Most people do not understand the idea of contemporary music, and the School of Music is trying to change that.
“If you say contemporary music, many people think of music that isn’t understandable by the common person on the street, and that’s just not the case,” said Michael Bellinger, Director of Public Relations and Concert Manager at the School of Music. “The idea of contemporary music is that it’s music that’s new and challenges your ear a little bit. The idea is to stretch the boundaries of the things that you listen to. Today’s contemporary music becomes tomorrow’s standard.”
The 59th annual School of Music’s Festival of Contemporary Music begins Feb. 13 and concludes Feb. 18. This year it will feature guest composer James Mobberley, and his music will be featured in three of the five concerts.
The festival is a historical event at LSU, established in 1945 by Helen Gunderson, a former music professor. It is the oldest of its kind in the United States.
Kicking off the festival is a faculty artists concert Feb. 13 at 8 p.m., followed by a student composers concert Feb. 15 at 2 p.m.
“We have a world class faculty, so the performers — I guarantee you — will knock your socks off,” Bellinger said.
On Feb. 16 at 8 p.m., “High Voltage,” the electroacoustic music concert, will feature a unique type of computerized music.
“We like to describe it as ‘cinema for the ears,'” said Dr. Stephen Beck, Professor of Composition and Computer Music. “The music you’re going to hear is very dramatic; sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s sad, sometimes it transports you into a different environment altogether. Sounds will come from in front of you, from the sides, from the rear, from the ceiling — it’s really a unique way of hearing music.”
The next concert in the series will be the LSU Symphony Orchestra concert on Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. This concert will feature more recent classical composers such as Ralph Vaughan Williams and Igor Stravinsky.
Concluding the festival will be a performance by the Meridian Arts Ensemble, who has performed world-wide. The program, entitled “Extreme New York,” includes music arranged from pieces by artists such as Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix.
“It’s an interesting way to look at contemporary music,” said John Nelson, a member of the Meridian Arts Ensemble. “People tend to generalize contemporary music. It’s actually a diverse pool of composers — no two pieces in this program are alike.”
All concerts will be held in the School of Music’s recital hall and are free, except the Symphony Orchestra which will be held in the Union Theatre. Tickets for the symphony orchestra are priced at $6 for students, $8 for faculty and staff, and $10 for general admission, and are available at the Union Box Office.
This year’s festival will prove to be as successful as the ones that have proceeded it.
“I personally think it’s one of the highlights of the year, in part because of it’s legacy, and in part because it brings to the forefront music of our own time,” Beck said.