Lang/Rainwater Project
The Lang/Rainwater Project
William Lang, trombone; Anne Rainwater, piano
Program:
John Berners – Sonata for Trombone and Piano (new premiere!)
Alex Temple – all we could see from the window was water
Christina George – As You Become the Water (new commissioned work!)
Eli Greenhoe – new premiere (title coming!)
Negin Zomorodi – Tremulous Shadows
Richard Belcastro – Turquoise and Starlight
Quinn Mason – Sonata
Bio:
The Lang/Rainwater Project is a duo partnership established while both members were studying at Manhattan School of Music’s groundbreaking Contemporary Performance Program. Their mission is to expand the trombone-piano repertoire by working with underrepresented groups and distinct voices of contemporary music. While both trombonist William Lang and pianist Anne Rainwater specialize in contemporary music, they also perform a wide range of classical literature, from Bach and Schumann to young composers such as Alex Temple and Quinn Mason. They also maintain an active commissioning portfolio dedicated to championing new and emerging composers, in addition to performing canonical trombone and piano works and transcriptions of classics.
The Lang/Rainwater Project has performed across the United States, including a 4-university residency and commissioning project in the Philadelphia area in the spring of 2023. They also have done multiple tours of the South, including shows on Georgia’s “Tuesday’s Music Live” series, South Carolina’s Lancaster Arts Series, and appearances at Troy University in Alabama and Tulane University in Louisiana on the nienteForte series. Other performances include recitals in the Bay Area of California, including UC Berkeley, and shows in New York. In June of 2024, they performed together at Roulette in Brooklyn, New York, as part of composer Scott Wollschleger’s album release concert, playing Between Breath, a piece commissioned and premiered by them. Between Breath has the distinction of being only of only a few trombone and piano pieces ever reviewed by Gramophone. Read the review HERE. In October of 2024, The Lang/Rainwater Project toured the state of Oklahoma, performing at Oklahoma University, Langston University, and Southwestern Oklahoma State University, giving masterclasses and lectures, and presenting new works in conjunction with the Iranian Female Composers Initiative. Their concert of all-premieres at Oklahoma University can be viewed online HERE. Their current tour finds them traveling to Illinois and Indianapolis, including performances at Butler University at University of Indianapolis. In the spring of 2027, they will hold residences at University of North Carolina Greensboro, University of Maryland, and also make an appearance on composer Reiko Füting’s series at the Tenri Cultural Institute in Manhattan.