The Mizzou New Music Initiative has released its summary of 2023 activities for the Mizzou New Music Ensemble, composition students and Mizzou International Composers Festival.

MIZZOU NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE

The NME performed concerts including music by Maria Disandro, Santiago Beis, Sam Whitty, Franco Donatoni, Kevin Day, Gabe Evers, Sofia Fiorino, and Atticus Schlegel in the spring semester. A March residency with Elizabeth A. Baker resulted in a video performance. The ensemble performed during the Latin American Music Festival in Columbia on April 10 and at UMKC on April 12. The ensemble traveled to Fort Worth, TX, for a Sound of Art performance featuring six Mizzou student works at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art on May 11. A South American tour of Bogota, Cordoba, Bariloche, and Buenos Aires included music of José Martinez, Carolina Heredia, Patricia Martinez, Maria Chavez, and José Halac. Performances of works by guest composers Marcos Balter and Tania León were featured on the MICF. Fall repertoire included music of Adolphus Hailstork, Ben Rouder, Andrew Wiele, John Harbison, Jonathan Russell, Mahbod Shirvani, Nicole Mitchell, JT Wolfe, and Daniel Kellogg. Yoshiaki Onishi co-directed the ensemble in the spring and summer. Fall guest conductors were John Orfe and Bill Kalinkos.

COMPOSITION STUDENTS

Seda Balci had Cordis Pulsum read by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO).

Santiago Beis had The Clouds Are Machines performed by the NME, Spletna premiered by the SLSO, and Color Utterance premiered by Alarm Will Sound on the MICF. He graduated in the spring and is currently pursuing a PhD in Composition at the CUNY Graduate Center. He was recognized as having the top thesis in Arts and Humanities by the Graduate School.

Isabelle Borchardt had Contemporary American Creativity performed by the NME at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, My Life in Short Moments premiered on the Spring Student Composers Recital, To Dust We Will Return premiered by the MU Undergraduate Woodwind Quintet, and Naiveté and Peace premiered by Chamber Project St. Louis at the Sheldon. She graduated with an BM in Composition in the spring.

Maria Disandro had Terraza premiered by the NME, Trekking premiered by the MU Percussion Ensemble, and graduated with an MM in Composition the spring.

Sofia Fiorino had The Team performed by the NME at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and How Am I premiered on the Fall Student Composers Recital.

Harry González had 2020 premiered by the Columbia Civic Orchestra, Barely Alive premiered by SLSO Associate Concertmaster Erin Schreiber at the Sheldon, Medellin 1988 premiered on the Odyssey Chamber Music Series by Mizzou faculty, Insomnolence recorded by members of the SLSO, and El Mocho Errante performed on the Fall Student Composers Recital. Harry attended the Del Mar International Composers Symposium where Diving in Providencia was recorded by Hub New Music and The Anxious Man was recorded by Attacca Quartet violinist Domenic Salerni and other DMICS guest artists. His poster presentation about music and climate change won first place in the Humanities Category at the 39th Research and Creative Activities Forum at Mizzou.

Giovanni Porforio had Cirandas Desvozeadas read by the SLSO, his opera Entre-veias: uma ópera de entranhas performed at the Theatro Sao Pedro in Brazil, and Ma non troppo performed on the Fall Student Composers Recital.

Atticus Schlegel had Honorary Gymnopedie premiered on the Spring Student Composers Recital, New England Landscape II performed by the NME at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Forgotten Fantasy premiered by the MU Undergraduate Woodwind Quintet and performed by members of the SLSO at the Sheldon, and Stepping Through a Sphere of Glass premiered on the Fall Student Composers Recital.

Mahbod Shirvani had Mrs. Smith’s Dream is Being Sampled premiered by the Mizzou New Music Ensemble and Az Housh Mei read by the SLSO.

Robyne Sieh had Communal Kitchens premiered on the Spring Student Composers Recital and The First-Hand Accounts of Walking Down Broadway Boulevard read by Splinter Reeds.

Jack Snelling had Three Scenes from Ninety-Four premiered by the SLSO, graduated with a BM in Composition in the spring, and began a master’s degree at the Eastman School of Music.

Sam Whitty had Views from Above performed by the NME at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art and Contrarian premiered by the SLSO. He graduated with a BM in Composition in the spring. He attended the Zodiac Music Academy and Festival in the south of France in July, where Rm. 293 for clarinet, cello, and piano was premiered.

Kyle “Morima” Yerby won the Sinquefield Prize, having Toy Piano Concerto premiered as part of the Chancellor’s Arts Showcase at the Missouri Theatre, and had Waltz for the Sad premiered on the Spring Student Composers Recital, Summer Night premiered by the Mizzou Cello Choir, and Three Essays premiered on the Fall Student Composers Recital.

JT Wolfe had O Sink Herneider premiered on the Spring Student Composers Recital, Burr Oak premiered by the MU Undergraduate Woodwind Quintet, and Foliage premiered by the NME.

Composition I students Erin Brage, Henry Rusten, Ethan Sanders, and Yoell Tewolde had works read by Splinter Reeds and the NME in the fall.

MIZZOU NEW MUSIC INITIATIVE

In addition to our regular programs (MOCOP, COMP, SLSO collaboration, Summer COMP, Sinquefield Commissions, Sinquefield Prize, Sheldon Commissions, etc.) we had the Latin American Music Festival at Mizzou and UMKC; the Sound of Art at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Ft. Worth, TX; and a South American tour of Bogota, Cordoba, Bariloche, and Buenos Aires.

Guests for 2023 included Trio Sanromá, Arturo Castro, Elizabeth A. Baker, Kevin Day, Katherine Likhuta, Oswald Huynh, and Selim Goncu.

MIZZOU INTERNATIONAL COMPOSERS FESTIVAL

The 2023 Mizzou International Composers Festival included the AWS Opening Concert, the Mizzou New Music concert (featuring MU faculty performers and the Mizzou New Music Ensemble), and AWS Eight World Premieres. Eight resident composers joined guest composers Marcos Balter and Tania León for lessons, master classes, and presentations.

2024 scheduled guests for the New Music Initiative include Ahmed Al Abaca, Shanyse Strickland, and Katajh Copley. The 2024 MICF will feature guest composers Mary Kouyoumdjian and George Lewis.