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…
Feb. 21, 2017
Composer Don Freund in residence this weekend at Mizzou
This weekend, the Mizzou New Music Initiative will welcome composer Don Freund to campus for a four-day residency. A professor of composition at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music since 1992, Freund (pictured) is an internationally recognized composer whose works range from solo, chamber, and orchestral music to pieces involving live performances with electronic instruments; music for dance; and large theater works. He has been described as “a composer thoughtful in approach and imaginative in style” (The Washington Post), whose music is “exciting, amusing, disturbing, beautiful, and always fascinating” (Music and Musicians/London ). Freund also has a personal…
Feb. 20, 2017
Third Coast Percussion residency: A look back
Feb. 7, 2017
From the Grammy Awards to Mizzou with Third Coast Percussion
When Third Coast Percussion visits the University of Missouri next week, not only will they be coming directly from the Grammy Awards, they’ll actually be bringing a bit of Mizzou along with them. The Chicago-based group is nominated for a Grammy this year in the category of “Best Chamber Music/ Small Ensemble Performance” for their album Steve Reich, and they’ll also be performing at the Grammy “Premiere Ceremony” hosted by comedian Margaret Cho before the nationally televised portion of the awards gets underway on Sunday, February 12 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. When they…
Feb. 2, 2017
Mizzou New Music Ensemble to present works by Freund, Haas, Visconti, McKenney, and Heruth on Monday, February 27 at Whitmore Recital Hall
The Mizzou New Music Ensemble’s first performance of 2017 will include music from a visiting guest composer, new works written by a longtime faculty member and a Mizzou student, and a sneak preview of this summer’s Mizzou International Composers Festival. The concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday, February 27 at Whitmore Recital Hall on the University of Missouri campus. General admission is $5 for the public, free for Mizzou faculty, students and staff. Visiting the Mizzou campus for a guest composer residency that weekend will be Don Freund, professor of composition at Indiana University’s Jacobs School…
Jan. 25, 2017
Composer Louis Goldford visiting Mizzou campus in February
Louis Goldford will be the first visiting composer on the Mizzou campus in 2017, coming to Columbia next month for a weekend residency that will include a presentation of works, a coaching session with the Mizzou New Music Ensemble, and a concert. Two of his compositions – “Travertine Hybrid #3,” for violin and electronics, and “Giffen Good,” for trombone and electronics – will be featured in the Mizzou music faculty’s electroacoustic concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 11 at Whitmore Recital Hall. The performance also will include music written by Mizzou New Music Initiative managing director Jacob…