
Jan. 30, 2025
Mizzou International Composers Festival Announces Resident Composers for 2025
The Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) and Alarm Will Sound have selected eight Resident Composers to participate in the 2025 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF). Presented by the MNMI and the University of Missouri School of Music from Monday, July 21 through Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Columbia, the sixteenth annual MICF will feature world premieres of new works written by each of the selected composers. Listed with their birthplaces, they are: Amy Brandon (Prince Edward Island, Canada)Chris Thompson (Savannah, GA)Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei (Denton, TX)Geli Li (Guangzhou, China)|Matt Smith (San Diego, CA)Parker Callister (Ithaca, NY)Seda Balci (Eskişehir, Turkey)Robert Ge (Atlanta,…

Jan. 21, 2025
Mizzou student Seda Balci featured on the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s SLSO Stories blog
Mizzou student Seda Balci, a composer and pianist, was recently featured on the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s SLSO Stories blog. Balci’s piece Adieu to the Moon will be given its world premier performance at 7:30 p.m. January 30 as part of the SLSO’s “Live at the Sheldon” chamber-music series. The series is an ongoing collaboration between the SLSO and the Mizzou New Music Initiative. The January 30 concert, held at The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, is curated by the orchestra’s bass clarinetist…

Jan. 16, 2025
NEW YORK-BASED CHAMBER ORCHESTRA ALARM WILL SOUND TO PERFORM GROUNDBREAKING CONTEMPORARY MUSIC CONCERT IN COLUMBIA
Nationally recognized chamber-music orchestra Alarm Will Sound will present an evening of groundbreaking contemporary classical music in Columbia on January 21, 2025, featuring works by composers Oscar Bettison, Brittany J. Green, and Nnux, whose bold and imaginative creations redefine the boundaries of contemporary music. Titled New Voices, New Perspectives and presented by the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI), the 7:30 pm concert at the Sinquefield Music Center will bring together diverse voices and perspectives, offering powerful meditations on identity, memory, and humanity’s shared experiences.

Nov. 18, 2024
Giovanni Porfirio wins 2025 Sinquefield Composition Prize: New composition to be premiered at Chancellor’s Arts Showcase
The University of Missouri School of Music and the Mizzou New Music Initiative haveawarded the 2025 Sinquefield Composition Prize to student composer GiovanniPorfirio. The prize is the top award for a composition student at Mizzou. Porfirio is a composer from Sao Paulo, Brazil, and earned a bachelor’s degree from SaoPaulo State University. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Missouri. As the Sinquefield Composition Prize winner, Porfirio will receive a $2,500 scholarshipand be commissioned to write a new work for the University Philharmonic Orchestra, which willpremier to…

Oct. 30, 2024
MNMI welcomes Martín Fraile and Mauricio Charbonnier for November residency
The Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) is set to welcome conductor Martín Fraile and composer and pianist Mauricio Charbonnier, who will be in residence from November 13-17. Fraile is the Artistic Director of the Rio Negro Philharmonic and an avid curator of music festivals in the Rio Negro region of Argentina. He will serve as guest conductor of the Mizzou New Music Ensemble (NME), coaching rehearsals and conducting part of the concert at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 17 at the Sinquefield Music Center’s Sheryl…

Sep. 10, 2024
Mizzou International Composers Festival announces 2025 Festival Dates and Distinguished Guest Composers; applications to become Resident Composers now open
The Mizzou New Music Initiative has set the dates, named the Distinguished Guest Composers, and is now accepting Resident Composer entries for the 2025 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF). The 16th annual MICF will take place Monday, July 21 through Saturday, July 26 2025 at the University of Missouri School of Music in Columbia, MO. MICF will once again feature concerts of music by contemporary composers performed in front of live audiences, along with in-person workshops, master classes, and other events. Saturday night’s grand finale will present the world premieres of new works from each of the Festival’s Resident Composers, performed by Resident…

Sep. 10, 2024
St. Louis Area Concert Series to Showcase Mizzou New Music Initiative Composers’ Works Performed by St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Members
A series of six new concerts featuring new works from the Mizzou New Music Initiative composers will be performed in St. Louis this fall and in spring 2025 by members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at the Sheldon Concert Hall and the Touhill Performing Arts Center.The Mizzou New Music Initiative is a diverse array of programs that position the University of Missouri School of Music as a leading center for the composition and performance of new music. The initiative is supported by the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation, led…

Sep. 10, 2024
Five Fall Concerts in Columbia to Showcase Mizzou New Music Initiative Performers and Composers; Applications for Programs Announced
The Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) will present five concerts this fall in Columbia to showcase the program’s newest musical groups and composers. MNMI is also seeking applications from original music composers locally and nationwide toparticipate in three of its programs. MNMI is a diverse array of programs that position the University of Missouri School of Music as a leading center for the composition and performance of new music. The initiative is supported by the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation, led by Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield. Their vision is to create an incubator for the composition and performance of new music and…