players. Parts are available on rental.

At a time when the musical offerings of the world are more varied than ever before, few composers have emerged with the unique personality of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Her music is widely known because it is performed, recorded, broadcast, and – above all – listened to and liked by all sorts of audiences the world over. Like the great masters of bygone times, Zwilich produces music "with fingerprints," music that is immediately recognized as her own. In her compositions, Ms. Zwilich combines craft and inspiration, reflecting an optimistic and humanistic spirit that gives her a unique musical voice. A prolific composer in virtually all media, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s works have been performed by most of the leading American orchestras and by major ensembles abroad. Her music first came to public attention when Pierre Boulez conducted her Symposium for Orchestra at Juilliard (1975), but it was the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for the Symphony No. 1 that brought her instantly into international focus. Commissions, major performances and recordings soon followed: the Symphony No. 2 (Cello Symphony), premiered by Edo de Waart and the San Francisco Symphony; Symphony No. 3, written for the New York Philharmonic’s 150th anniversary; and many more. To read more about Zwilich, click here.

Offering music by today’s greatest composers and teachers, Theodore Presser Company is the leader in publishing educational and recital music. Theodore Presser Company is a full-range music publisher and distributes the music of over 30 publishers from around the globe, with a combined sales catalog that features over 60,000 available works. For more information about new publications from Theodore Presser Company or to locate a dealer near you, log on to www.presser.com or e-mail us at sales@presser.com. For review copies of the publication listed in this release, please contact Heidi Vanderlee at (212) 777-0900, ext. 230 or send an e-mail to hvanderlee@presser.com.