On Thursday, October 22, the New Music and Arts Festival began. I attended the 8:00 PM performance in Kobacker hall. This performance showcased composers David Froom, Kristin Kuster, Steven Stucky, and Wayne Oquin. Hearing modern music was a new experience for me. I had heard a few pieces in the past, but nothing with this degree of talent. Every composer managed to shape their pieces so intricately that the imagery was extremely vivd.
My favorite two pieces were David Froom’s “Love Songs” and Wayne Oquin’s “Tower Ascending.” Froom’s piece was interesting to me because of my previous research on it. Knowing a bit more about the piece, composer, and performer made it more enjoyable for me. Oquin’s piece really sparked my imagination of urban city life. I just visited Pittsburgh a few weeks ago and it was fun to draw parallels between the piece and what I saw in the city. Overall the concert was very intriguing and I am definitely going to look into listening to more new music as a result.
This weekend the New Music Festival started. On Friday, October 23 I went to the Electroacoustic concert in Kobacker Hall at 2:30. The concert had music written by John Gibson, Elainie Illios, Allan Schindler, and Robert Scott Thompson. New music is very different from the stuff that I usually listen to. I remember the first two songs sounded like something that came out of a horror movie. It started with this really loud band and a lot of noises put together and my friend turned to me and said he was scared. The music sound very mysterious, but it was interesting how they put these different pitches together. My favorite was the third piece which was a combinations of sounds played on the piano. It wasn’t just the notes played on the keyboard, it was sounds when you hit the inside of the piano and the strings. It was very interesting. The performance was very different from what I’m used to, but I enjoyed it. I look forward to next years New Music Festival.
The New Music Festival began on Thursday, October 22. While I was unable to attend the performance of Steve Ricks’ “Force of the Mind.” I did, however, attend the first rehearsal that was held for the piece. It was the first time both trombonists played together. It was interesting to see the process. Ricks has also incorporated electronic sound into the piece, so the musicians had to learn to play together and also with the electronics. It really is three components that they had to put together in a very short amount of time. They explained how in the beginning they would be walking around playing, using marching band lyres. Later in the piece they hook into the sculpture that is sitting on stage with them. The brain begins to ‘control’ them. They have movements that go in the piece, such as, they stand up at the same time because the brain is controlling them. I loved the beginning of the piece. It’s amazing how many different sounds one can get out of an instrument. Dr. Mathis and Dr. Kimball were using two different kinds of mutes. I could hear the brain working in this section of the song. It was a great experience. I wish I had been able to see the performance, but watching and listening to the inner workings of the piece was a totally different experience. I very much enjoyed listening to the piece, and I look forward to next year’s festival.
The New Music and Arts Festival Series began on Thursday, October 22, 2009. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend any of the shows or recitals because I was ill. If permeable, I would like to tell you about the piece I heard while sitting in on a rehearsal. I was fortunate enough to be able to hear the piece of the composer Grace, Esther, and I researched. It is called ‘And the Waves Sing Because They Move’. The piece was very inspiring, and with knowing some logic behind this piano solo song, it gave us a better understanding of how the music relates to the title of the piece. Thomas Osbourne, the composer, seemed to use motions of the ocean to create this piece, relating it to everyday life. It has some ups and downs, just as someones life may move throughout. Overall, the piece was outstanding. I wish I could have been able to see this wonderful piece performed, though I was told it was still as good, if not better than the rehearsal.
The New Music and Arts Festival started on Thursday the 22nd of October. I went to the wind symphony concert that night and got to experience some very different music. At the concert there were a couple of songs that had been written based of a previously existing song, for example the Funeral piece by Stucky. Then also there were some songs that if you were listening to just the overtone of everything that was being played you could hear many different melodies that made sense in the confusion. The most impressive song that I enjoyed was the Ascending Towers. It was so cool. It just had everything that interested me in music texture. The song started with very few voices and a slower rhythm then eventually all of the rest of the band was in and the tempo increased as did the volume. Now with the way this song was structured it felt like you could imagine the tower being constructed through the band. It was amazing. I wish I could have heard more music like Ascending Towers. I really enjoyed this experience.
The New Music and Arts Festival wasn’t a normal set of concerts; it was an experience. I attended both the Electroacoustic concert on Friday Oct. 23 and the concert in Bryan Recital Hall on Saturday Oct. 24. The electroacoustic concert was very different from anything I have ever heard before. “Diaspora”, composed by Allen Schindler, used a soprano singer along with electroacoustics. The soprano sang a poem over a set of electroacoustic sounds and rhythms. Since it was something I never heard before, it was hard to understand that type of music. The second concert started off with the world premiere of “Force of the Mind” by Steve Ricks. It involved the playing of two trombones over an electroacoustic melody. The two trombonists moved around the stage and it made for a very theatrical performance. The second song was “Still the Fire” by John Anthony Lennon. This was the song that my group did for the New Music Festival project. I enjoyed this song the most, mainly because it involved both cello and the saxophone. The festival was quite the experience, and I now understand how different new music really is.
