UPDATE: The March 14 performance featuring ~Nois has been canceled. The remaining three concerts will continue as scheduled. They can be viewed live at http://www.unk.edu/academics/music/performing-art-live-stream-events.php.
By TYLER ELLYSON
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – There’s something for everyone at this year’s UNK New Music Festival.
That’s how organizer Anthony Donofrio is describing the event scheduled for March 13-14 in the University of Nebraska at Kearney’s Fine Arts Recital Hall.
“Festivalgoers will hear a huge range of styles over the four concerts,” said Donofrio, an associate professor of music composition and theory at UNK.
The festival, which is free and open to the public, features music from more than 25 composers from around the globe, including UNK students Terran Homburg and Samuel Rosenau, 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist James Romig and Iranian Female Composers Association founder Niloufar Nourbakhsh.
“Many of these composers were chosen from our annual call for scores,” Donofrio said. “We received approximately 230 submissions this year, our largest amount in the 19-year history of the festival.”
Among the selected entries are pieces that celebrate the poetry of Walt Whitman (Jonathan McNair’s “Nocturnal Songs”) and the late musician Prince (Alan Shockley’s “If you know what I’m singing about up here”), as well as numerous other compositions.
UNK faculty and students, along with several guests, will perform these works during concerts 7:30 p.m. March 13, 1 p.m. March 14 and 4 p.m. March 14.
The festival concludes 7:30 p.m. March 14 with a concert by featured performer ~Nois, a Chicago-based saxophone quartet that “defies categorization by working between the boundary of contemporary classical music and experimental improvisation.”
Founded in 2016, ~Nois is one of the premier young ensembles in the United States, receiving awards at the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and other prestigious events. The group actively tours across the country, with appearances at festivals such as Big Ears, the Continuum Music Festival, Re:Sound, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival and Omaha Under the Radar.
“I first learned of ~Nois when they performed at the 2018 Omaha Under the Radar Festival,” Donofrio said. “Their set was talked about for weeks by our students who attended, so I jumped at the chance when ~Nois contacted me about performing at UNK.
“Like our festival in general, listeners can expect an extremely different and innovative set from ~Nois, one I’m very excited to witness.”
~Nois, which consists of members Hunter Bockes, Janos Csontos, Jordan Lulloff and Brandon Quarles, has performed with the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Claire Chase, Eighth Blackbird and indie rock band My Brightest Diamond.
The UNK New Music Festival is supported by UNK’s College of Arts and Sciences and Faculty Senate Artists and Lecturers Committee, along with the University of Nebraska Foundation New Music Fund.
UNK NEW MUSIC FESTIVAL
Fine Arts Recital Hall
All concerts are free and open to the public
7:30 p.m. March 13
UNK faculty/staff performers
David Nabb, saxophone
Beth Mattingly, piano
UNK student performers (listed by hometown)
Blair – Grace Lueders, soprano
Grand Island – Aaron Borer, clarinet
Minden – Sydney Wilson, flute
Pella, Iowa – Erin Van Hal, flute
Guest performers
BrassWood Duo – Abigail Lyon, trombone; Richard Puzzo, marimba
Guest composers
Jonas Regnier
Robert Gross
Michael Stephens
Eric Delgado
Daniel DeTegoni
Leah Reid
Niloufar Nourbakhsh
Emily McPherson
1 p.m. March 14
UNK faculty/staff performers
Andrew White, baritone
Nathan Buckner, piano
Sharon O’Connell Campbell, mezzo-soprano
Steven Larson, piano
UNK faculty composer
Steven Larson
UNK student performers
Blair – Samuel Rosenau, percussion
North Platte – Jacob Cahill, saxophone
North Platte – Dakota Empfield, piano
UNK student composers
Blair – Samuel Rosenau
Marion, Kansas – Terran Homburg
Guest composers
Seth Shafer
James Sproul
Jonathan McNair
Ingrid Stözel
Robert McClure
4 p.m. March 14
UNK faculty/staff performers
Anthony Donofrio, percussion
Duane Bierman, percussion
Melissa King, flute
Steven Larson, piano
UNK student performers
Blair – Grace Lueders, soprano
Blair – Samuel Rosenau, percussion
Grand Island – Aaron Borer, clarinet
Marion, Kansas – Terran Homburg, soprano
Minden – Sydney Wilson, flute
North Platte – Dakota Empfield, piano
North Platte – Greg Stoner, trumpet
Pella, Iowa – Erin Van Hal, flute
Guest performers
Hunter Prueger, saxophone
Scott Shinbara, percussion
Guest composers
Alan Shockley
Hunter Prueger
Serin Oh
Jon Fielder
James Romig
Stephen Downing
Cecilia Livingston
Ted King-Smith
Joshua Hey
Gu Wei
