February 6, 2008

Department of Music’s Concert Festival Celebrates the ‘Music of Our Time’

The Carpe Diem String Quartet (violinists Charles Wetherbee, Wei You; violist Korine Fujiwara; and cellist Wendy Morton) will perform the world premiere of Songs Without Words by Bruce Wolosoff and George Crumb’s incredible Black Angels: Thirteen Images from the Dark Land.

The three-concert festival will feature 26 musicians, including OWU’s performing music faculty members joined by some of the finest professional musicians in central Ohio. Sixteen works, and three world premiere performances will highlight the event. The works—all written since 1970—range from traditional to experimental, jazz and blues to avant-garde and electronic, and will present a mix of Eastern, Middle-Eastern, Latin, and Western sounds and styles.

Department of Music Chair Cameron Bennett says, “This is the first event of this nature at OWU, and the festival idea originally came about as a way to promote the compositions being written by today’s composers; an exploration and celebration of music being written during our lifetime. We expect that the festival will explore different styles and themes of ‘new music’ each year.”

Bennett adds, “Knowing that we would be in the midst of a national search for a new theory and composition faculty member in 2008, it seemed an opportune time to inaugurate this idea, with the anticipation that it would be the first year of many for this annual festival. In this inaugural year, composers from around the world are featured, with a special emphasis on composers in the United States.”

Bennett points out this event is also a great experience for students. “Not only are our students able to see and hear our faculty and guests perform, but they are able—in an intense three-consecutive day festival—to hear numerous works by composers of today. Many of these works either are world premieres or have never been heard in central Ohio,” he says. “For example, a performance of George Crumb's incredible Black Angels only comes around once in a blue moon. The last performance in Columbus was back in the 1980's. It is one of the most incredible ‘total experience’ pieces of the 20th century; a political statement, and one of the only works ever composed about the Vietnam War—certainly still relevant with what is going on in today’s world.”

OWU : NOW celebrates The Music of Our Time multidirectionally, looking back at the music composed during the past generation and brazenly looking forward at the music being composed today. Bennett says, “Surprise, shock, and intrigue promise a memorable three-evening extravaganza not to be missed.”

For more information about OWU : NOW, contact the department of music at (740) 368-3700, musicd@owu.edu, or music.owu.edu.

– Christopher Federer