I attended the Thursday October 22, 2009 concert of The 30th Annual New Music Festival at eight o’clock in Kobacker Hall. I want to start off by saying that i am not familiar with new music, but this concert was one of my favorite concerts I have ever attended. The concert started off with a vocal piece called Three Love Songs (2009) by David Froom. This piece was performed by soprano Deborah Norin-Kuehn and pianist Laura Melton. This song was then followed by a piece called Orpheus Over and Under (1989) by David Lang and performed by pianists Solungga Fang-Tzu Liu and Thomas Rosenkranz. Then, after a brief intermission, the Wind Symphony, directed by Dr. Bruce Moss, played a piece by Kristin Kuster called Lost Gulch Lookout (2008). The Wind Symphony then, performed three other selections; Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, After Henry Purcell (1992) by Steven Stucky, Hue and Cry (2006) by Steven Stucky, and Tower Ascending (2009) by Wayne Oquin. As I said before This was one of my favorite concerts and I am looking forward to learning more about new music.
Becky Zydiak
New Music and Arts Festival
On Friday October 23 I attended a concert where the composer I did my poster on, Robert Scott Thompson’s, piece was performed. There were four different pieces performed at this particular concert. Most of them had an acoustic theme to them. The first piece, Diaspora, was different from anything I’ve ever hear. There were no instruments involved, just a computer with electric sounds, and s soprano. She sang words that didn’t really make sense to me. The sounds in the piece mad me feel kind of uneasy. The next piece played was called Slumber. This piece had an acoustic sound to it aswell. The composer emphasizes certain parts in the piano. The third piece was called Nostalgic Visions. This piece really amazed me. The piece was dedicated to the performer, Thomas Rosenkranz. The beginning started out with the performer hitting the strings in the piano with a hammer. It looked so complicated and really impressed me. The last piece, Out of the Vivid Air, was written by the composer I did my project on. The entire piece had an acoustic theme to it. There were many drum parts and I finally got to listen the the piece I did my project on. After the concert I met with Robert Scott Thompson and shook his hand. This was an amazing experience.
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:51 am
On Thursday, October 22, the New Music and Arts Festival began. I attended the 8:00 PM performance in Kobacker hall. This performance showcased composers David Froom, Kristin Kuster, Steven Stucky, and Wayne Oquin. Hearing modern music was a new experience for me. I had heard a few pieces in the past, but nothing with this degree of talent. Every composer managed to shape their pieces so intricately that the imagery was extremely vivd.
My favorite two pieces were David Froom’s “Love Songs” and Wayne Oquin’s “Tower Ascending.” Froom’s piece was interesting to me because of my previous research on it. Knowing a bit more about the piece, composer, and performer made it more enjoyable for me. Oquin’s piece really sparked my imagination of urban city life. I just visited Pittsburgh a few weeks ago and it was fun to draw parallels between the piece and what I saw in the city. Overall the concert was very intriguing and I am definitely going to look into listening to more new music as a result.
October 24th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
This weekend the New Music Festival started. On Friday, October 23 I went to the Electroacoustic concert in Kobacker Hall at 2:30. The concert had music written by John Gibson, Elainie Illios, Allan Schindler, and Robert Scott Thompson. New music is very different from the stuff that I usually listen to. I remember the first two songs sounded like something that came out of a horror movie. It started with this really loud band and a lot of noises put together and my friend turned to me and said he was scared. The music sound very mysterious, but it was interesting how they put these different pitches together. My favorite was the third piece which was a combinations of sounds played on the piano. It wasn’t just the notes played on the keyboard, it was sounds when you hit the inside of the piano and the strings. It was very interesting. The performance was very different from what I’m used to, but I enjoyed it. I look forward to next years New Music Festival.
October 26th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
The New Music Festival began on Thursday, October 22. While I was unable to attend the performance of Steve Ricks’ “Force of the Mind.” I did, however, attend the first rehearsal that was held for the piece. It was the first time both trombonists played together. It was interesting to see the process. Ricks has also incorporated electronic sound into the piece, so the musicians had to learn to play together and also with the electronics. It really is three components that they had to put together in a very short amount of time. They explained how in the beginning they would be walking around playing, using marching band lyres. Later in the piece they hook into the sculpture that is sitting on stage with them. The brain begins to ‘control’ them. They have movements that go in the piece, such as, they stand up at the same time because the brain is controlling them. I loved the beginning of the piece. It’s amazing how many different sounds one can get out of an instrument. Dr. Mathis and Dr. Kimball were using two different kinds of mutes. I could hear the brain working in this section of the song. It was a great experience. I wish I had been able to see the performance, but watching and listening to the inner workings of the piece was a totally different experience. I very much enjoyed listening to the piece, and I look forward to next year’s festival.
