
Dec. 18, 2014
Relevant Tones two-part radio special about
Mizzou International Composers Festival now available online
Last Saturday, the syndicated radio program “Relevant Tones” broadcast the second part of a two-hour special about the 2014 Mizzou International Composers Festival. Now, both episodes about the MICF can be streamed online. You can hear part one of the special here, and part two here. Originating from WFMT (98.7 FM) in Chicago, “Relevant Tones” also is heard on nearly 40 other NPR, public, and commercial stations, plus 150 “translator” frequencies, in the USA, Canada and New Zealand.

Dec. 16, 2014
Mizzou International Composers Festival gets
record number of resident composer applicants for 2015
With all the applications for 2015 submitted and logged, the Mizzou International Composers Festival has set another new record this year for the number of submissions from prospective resident composers. The MICF got a total of 231 applications for the 2015 festival, including 82 returning applicants and 149 who applied for the first time. Fifteen percent of the submissions came from outside the US, with applications arriving from composers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Last weekend, festival organizers met in St. Louis to review…

Dec. 4, 2014
Missouri Composers Orchestra Project
2015 entry deadline extended to Monday, December 15
The Missouri Composers Orchestra Project (MOCOP) deadline for 2015 submissions has been extended until Monday, December 15. Now in its fourth year, MOCOP is a collaborative effort of the Mizzou New Music Initiative, the Columbia Civic Orchestra (CCO), and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation to bring attention to orchestral works written in the state of Missouri. By identifying composers of orchestral music and providing opportunities for the performance of their work, MOCOP strives to showcase the talent of Missouri and share it with the community Each year, works are selected through a competitive, blind judging process to…

Dec. 2, 2014
Mizzou International Composers Festival to be featured
on “Relevant Tones” radio program December 6 and December 13
The 2014 Mizzou International Composers Festival will be the subject of two upcoming episodes of the syndicated radio program “Relevant Tones,” which originates from WFMT (98.7 FM) in Chicago. The two episodes will feature the world broadcast premiere of music from the 2014 MICF, plus interviews with many of the participating composers. Part one will air on WFMT at 5:00 p.m. Central time this coming Saturday, December 6, with part two to follow at the same time on Saturday, December 13. You can listen to a live stream of the broadcasts at http://www.wfmt.com/streaming. Once they’ve aired, episodes…

Dec. 1, 2014
Mizzou New Music Ensemble to perform new works from Missouri composers
and more on Sunday, December 7 at Whitmore Recital Hall
The Mizzou New Music Ensemble will play their second concert of the academic year (and their final show of 2014) at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, December 7 in Whitmore Recital Hall, 135 Fine Arts Building on the University of Missouri campus. Admission is free for Mizzou students, $5 suggested donation for the general public. The program will feature a turn-of-the-century piece from a Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winning composer, plus four brand new works written right here in Missouri. The prizewinner in question is Jennifer Higdon (pictured), the acclaimed contemporary composer whose major awards include a Pulitzer…

Nov. 24, 2014
MNMI alumni in the news
Several Mizzou composition alumni have been in the news this fall: * Grant Fonda, who earned his master’s degree at Mizzou in 2012, was featured as a “composer to watch” as part of ASCAP’s “Composer Spotlight.” Fonda (pictured) was selected earlier this year to take part in the the organization’s Film Scoring Workshop in Los Angeles. * Michael Anderson, who graduated and won the Sinquefield Composition Prize in 2012, had a new work, “The Heart of A Land” premiered by the combined forces of the Parkville Symphonic Band and the Platte City…

Nov. 18, 2014
Creating Original Music Project (C.O.M.P.) celebrates tenth year of prizes, recognition for Missouri student composers
Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield with multiple C.O.M.P. winner HyunJun Yoo of Columbia Over the past nine years, the Mizzou New Music Initiative’s Creating Original Music Project (C.O.M.P) has encouraged the musical dreams and aspirations of hundreds of K-12 students across Missouri. Now for its tenth year, the annual statewide competition sponsored by the University of Missouri School of Music and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation once again is looking for new, original music from student composers and songwriters in the Show-Me State. Information was mailed last month to music teachers across the state inviting students to participate in the 2015…

Nov. 6, 2014
Mizzou composers, Stephens College choreographers
collaborating again for concerts on November 14, 15 & 16
Composers from the Mizzou New Music Initiative are working once again with choreographers and dancers from Stephens College to create original music for this year’s Senior Dance Concert at Stephens. The performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 14 and Saturday, November 15, and at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, November 16 at the Macklanburg Playhouse, 100 Willis Ave on the Stephens campus. Tickets are $8 for general admission, $6 for students and seniors, and can be purchased in advance at the Macklanburg Playhouse box office; by calling 573-876-7199; or at the door. Renewing the collaboration…