PULLMAN The 2007 Festival of Contemporary Art Music at Washington State University will be the largest event of its kind ever produced by the University’s School of Music and Theatre Arts (SMTA).
Pulitzer Prizewinning composer John Corigliano will be the featured composer at this year’s festival, the University’s 18th celebrating new art music.
“By nearly universal acclaim among the professional community, John Corigliano is judged to be the dean of American composers in the 21st century,” said Charles Argersinger, the director and creator of the festival.
“It is a very meaningful thing to me,” Argersinger said, “that the festival has been broadened and that new music is being made accessible to a broad range of people. Live performances in university settings and contemporary music festivals like this one provide the best opportunities to discover the great musical treasures of our time,” Argersinger said.
“Over the past few years we have been adding workshops and performances,” said Gerald Berthiaume, director of SMTA. “This year we have numerous activities spanning three days which should appeal to a broad range of interest levels, from public school students to college students and community members. There is literally something for everyone who loves music.”
Corigliano will visit campus February 810 to speak to students and faculty and attend a rehearsal of his compositions.
Widely acknowledged as one of America’s finest composers, John Corigliano has received several Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize for his Second Symphony, a Grawemeyer Award, and an Academy Award for his score to Francois Giraud’s 1997 film “The Red Violin.” His compositions will be performed in a public concert by WSU faculty and students Saturday, February 10, at 8:00 p.m. in Bryan Hall Theatre.
“When world-class composers visit campus, they are impressed,” said Erich Lear, dean of WSU’s College of Liberal Arts. “Our School of Music and Theatre Arts has centers of excellence in nearly every category of music study, including composition, and the quality of performance is second to none. It’s something not many universities can say, so it is a tremendous source of pride for the college, WSU, and the Pacific Northwest.”
Corigliano holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Music at Lehman College, City University of New York, and serves on the faculty at the Juilliard School of Music. In 1991, he was elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters; in 1992, “Musical America” named him Composer of the Year, their first ever. He has received grants from Meet the Composer, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation.
Corigliano is the creator of three symphonies. Critics say he is perhaps the most important symphonist of the late 20th century and that he will be remembered as one of the great mavericks of his generation.
“The opportunity to meet him, and hear him speak about his music in our own Palouse community, is probably a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Argersinger. “Every devotee of contemporary art music within a radius of 500 miles should make every effort to come to WSU for this extraordinary event!”
New student compositions will be presented at a School of Music and Theatre Arts convocation Thursday, February 8, at 11:10 a.m. in Kimbrough Concert Hall.
A faculty concert showcasing new works by WSU professors will be performed Thursday, February 8, at 8:00 p.m. in Bryan Hall Theatre.
The 2007 Festival of Contemporary Art Music will include a campus visit by piano instructor, music teacher, composer and clinician Melody Bober. Her works have been published extensively by the FJH Music Company, Lorenz Publishing, Willis Music Company and Nazarene Publishing House.
Bober graduated with highest honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in music education and later received a master’s degree in piano performance from Minnesota State University. Her career has included teaching music in public schools and at the university level, serving as church music director, and performing as a soloist and accompanist.
“As a composer, Melody Bober’s goal is to create exciting and challenging pieces that are strong teaching tools to promote a lifelong love, understanding of and appreciation for music,” said Michelle Mielke, instructor of music and program coordinator for SMTA’s Piano Pedagogy Lab School (PPLS). “Pedagogy, ear training and musical expression are fundamentals of Melody’s teaching, as well as fostering composition skills in her students.”
Bober will teach a master class Friday, February 9, at 5:00 p.m. in Kimbrough Concert Hall. PPLS students will perform original compositions or compositions composed by Bober.
On Saturday, February 10, at 11:00 a.m., PPLS students will perform a recital of works by Melody Bober with comments by the composer. The performance will be held in the Kimbrough Concert Hall.
At 2:00 p.m. Saturday, SMTA will host a clinic with Q&A featuring Melody Bober. The workshop is titled “The Life of the Musician/Teacher/Composer” and will be held in room 101 of the Kimbrough Music Building. All events are free and open to the public.
An Electro-Acoustic Concert will be held Friday, February 9, at 3:00 p.m. in Kimbrough Concert Hall.
For more information visit the Festival of Contemporary Art Music website at https://libarts.wsu.edu/artmusic/
