Jan. 6, 2023
Mizzou International Composers Festival announces resident composers for 2023
The Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) and Alarm Will Sound have selected eight resident composers to participate in the 2023 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF). Presented by the MNMI and the University of Missouri School of Music from Monday, July 24 through Saturday, July 29 in Columbia, the fourteenth annual MICF will feature world premieres of new works written by each of the selected composers. Listed with their current places of residence, they are: Santiago Beis (Columbia, MO) Trevor Van de Velde, (New York, NY) Ali Can Puskulcu (Marlborough, MA) Peter Fahey…
Jan. 5, 2023
Alarm Will Sound to perform works by Thirlwell, Thompson, Wohl, and Jlin on January 17 at Sinquefield Music Center
Alarm Will Sound, the 20-member contemporary music ensemble, is returning to Columbia to perform in concert on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at the Sinquefield Music Center on the University of Missouri Campus. The 7 p.m. concert is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Doors open at 6:30. As the resident ensemble for the annual Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF), Alarm Will Sound (pictured) has been performing at concerts and festivals in mid-Missouri since 2010. The group’s founding cellist, Stefan Freund, is the Artistic Director of the Mizzou New Music Initiative.
Dec. 28, 2022
End of Fall ’22 semester highlighted by artist residency, SLSO collaboration, Mizzou New Music Ensemble concert
The latter part of the fall 2022 semester has been a busy one for the University of Missouri School of Music and the Mizzou New Music Initiative. Here is a summary of what has been going on. Abstract sound artist Maria Chavez had a five-day residency at Mizzou (Nov. 7-11). The Peruvian turntablist spent time with the Mizzou New Music Ensemble, talking about listening practices and the various influences that inform her work. Chavez demonstrated her turntable skills for students using records that were generously donated by Columbia’s Hitt Street Records. Chavez shared her…
Dec. 13, 2022
Training and opportunities at Mizzou helped Oswald Huỳnh establish himself as a composer on the rise
When composer Oswald Huỳnh was looking for schools to apply to for a master’s degree in music composition, one of his mentors suggested that the University of Missouri School of Music was a school he should keep on his radar. “I was amazed by all the opportunities that were available to the students,” says Huỳnh, who earned his master’s in composition from Mizzou in the spring of 2022. The Portland, Oregon, native was particularly intrigued by opportunities offered by the program to write for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the renowned new-music ensemble Alarm Will Sound. “Orchestra…
Oct. 28, 2022
Missouri Composers Project (MOCOP) expands to include additional categories for composers of new orchestral and choral music from neighboring states
The Missouri Composers Project (MOCOP) is looking for new orchestral and choral music written by residents of Missouri as well as neighboring states. Now in its eleventh year, MOCOP is a collaborative effort involving the Mizzou New Music Initiative, the Columbia Civic Orchestra (CCO), the Columbia Chamber Choir, and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation to bring attention to new large ensemble works written in the state of Missouri in its high school and open categories. MOCOP now offers an opportunity for undergraduates studying at universities in the neighboring states of Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Nebraska. By identifying…
Oct. 18, 2022
Duo Axis Residency highlighted by Oct. 21st concert at Sheryl Crow Hall
Duo Axis, the dynamic pairing of flutist Zach Sheets and pianist Wei-Han Wu, will be in residence from October 20-21, 2023 at the University of Missouri School of Music. The Duo Axis residency is funded by the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Wei-Han Wu (left), Zach Sheets (right) During the residency, Duo Axis will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. October 21 in Sheryl Crow Hall. A highlight of the program is a performance of former University of Missouri School of Music faculty member Carolina Heredia’s composition, pruning.
Oct. 17, 2022
Morima Yerby wins 2023 Sinquefield Composition Prize
The University of Missouri School of Music and the Mizzou New Music Initiative have awarded the 2023 Sinquefield Composition Prize to Morima Yerby. Now in its 18th year, the Sinquefield Composition Prize is the top award for a composition student at Mizzou. Morima Yerby As this year’s winner, Morima Yerby will be awarded a $2,500 prize and will be commissioned to write a new work for the MU Symphony orchestra. The Orchestra will premiere the work at the Chancellor’s Arts Showcase in the 2023 Spring semester. The work will also be professionally recorded. The other finalists for the 2023 Sinquefield Composition Prize were: Harry…
Oct. 5, 2022
Composer José Halac’s Oct. 5-9, 2023 residency concludes with Mizzou New Music Ensemble concert
José Halac, an award-winning Argentinian composer and researcher of contemporary music, will be in residence from Wednesday, October 5 through Sunday, October 9, 2022 at the University of Missouri School of Music. Halac’s residency is funded by the Mizzou New Music Initiative (MNMI) and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. José Halac Photo credit: Susana Perez During his residency, Halac will work with the Mizzou New Music Ensemble on his new piece,…