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…

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…

Sep. 5, 2024

Mizzou Music Composition Alum Nikolaus Schroeder Awarded Prestigious Barlow General Commission

University of Missouri graduate Nikolaus Schroeder has received a 2024 Barlow Endowment General Commission to write a new intermedia work for Kali Ensemble, a contemporary music collective based in the Hague, the Netherlands. Schroeder graduated from Mizzou in 2020 with a Master of Music in Composition degree. The Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, one of the premier commissioning organizations for new concert music in the U.S., was established in 1983 through the generosity of Milton A. and Gloria Barlow and is administered by Brigham Young University. Schroeder was…

Aug. 1, 2024

Premieres of works by Resident and Guest Composers highlight the 2024 Mizzou International Composers Festival

The 2024 Mizzou International Composers Festival, held July 22-27 at the University of Missouri and various locations in Columbia, concluded with a concert at the Missouri Theatre. It featured new works by eight MICF Resident Composers, performed by Ensemble-in-Residence Alarm Will Sound. This year’s Resident Composers are Lukáš Janata, Davor Vincze, Yingting Liu, Lila Meretzky, Benjamin Scheuer, ess whiteley, Mahbod Shirvani, and Claire Hu. The Festival also included a concert in which Alarm Will Sound performed pieces by Distinguished Guest Composers Mary Kouyoumdjian (Paper Pianos, a finalist for…

July 17, 2024

MICF Resident Composer Spotlight: Lila Meretzky

Lila Meretzky is a composer, educator, and visual artist born and raised in New York City. She works primarily in chamber, vocal, electronic, and electroacoustic mediums for concerts, dance, film, and installation. Her work often concerns the warping of memory and language, and subjective experiences of time. It has been programmed and commissioned by leading ensembles and institutions including Contemporaneous, TAK Ensemble, the MATA Festival, Sandbox Percussion, Unheard-of//Ensemble, icarus Quartet, and percussionist Ji Hye Jung. Meretzky’s composition Dinner will receive its world premiere at MICF, performed by Resident Ensemble Alarm Will Sound. Lila Meretzky She…

July 17, 2024

MICF Resident Composer Spotlight: Claire Hu

Claire Hu is an electroacoustic composer and multimedia artist. She explores the narrative and communicative power of music and synthesizes surreal worlds with fantastical juxtapositions of cultures, imagery, and characters. Claire enjoys collaborations with visual artists, engineers, architects, dancers, and sculptors as she imagines sounds rooted in connectedness and viscerality. She also writes and produces electronic, indie pop, and dance music.  Claire Hu Hu’s works have been described as colorful, engaging and imaginative, and have been featured at the highSCORE Festival, Mayflower Art Center, Mise-En Music Festival, New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, SoundSCAPE, Suncoast Composers Fellowship Program, Sō Percussion Summer Institute, Clyde…