July 11, 2017
Composers Festival spotlight: Carolina Heredia
Born in Córdoba, Argentina, Carolina Heredia is the first resident composer originally from South America to take part in the Mizzou International Composers Festival. Heredia (pictured) has just completed her doctorate in musical arts at the University of Michigan, studying with Michael Daugherty, Evan Chambers, Kristin Kuster, and Erik Santos. (Interestingly, while being the first from South America, she’s also the latest in a series of Michigan grads to serve as MICF resident composers, including Patrick Harlin (2012), Elizabeth Kelly (2013), Greg Simon (2013), Michael Schachter (2014), Ian Dicke (2014),…
July 10, 2017
Composers Festival spotlight: Henry Breneman Stewart
The University of Missouri’s representative among the eight resident composers for this year’s Mizzou International Composers Festival is Henry Breneman Stewart, who just completed a master’s degree in composition at Mizzou. While at Mizzou, Stewart (pictured) has composed works for the Mizzou New Music Ensemble, Columbia Civic Orchestra, University Singers and more, and served as the “composer on call” for the Mizzou New Music Initiative’s Composer Connection distance-learning program. Most notably, he was the winner of the 2016 Sinquefield Composition Prize – the university’s top honor for a student composer –…
June 15, 2017
Mizzou New Music Initiative awards postdoctoral fellowship to Carolina Heredia
The Mizzou New Music Initiative and the University of Missouri School of Music have awarded a postdoctoral fellowship to composer Carolina Heredia. Starting with the Fall 2017 semester and continuing for two years, Heredia (pictured) will teach private composition lessons to Mizzou students; assist with various MNMI programs; and work on interdisciplinary collaborative projects, initiating and supervising student efforts and also completing a major research project herself. As MNMI’s second postdoctoral fellow, Heredia succeeds Phillip Sink, who is leaving Mizzou for a tenure-track job as assistant professor of theory and composition at Northern Illinois University. Before beginning her fellowship,…
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…