Visiting Artists

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…

July 23, 2024

Q&A with MICF Guest Composer Mary Kouyoumdjian

This year is not the first time MICF Guest Composer Mary Kouyoumdjian has been a part of the festival. In 2016 she was a Resident Composer still learning her art and forming new alliances with groups such as Resident Ensemble Alarm Will Sound. Paper Pianos, a piece she was working on back then, grew into an evening-length multimedia “audio documentary” that was a finalist for the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Music. We conducted an email interview with Kouyoumdjian to learn about her past experiences at MICF and what she expects from…

June 28, 2024

Mizzou International Composers Festival Spotlight: Distinguished Guest Composer Mary Kouyoumdjian

The Mizzou New Music Initiative is pleased to welcome Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary Kouyoumdjian as one of two Distinguished Guest Composers for the 2024 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF). The Festival, which takes place from Monday, July 22 through Saturday, July 27 on the campus of the University of Missouri and at select Columbia locations, will also welcome Distinguished Guest Composer George Lewis. Kouyoumdjian, who returns to the Festival after attending as a Resident Composer in 2016, will have private meetings with the current Resident Composers, work with…

June 28, 2024

Mizzou International Composers Festival Spotlight: Distinguished Guest Composer George Lewis

The Mizzou New Music Initiative is pleased to welcome George Lewis as one of two Distinguished Guest Composers for the 2024 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF). The Festival, which takes place from Monday, July 22 through Saturday, July 27 on the campus of the University of Missouri and at select Columbia locations, will also welcome Distinguished Guest Composer Mary Kouyoumdjian. Lewis will have private meetings with the Resident Composers, work with groups who will be performing his music at the Festival, and make a public presentation about his…

June 21, 2024

MIZZOU NEW MUSIC INITIATIVE READIES 2024 MIZZOU INTERNATIONAL COMPOSERS FESTIVAL

The 2024 edition of the Mizzou International Composers Festival is set to take place from July 22-27 at the University of Missouri and select Columbia locations. Presented by the Mizzou New Music Initiative, the festival includes several public concerts, world premiere performances, appearances by Distinguished Guest Composers George Lewis and Mary Kouyoumdjian, and a concert in which acclaimed new music ensemble Alarm Will Sound will perform works by eight Resident Composers invited to the festival. Here is the 2024 MICF schedule:…

Nov. 20, 2023

MARIA SCHNEIDER ORCHESTRA MAKES ONLY APPEARANCE IN SEVEN-STATE REGION SUNDAY, FEB. 25, 2024, in COLUMBIA’S MISSOURI THEATRE

Celebrated & Award-Winning Composer, Arranger & Conductor Performs in Columbia with star-studded 18-piece New York-based Orchestra as part of the 2023/2024 “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series. ▪ TICKETS NOW ON SALE. Purchase directly through the Jazz Series Box Office or Online at Thundertix.com Maria Schneider Columbia, MO – The “We Always Swing”® Jazz Series is thrilled to present the Maria Schneider Orchestra, 7 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024 at the Missouri Theatre. The concert is the only performance in Missouri and surrounding seven states, save a date…

Oct. 18, 2023

New music reed quintet Splinter Reeds in residence at University of Missouri School of Music Oct. 19-20

The new music reed quintet Splinter Reeds will be in residence at the University of Missouri School of Music on Oct. 19 and 20. Splinter Reeds is the West Coast’s first reed quartet and is committed to presenting top-tier performances of contemporary works, commissioning new works, and exploring the possibilities of a quintet made up entirely of reed players. The group includes Kyle Bruckmann (oboe), Bill Kalinkos (clarinet), Nicki Roman (saxophone), Jeff Anderle (bass clarinet), and Dana Jessen (bassoon). Their music traverses the realms of classical, free jazz, improvisation, electronic music, pop, punk, and…