May 25, 2017
Ticket sales for 2017 Mizzou International Composers Festival
delayed until Friday, June 23
Due to maintenance and upgrades to the ticketing system for the Missouri Theatre, the start of ticket sales for the 2017 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF) will be delayed until 10:00 a.m. CDT on Friday, June 23. The MICF will take place this year from Monday, July 24 through Saturday, July 29 in Columbia, and will include three public concerts of music from contemporary composers on Thursday, July 27; Friday, July 28; and Saturday, July 29 at the Missouri Theatre, 203 S. Ninth St. in downtown Columbia. Festival VIP packages are $80, and include reserved premium seating at all three…
May 16, 2017
Tickets for 2017 Mizzou International Composers Festival go on sale Friday, May 26
Tickets for the 2017 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF) will go on sale at 10:00 a.m. CDT on Friday, May 26. Known as the region’s premier showcase for new works by top young composers, the MICF will take place this year from Monday, July 24 through Saturday, July 29 in Columbia, and will include three public concerts. Returning for the eighth year as the festival’s resident ensemble, Alarm Will Sound will begin the weekend of shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 27 at the Missouri Theatre, 203 S. Ninth St. in downtown Columbia. They’ll perform music from…
April 18, 2017
Mizzou New Music Ensemble to debut “Eclipse Symphony” with performances in Columbia and St. Louis
The Mizzou New Music Ensemble will commemorate the upcoming solar eclipse of August 2017 with performances in Columbia and St. Louis of the “Eclipse Symphony,” a new collaborative, multi-part work by four Mizzou student composers. The work will be previewed in a concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 29 at the Bond Life Sciences Center on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, with the official premiere set for 7:00 p.m. Friday, May 5 at the St. Louis Science Center’s James S. McDonnell Planetarium. General admission to the concert in Columbia is $5 for the public, free for…
March 23, 2017
Creating Original Music Project to present award-winning works from Missouri student composers in concert on Saturday, April 15
Some of the winners at the 2016 COMP Festival Whether heard on a concert stage or in a theater, on film or TV, or in a video game or app, every piece of music starts with a composer – and every young composer needs a start. That’s why Mizzou’s Creating Original Music Project (COMP) will present performances of award-winning original works by young Missouri composers at the twelfth annual COMP Festival, held from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday, April 15 in the Fine Arts Building on the campus of the University of Missouri. Admission is free and open…
March 15, 2017
William Averitt’s “Black Pierrot” inspired by poet Langston Hughes
Mizzou musicology professor Stephanie Shonekan (at left) leads a discussion with composer William Averitt (second from right) on the poetry of Langston Hughes. For his latest commissioned work “Black Pierrot,” composer William Averitt once again has drawn inspiration from the poetry of Langston Hughes. Scheduled for a world premiere on Saturday, March 18 at First Baptist Church in Columbia, “Black Pierrot” was commissioned by Mizzou’s director of choral studies Paul Crabb for the University Singers and the Mizzou New Music Ensemble, directed by Stefan Freund, with funding from the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Averitt, who’s now professor emeritus of…
March 8, 2017
University Singers, Mizzou New Music Ensemble to premiere new work by William Averitt in concert on Saturday, March 18
The University of Missouri’s University Singers and Mizzou New Music Ensemble will present the world premiere of “Black Pierrot,” a newly commissioned work from composer William Averitt, in a concert at 7:00 p.m. Saturday, March 18 at the First Baptist Church, 1112 East Broadway in Columbia. General admission to the concert is $5 for the public, free for Mizzou faculty, students and staff. “Black Pierrot” was commissioned by Mizzou director of choral activities Paul Crabb for the University Singers and the Mizzou New Music Ensemble with funding from the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Inspired by seven poems…
March 6, 2017
Mizzou New Music Initiative seeks high school students for Missouri Summer Composition Institute
Mizzou’s Tom McKenney with COMP Camp students The Mizzou New Music Initiative is looking for Missouri high school students interested in music composition to attend this year’s Missouri Summer Composition Institute, which will be held from Sunday, June 18 through Saturday, June 24 on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia. Known informally as “COMP Camp,” after MNMI’s annual Creating Original Music Project contest for student composers, the Institute is open to students entering grades 9-12 and entering college freshman. The week-long program offers young composers from across the state the opportunity to receive composition lessons from MU faculty,…
Feb. 24, 2017
Aaron Mencher wins third place in American Prize composition competition
Mizzou student composer Aaron Mencher‘s piece “New” last month was awarded third place in the 2016 American Prize in Composition – Band/Wind Ensemble, Student Division competition. Mencher (pictured) is a sophomore composition major and Sinquefield Scholar from John’s Creek, GA, a suburb of Atlanta. “New” previously was a winner in the 2015 NAfME Student Composers Competition, and was premiered by the All-National Concert Band. The work also was performed last year by the University Wind Ensemble, and has been published by Murphy Music Press. Last semester, Mencher won the Boston New Music Initiative’s 2016…