Jan. 21, 2016
Ben Colagiovanni wins “Young Artist” award
in MTNA national composition competition
The University of Missouri’s Ben Colagiovanni is the national winner of the “Young Artist” award in this year’s Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) composition competition. Colagiovanni (pictured) currently is a senior at Mizzou pursuing a bachelor’s degree in music composition. He was recognized for “Forest Park Rhapsody,” one of four works originally commissioned in 2014 by the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation for the Mizzou New Music Ensemble to perform at an event for Forest Park Forever’s Leffingwell Society. As a winner of the competition, Colagiovanni will receive a first place prize of $3,000, and “Forest Park Rhapsody”…
Jan. 18, 2016
Mizzou International Composers Festival announces resident composers for 2016
The Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) has selected eight resident composers to participate in the 2016 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF). Presented annually since 2010 by MNMI and the University of Missouri School of Music, the MICF in just six years has become the Midwest’s top summer showcase for intriguing new music by composers from around the world. The seventh edition of the festival, scheduled for Monday, July 25 through Saturday, July 30 in Columbia, will feature world premieres of eight new works written by this year’s selected composers. Listed with their current places of residence, they…
Jan. 8, 2016
Hear new music from the Mizzou International Composers Festival
As we anticipate the announcement later this month of the eight resident composers for the 2016 Mizzou International Composers Festival, the interval also provides an opportunity for MNMI to share for the first time some music from the 2015 MICF. For starters, you can use the embedded audio player below to stream “virgin soil,” which was written by 2015 resident composer Conrad Winslow (pictured, upper left) and given a world premiere performance by Alarm Will Sound as part of the grand finale of last summer’s MICF: And here’s Alarm Will Sound performing the world…
Jan. 7, 2016
José Martínez selected by Third Coast Percussion
for 2016-17 Emerging Composers Partnership
Mizzou graduate student José Martínez has been selected by Third Coast Percussion to take part in their Emerging Composers Partnership for the 2016-17 season. The Chicago-based ensemble chose Martínez (pictured) and Princeton graduate student Annika K. Socolofsky from among 99 applicants this year for the partnership program, which now is entering its third season. Both composers will take part in a series of collaborative workshops in Chicago and create new works for Third Coast Percussion, which then will be premiered as part of the ensemble’s hometown concert series. Each composer also will receive an honorarium and a…
Dec. 23, 2015
2016 Mizzou International Composers Festival
gets applications from 18 countries
The numbers have been tallied, and the 2016 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF) has received submissions from a total of 229 individuals hoping to be among the fest’s eight resident composers, including 129 who applied for the first time. The 2016 MICF will take place from Monday, July 25 through Saturday, July 30 in Columbia. Resident composer submissions were received from a total of 18 different countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each resident…
Dec. 14, 2015
Colagiovanni wins West Central Division of MTNA composition competition
Mizzou’s Ben Colagiovanni has advanced to the next level in this year’s Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) composition competition, winning the “Young Artist” award in the West Central Division. Colagiovanni, a senior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in music composition, previously was recognized as a state winner for “Forest Park Rhapsody.” Now, as a division winner, his work automatically advances to the national competition, the results of which will be announced by the end of January. The national MTNA composition competition offers a first place prize of $3,000, plus a performance at the Winners Concert during the…
Nov. 27, 2015
Mizzou New Music Ensemble, Exit 128 Orchestra
to perform Sunday, December 6 at Missouri Theatre
The Mizzou New Music Ensemble will join forces with the Exit 128 Chamber Orchestra to present “Electric New Music” at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, December 6 at the Missouri Theatre, 203 South 9th St. Admission is free for Mizzou students, faculty and staff with ID, $5 for the general public. The first half of the concert will feature Exit 128, a student-run ensemble conducted by music director and Mizzou senior Travis Herd. They’ll perform three selections, starting with “Assembly Lines” by Ian Dicke, who was a resident composer at the 2014 Mizzou International Composers Festival Resident Composer and is assistant…
Nov. 20, 2015
Dustin Dunn featured in Mizzou alumni magazine
Composition major Dustin Dunn is featured in the latest issue of Mizzou magazine, which was mailed to alumni and other subscribers earlier this week. Dunn, a sophomore from Annapolis, Missouri, is attending Mizzou on a full Sinquefield Scholarship from the Mizzou New Music Initiative. “My future changed with a letter that said, ‘Congratulations! You have a full-tuition scholarship to the University of Missouri for the next four years,” he told reporter Dale Smith. “That’s when I knew that I was going to get an undergraduate experience that no one in my family had ever gotten before.” You…