Last modified: Monday, March 3, 2003
New Music Ensemble to go West for spring break tour
Like thousands of college students throughout the country, a group of 23 Indiana University School of Music students will be heading for the coast on their spring break. However, these students are not your typical coeds, and they won't be having a typical spring vacation.
From March 15 to 22, the students of IU's New Music Ensemble will tour the West Coast, bringing "New Music from Indiana" to the cities of Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Led by director David Dzubay, associate professor of composition in the IU School of Music, the New Music Ensemble performs a broad spectrum of 20th-century music, focusing on works from the past 30 years. Founded in 1974, the ensemble consists of IU School of Music students who, for the most part, are graduate performance majors.
"This is the most substantial undertaking for the New Music Ensemble to date. Hitting four major markets is a wonderful opportunity," said Dzubay.
The ensemble will begin its tour with a performance on March 16 at Seattle's Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony. The tour will continue with shows on March 17 at Portland State University's Lincoln Hall and on March 18 at Lewis and Clark College's Evans Auditorium. From Portland the group will head to San Francisco for a performance on March 19 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. The tour will conclude in Los Angeles on March 21 at Zipper Auditorium at the Colburn School of Performing Arts.
During its West Coast tour, the New Music Ensemble will perform music composed by several Indiana University faculty members, including former Composition Department professor Iannis Xenakis. Additionally, the group will highlight the work of a local composer at each venue. Forrest Pierce, a graduate of the IU School of Music, will have his composition Broken Teeth performed at Lewis and Clark College, where he currently teaches. The group also will perform Dzubay's composition Footprints in Portland, where he grew up. Footprints, which features renowned flutist and School of Music Professor Thomas Robertello, was inspired by the events of September 11.
"We want to represent the variety of music that we play and also present to audiences their local talent," Dzubay said.
In addition to performing, the group will be hosting receptions for alumni and prospective students in each of the four cities. Dzubay said the tour will be a great opportunity to showcase the School of Music and to attract talented new students to the university.
With five performances in six days at venues that span the length of the West Coast, the ensemble will have a demanding schedule. Dzubay said the group is up to the challenge and believes that the tour will bring the members closer together. "I think it will give them some memorable playing experiences and also build on the camaraderie they already share," he said.
