Laura Slay – (314) 504-0081
lslay@slayandassociates.com

The University of Missouri New Music Ensemble made its St. Louis debut on Sunday, May 2 with “New Music, New Works,” a concert at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis featuring the world premiere of three new compositions written by University of Missouri students especially for the Contemporary’s current exhibition, the Great Rivers Biennial 2010.

The Ensemble, based on the University’s campus in Columbia, MO and directed by Dr. Stephan Freund, includes guitarist Michael Strasbaugh, clarinetist Stephanie Berg, cellist Matthew Pierce, and percussionist Ian Derrickson. They opened the concert with “Crass Menagerie,” composed by Strasbaugh and inspired by Cameron Fuller’s From the Collection of the Institute for the Perpetuation of Imaginal Processes.

Next up was “Paper Guns,” written by Berg in response to Sarah Frost’s Arsenal. “Sarah Frost’s exhibit is not what I was expecting and yet everything I hoped it would be, “said Berg.  “I was aiming to capture the ethereal quality of the motion of the hanging guns in the slow, meditative harmonic landscape of my piece.  The text that I used were my actual thoughts and reactions to the concept of her work as I saw pictures of its progress, since I had to compose the piece before Frost’s work was completed. My focus in this composition is on the expression of the text, as well as the unique coloristic opportunities that the New Music Ensemble has to offer.”

“The idea of translating visual art into music is a new idea to me, and an interesting one – I enjoyed the concert,” said Frost. “I liked Stephanie’s piece, especially the element of spoken voice. Her piece focused on the dark aspects of Arsenal, which she captured well; her piece seemed weighty and monolithic to me.”

The third selection on the program was “1 8 3 9,” a new work by Mizzou Adjunct Assistant Professor Paul Seitz, for which the composer joined the ensemble on violin. The title refers to the year 1839, which Seitz called “a transitional point between old ways and new” and also is the year the University of Missouri was founded.  Martin Brief’s Amazon God served as inspiration for the next composition, “Failure to Communicate,” written by trombonist David Witter. All four performances were introduced by brief remarks from their respective composers.

The Ensemble concluded the concert by playing “Dance of Fury, for the Seven Trumpets,” from Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. The free event was sponsored by the Mizzou New Music Initiative, the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation.

MIZZOU NEW MUSIC INITIATIVE
The Mizzou New Music Initiative brings together a diverse array of programs intended to position the University of Missouri School of Music as a leading center in the areas of composition and new music. The Initiative is the direct result of the generous support of Dr. Jeanne and Mr. Rex Sinquefield, and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. The Sinquefields’ vision is to create an incubator for the composition and performance of new music, and to position Missouri as a major center for the music of tomorrow. Click here to read more about the Sinquefields’ support for the MU School of Music.

PHOTO CAPTION
Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield, New Music Initiative Sponsor – Stephanie Berg, Composer – Sarah Frost, Artist (left to right)

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