The Eastman School of Music’s contemporary music ensemble Musica Nova presents three performances this fall that feature a broad assortment of modern and contemporary compositional styles, from seminal 20th century repertory to imaginative works of the new millennium. Ensemble director Brad Lubman, a professor of conducting and ensembles, says that the works “reflect dreams, reality, unanswered questions, and unquestioned answers.” Free and open to the public, the concerts take place on: Monday, September 30th in Kilbourn Hall; Monday, October 28th in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre; and Wednesday, November 20th in Kilbourn Hall—all at 7:30 p.m.
Works on the first concert of the academic year (Monday, September 30th) include Ryan Chase’s raucous Flea Circus (2013); Philippe Manoury’s Vier Lieder aus Kein Licht (or “Four Songs from No Light”) (2022) for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, taken from Manoury’s 2017 opera Klein Licht; and Unsuk Chin’s Graffiti (2013), a work that celebrates the idea of street art. Master’s conducting candidate Peiwen Zou and doctoral conducting candidate Luke Poeppel conduct.
A special all-Reich program on Monday, October 28th features members of Ensemble Signal, an acclaimed professional ensemble founded by Eastman alumna and cellist Lauren Radnofsky ’03E, ’07E (MM) and conducted by Lubman. The program consists of two of Steve Reich’s monumental works: Reich’s Double Sextet (2007) and Music for 18 Musicians (1976). The latter piece is considered one of the foundational works of musical minimalism. Ensemble Signal is a NY-based ensemble dedicated to offering the broadest possible audience access to a diverse range of contemporary works through performance, commissioning, recording, and education. Since its debut in 2008, Ensemble Signal has performed over 350 concerts, premiered numerous works, and co-produced 10 recordings. The ensemble is especially lauded for its interpretations of Reich’s music.
Musica Nova concludes the semester on Monday, November 20th with a concert of music across three decades. Tōru Takemitsu’s Rain Coming is from the 1980s and plays with the metaphor of rain drops and water. Louis Karchin’s Chamber Symphony is the newest work on the program, written in 2009, and explores dreamy soundscapes and timbres. Helmut Lachenmann’s “…Zwei Gefühle…” (or “…Two Feelings…”), which ends the concert, was composed in 1992 and asks performers to play their instruments in unconventional ways. Conducting students Poeppel and Zou conduct the concert in addition to Lubman.
All upcoming performances of the Eastman Musica Nova Ensemble are free and open to the public. The ensemble will also be hosting an open rehearsal on Friday, September 27 at 1:45 p.m. in Eastman Annex 902 as part of the University’s Meliora Weekend festivities. Visit our website to learn more about these concerts and all upcoming events at Eastman.
Media only: Lauren Sageer, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Digital Content,
(585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu
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About Eastman Musica Nova:
The Eastman Musica Nova Ensemble has been under the direction of Professor Brad Lubman since 1997. Since that time, the ensemble consistently performs a diverse variety of music by many composers of our time, including Augusta Read Thomas, Olga Neuwirth, John Adams, George Lewis, Chaya Czernowin, Sarah Nemtsov, Daniel Kidane, Pierre Boulez, Steve Reich, Helmut Lachenmann, Kaija Saariaho, Wolfgang Rihm, Hilda Paredes, Julia Wolfe, Georg Friedrich Haas, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Oliver Knussen, Alvin Singleton, Michael Gordon, and David Lang, to name only a small list of composers.
In addition to developing ensemble skills and knowledge of the music of our time, Musica Nova aims to foster the deepest possible sense of open-mindedness to as many composers of our time as possible. Former students from Musica Nova have gone on to become members of some of the most important professional contemporary ensembles, such as the JACK Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, the MIVOS Quartet, and Ensemble Signal.
About Eastman School of Music:
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854–1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music—about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 130 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
About the University of Rochester:
The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.