A Night of New Music
The UVA McIntire Department of Music presents A Night of New Music directed by I-Jen Fang on Thursday, April 17th, 2014 at 8pm in Old Cabell Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.
The New Music Ensemble, directed by I-Jen Fang, presents a concert of compositions by 20th and 21st century composers. This concert will feature the music of composers Fredrick Rzewski, Morton Feldman, James Tenney, and Philip Glass. There will also be a new work by U.Va. composer Kevin Davis. Much of the music in this concert contains elements of indeterminacy, but each in piece a very different fashion. Fredric Rzewski’s “Holes” is a set of modular pieces for a small ensemble that allows the performers to assemble different sections and link them together via improvised interludes via games and signals. Morton Feldman’s “Durations 2”, a taut and elegant early work for cello and piano, is comprised of sequences of quiet sonorities with all durations left up to the musicians. Kevin Davis’ “Suite for Improvisers” is a text score that engages with large-group improvisation, exploring the structures that result from simple initial conditions. James Tenney’s landmark work “Harmonium” involves a sprawling, drone-like texture that gradually modulates though a series shimmering, almost otherworldly just-tuned sonorities. Finally, of special significance on this concert will be the performance of Philip Glass’ “Music With Changing Parts”. Selected to coincide with the Philip Glass residency at U.Va., this highly influential and rarely performed work of early minimalism was composed for the Philip Glass Ensemble in the early 1970s (whose members at one time included both Rzewski and Tenney). It is notable for being one of the few Glass compositions that engages with indeterminacy. Originally inspired by the emergent psychoacoustic phenomena in his earlier music, it remains distinct in his output as it combines elements of improvisation and of ambient music with Glass’ distinctive motoric figurations and slowly evolving sense of harmony.
Current members of the ensemble are Jon Bellona, Kyle Chattleton, Kevin Davis, Ryan Maguire, Ashley Miller, Chris Peck, Brian Roy, Campbell Shiflett, Emily Shu, Brian Simalchik, Robert Stein, Victor Szabo, Paul Turowski, Kristina Warren, and Hua Xin.
I-Jen Fang is on the faculty of the McIntire Department of Music at the University of Virginia and is the Principal Timpanist and Percussionist of the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia. She directs the UVA New Music Ensemble, the Percussion Ensemble and co-directs the Lunchbox Recitals. She received her B.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon University, M.M. from Northwestern University and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of North Texas.
Old Cabell Hall is located on the south end of UVA's historic Lawn, directly opposite the Rotunda. Parking is available in at the Central Grounds Parking Garage, or in the Corner parking lots off University Avenue. For more information pleae call the McIntire Department of Music at 434.924.3052.