October 26th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
The New Music and Arts Festival Series began on Thursday, October 22, 2009. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend any of the shows or recitals because I was ill. If permeable, I would like to tell you about the piece I heard while sitting in on a rehearsal. I was fortunate enough to be able to hear the piece of the composer Grace, Esther, and I researched. It is called ‘And the Waves Sing Because They Move’. The piece was very inspiring, and with knowing some logic behind this piano solo song, it gave us a better understanding of how the music relates to the title of the piece. Thomas Osbourne, the composer, seemed to use motions of the ocean to create this piece, relating it to everyday life. It has some ups and downs, just as someones life may move throughout. Overall, the piece was outstanding. I wish I could have been able to see this wonderful piece performed, though I was told it was still as good, if not better than the rehearsal.
October 27th, 2009 at 11:17 am
The New Music and Arts Festival started on Thursday the 22nd of October. I went to the wind symphony concert that night and got to experience some very different music. At the concert there were a couple of songs that had been written based of a previously existing song, for example the Funeral piece by Stucky. Then also there were some songs that if you were listening to just the overtone of everything that was being played you could hear many different melodies that made sense in the confusion. The most impressive song that I enjoyed was the Ascending Towers. It was so cool. It just had everything that interested me in music texture. The song started with very few voices and a slower rhythm then eventually all of the rest of the band was in and the tempo increased as did the volume. Now with the way this song was structured it felt like you could imagine the tower being constructed through the band. It was amazing. I wish I could have heard more music like Ascending Towers. I really enjoyed this experience.
October 27th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
The New Music and Arts Festival wasn’t a normal set of concerts; it was an experience. I attended both the Electroacoustic concert on Friday Oct. 23 and the concert in Bryan Recital Hall on Saturday Oct. 24. The electroacoustic concert was very different from anything I have ever heard before. “Diaspora”, composed by Allen Schindler, used a soprano singer along with electroacoustics. The soprano sang a poem over a set of electroacoustic sounds and rhythms. Since it was something I never heard before, it was hard to understand that type of music. The second concert started off with the world premiere of “Force of the Mind” by Steve Ricks. It involved the playing of two trombones over an electroacoustic melody. The two trombonists moved around the stage and it made for a very theatrical performance. The second song was “Still the Fire” by John Anthony Lennon. This was the song that my group did for the New Music Festival project. I enjoyed this song the most, mainly because it involved both cello and the saxophone. The festival was quite the experience, and I now understand how different new music really is.
October 27th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
I attended the Thursday October 22, 2009 concert of The 30th Annual New Music Festival at eight o’clock in Kobacker Hall. I want to start off by saying that i am not familiar with new music, but this concert was one of my favorite concerts I have ever attended. The concert started off with a vocal piece called Three Love Songs (2009) by David Froom. This piece was performed by soprano Deborah Norin-Kuehn and pianist Laura Melton. This song was then followed by a piece called Orpheus Over and Under (1989) by David Lang and performed by pianists Solungga Fang-Tzu Liu and Thomas Rosenkranz. Then, after a brief intermission, the Wind Symphony, directed by Dr. Bruce Moss, played a piece by Kristin Kuster called Lost Gulch Lookout (2008). The Wind Symphony then, performed three other selections; Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary, After Henry Purcell (1992) by Steven Stucky, Hue and Cry (2006) by Steven Stucky, and Tower Ascending (2009) by Wayne Oquin. As I said before This was one of my favorite concerts and I am looking forward to learning more about new music.
November 10th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Becky Zydiak
New Music and Arts Festival
On Friday October 23 I attended a concert where the composer I did my poster on, Robert Scott Thompson’s, piece was performed. There were four different pieces performed at this particular concert. Most of them had an acoustic theme to them. The first piece, Diaspora, was different from anything I’ve ever hear. There were no instruments involved, just a computer with electric sounds, and s soprano. She sang words that didn’t really make sense to me. The sounds in the piece mad me feel kind of uneasy. The next piece played was called Slumber. This piece had an acoustic sound to it aswell. The composer emphasizes certain parts in the piano. The third piece was called Nostalgic Visions. This piece really amazed me. The piece was dedicated to the performer, Thomas Rosenkranz. The beginning started out with the performer hitting the strings in the piano with a hammer. It looked so complicated and really impressed me. The last piece, Out of the Vivid Air, was written by the composer I did my project on. The entire piece had an acoustic theme to it. There were many drum parts and I finally got to listen the the piece I did my project on. After the concert I met with Robert Scott Thompson and shook his hand. This was an amazing experience.