Oct. 22, 2019
Samuel Tillman, Daniel Vega chosen as winners
of the 2019 MADSM Collegiate Composition Competition
From left: Samuel Tillman, Daniel Vega The Missouri Association of Departments and Schools of Music (MADSM) and the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) have chosen the winners in the 2019 MADSM Collegiate Composition Competition. The winning work in the Undergraduate category is “Cadencia” by Samuel Tillman, a student at Truman State University, and the winner in the Graduate category is “Hitt St. Harangue” by Daniel Vega of the University of Missouri. The two winning compositions will be workshopped by the Mizzou New Music Ensemble with help from the composers; recorded; and then performed in concert next month on the…
Oct. 17, 2019
2020 Creating Original Music Project (COMP) offers
awards, cash prizes for Missouri student composers
2019 COMP High School division winners From parchment and quill to pen and paper to computer and software, the tools used by composers to set down their musical ideas may have changed over the years, but one thing remains the same: every composer still needs a chance to be heard. That’s why the Mizzou New Music Initiative is inviting young composers from across Missouri to take part in the 2020 Creating Original Music Project (COMP). Now in its 15th year, COMP is an annual statewide competition sponsored by the University of Missouri School of Music and the Sinquefield…
Oct. 9, 2019
Olivia Bennett wins 2019-20 Luna Composition Lab fellowship
Missouri student composer Olivia Bennett has been named one of five 2019-20 fellows by Luna Composition Lab, a program at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City that provides mentorship and performance opportunities to young composers who are female-identifying, non-binary, or gender non-conforming. Bennett (pictured), a 17-year-old home-schooled student from Nixa, Mo (just south of Springfield), has won multiple awards in competitions sponsored by the Mizzou New Music Initiative. Those awards include a total of five prizes in the annual Creating Original Music Project (COMP), a statewide composition competition for students in grades K-12, and two…
Oct. 3, 2019
Michael Harley visiting Mizzou for residency, concert on Monday, October 21
Bassoonist Michael Harley is coming to Mizzou for a residency and concert on Monday, October 21. While he’s on campus, Harley (pictured) will teach a bassoon master class, work with composition students, and perform in a concert at 7:30 p.m. at Whitmore Recital Hall. The concert will feature music from Harley’s upcoming album Come Closer, which is set for release on October 18, including works by Reginald Bain, Carl Schimmel, Fang Man, Caleb Burhans, and Mizzou’s own Stefan Freund. Admission to the concert is free and open to the public. Harley already is quite familiar with Mizzou, having…
Oct. 2, 2019
Missouri Composers Project (MOCOP) seeks
new orchestral, choral music for concert in April 2020
. The Missouri Composers Project (MOCOP) is looking for new, large-ensemble music written by Missouri residents to be performed in a concert in April. Now in its tenth year, MOCOP is a collaborative effort involving the Mizzou New Music Initiative, the Columbia Civic Orchestra (CCO), the Columbia Chamber Choir, and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation to bring attention to new large ensemble works written in the state of Missouri. By identifying composers and providing opportunities for the performance of their work, MOCOP showcases emerging talent from Missouri and shares it with the world. Each year, recently composed…
Sep. 25, 2019
Amy Williams coming to Mizzou in October for residency and concert
Composer and pianist Amy Williams is coming to Mizzou next month for a residency and concert. Williams, who is an associate professor teaching composition and music theory at the University of Pittsburgh, will be on campus in Columbia on Wednesday, October 9 and Thursday, October 10. While she’s at Mizzou, Williams (pictured) will make a presentation to composition students, give private lessons, and perform in a free concert featuring excerpts from John Cage’s “Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano” at 3:00 p.m. Thursday at Whitmore Recital Hall. The daughter of two professional musicians, Williams…
Sep. 23, 2019
Ben Rouder wins 2020 Sinquefield Composition Prize
The University of Missouri School of Music and the Mizzou New Music Initiative have awarded the 2020 Sinquefield Composition Prize to Ben Rouder. Rouder (pictured) is a junior working toward a bachelor’s degree in composition at Mizzou. He submitted “M.I.S.”, a work for chamber ensemble originally composed as part of last year’s “Influences Symphony” project, to the competition and was selected for the prize by independent judges. The adjudicators for the 2020 competition were Yotam Haber, associate professor of music composition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Nina C. Young, assistant professor at the University of Southern California. Now…
Sep. 18, 2019
Mizzou New Music Ensemble to perform works by Boulez, Higdon, Martínez, and Heredia in concert Sunday, October 6 at Whitmore Recital Hall
The Mizzou New Music Ensemble will begin their 2019-20 season with a concert featuring works by two modern masters, a Mizzou alumnus, and a current Mizzou faculty member. The Ensemble (pictured) will perform music by Pierre Boulez, Jennifer Higdon, José Martínez, and Carolina Heredia at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, October 6 at Whitmore Recital Hall on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia. The concert is free and open to the public. As the name suggests, Boulez’s “Dérive 1” is derived from two of his other compositions, “Messagesquisse” and “Répons,” the latter of which in turn was…