Sep. 4, 2018
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra to read works by Mizzou composers Mikkel Christensen, Ben Colagiovanni, and Libby Roberts
From left: Colagiovanni, Roberts, Christensen Three University of Missouri student composers will have their works played this year by musicians with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra as part of a joint educational venture between the orchestra and the Mizzou New Music Initiative. Student composers Mikkel Christensen, Ben Colagiovanni, and Libby Roberts were selected by SLSO Resident Conductor Gemma New to write new works for a 40-piece chamber orchestra drawn from the musicians of the St. Louis Symphony. The three works will be read, played and critiqued in a private session on Wednesday, October 31 in St. Louis. The composers…
Aug. 23, 2018
MADSM Collegiate Composer Competition entry deadline extended to Friday, October 19
The entry deadline for the 2018 MADSM Collegiate Composer Competition has been extended to Friday, October 19. “Since this a new competition this year, and the fall semester has just begun, we wanted MADSM member institutions to have more time to get the word out, and their students to have more time to respond,” said Jacob Gotlib, managing director of the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI). MNMI is co-sponsoring the competition with the Missouri Association of Departments and Schools of Music (MADSM) to encourage the creation of original chamber music that can be played by high-school level musicians. The…
Aug. 20, 2018
Arrangement by Mizzou’s Stefan Freund featured on new album by Medeski Martin & Wood with Alarm Will Sound
An arrangement by Mizzou’s Stefan Freund is featured on Omnisphere, the new album by Medeski Martin & Wood with Alarm Will Sound. Freund is a professor of composition and the artistic director of the Mizzou New Music Initiative, as well as the cellist and a co-founder of Alarm Will Sound. Recorded live in February 2015 at The Newman Center in Denver, Colorado, Omnisphere represents the first collaboration between “one of the most adventurous groups to emerge in jazz and improvised music in the last three decades” and “an orchestra that counts among the boldest forces in contemporary…
Aug. 16, 2018
Construction progressing on Mizzou’s new School of Music building
After a ground-breaking ceremony in April, construction of the School of Music’s new building has been progressing throughout the spring and summer. For an overview of what’s happened so far, check out the embedded video in this post. The new building will bring together in one place offices and classrooms that currently are spread across six different locations on the Mizzou campus, and is scheduled to open in time for the Fall 2019 semester. The project is being funded by donations including a $10 million lead gift from Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation.
Aug. 3, 2018
MICF alumni win commissions from Barlow Endowment, Chamber Music America
Clockwise from top left: Cuong, Peck, Stark, McLosky As this year’s Mizzou International Composers Festival was ending, news broke that several MICF alumni have won commissions in annual competitions sponsored by the Barlow Endowment and by Chamber Music America. This year’s winners of general commissions from the Barlow Endowment include past MICF resident composers Viet Cuong (MICF 2018), Charles Peck (MICF 2017), and Christopher Stark (MICF 2015). In addition, Lansing McLoskey, who visited the Mizzou campus as a guest composer in 2015, also won a Barlow commission for 2018. The Barlow Endowment for Music…
July 30, 2018
A look back at the 2018 Mizzou International Composers Festival
July 26, 2018
MICF in the media
If you’ve missed any of the media coverage of the 2018 Mizzou International Composers Festival, you can catch up by following the links below: * The Columbia Daily Tribune‘s coverage included interviews with resident composers Viet Cuong, Douglas Osmun and Gemma Peacocke, plus a guide to the entire festival. * The Columbia Missourian published a short feature story offering an overview of the festival, along with a gallery of photos. * MNMI managing director Jacob Gotlib was interviewed by Diana Moxon of KOPN’s “Speaking of the Arts.” Moxon also interviewed resident composers…
July 22, 2018
Composers Festival spotlight: Robert Morris
The Mizzou New Music Initiative is most grateful to Robert Morris for agreeing to serve as one of the two distinguished guest composers at the 2018 Mizzou International Composers Festival. Morris, a composer and professor at Eastman School of Music, graciously re-arranged his summer schedule on short notice to come to Columbia after composer Chen Yi had to withdraw for medical reasons. Festival-goers will be able to hear two of Morris’ works during the MICF. As part of their concert on Thursday night at the Missouri Theatre, resident ensemble Alarm Will Sound will perform Morris’ “In…