Congratulations to Saad Haddad, Composer. The American Academy of Arts and Letters has named Haddad a recipient of a Charles Ives Fellowship. Ives’ widow, Harmony, bequeathed to the Academy the royalties to Ives’ music, enabling Ives awards in composition to be bestowed since 1970. The award brings with it a prize of $15,000.

Haddad appeared as my guest last month on Classic Ross Amico on WPRB 103.3 FM. His work, “Manarah,” was heard on a concert of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra on January 29. The PSO will present a newly commissioned work from Haddad on one of next season’s concerts. I wish him the very best.

Fascinatingly, the Academy houses the actual contents of Ives’ studio, which has been painstakingly reproduced, as it originally appeared in the composer’s home in Redding, CT, as part of the institute’s Manhattan gallery. You’ll find more information here:

http://artsandletters.org/exhibition/charles-ives-studio/

PHOTO: Saad Haddad (left) with PSO music director Rossen Milanov