Presenting...A Cedar Rapids Festival of New Music
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On May 22, 2010, I will be hosting A Cedar Rapids Festival of New Music featuring chamber and choral music of 21 living composers from Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan performed by members of Orchestra Iowa. The festival is sponsored by the Iowa Composers Forum and will include free concerts at 11 am and 4 pm at West Music, 1398 Twixt Town Road in Marion. An 8 pm concert will also be presented at Lovely Lane United Methodist Church, 2424 42nd St. NE in Cedar Rapids. Tickets for the Lovely Lane concert are $8 and may be purchased at the door.
The composers participating in this festival are all writing accessible music in a wonderful and diverse array of styles. We’ll present everything from Ragtime music to Hungarian folk music and hit a few points in between along the way.
The 11 am concert will feature works by the winners of the Forum’s annual student composing competition. My nine-year-old daughter, Ashley, won the Elementary division of this competition, and her piano composition “Jumping Jumbo” will be premiered at this concert. Cornell and Coe College chamber musicians will also perform an octet by Danielle Orihuela a high school student from Illinois.
The Orchestra Iowa Brass Quintet will perform the world premiere of “The Maroon Spitune” by Cedar Rapids composer Jerry Owen at the 8 pm concert. Two other works will be premiered at the 8 pm concert, including my work “This Precious Gift” for a cappella choir and “Music for Clarinet and Piano” by Decorah-based composer Maurice Monhardt.
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The 8 pm concert will also be the inaugural performance by the Five Seasons Chamber choir, a group of singers I recruited from the CR Concert Chorale, Chorale Midwest, and the Coe College Choir. I'll be conducting the choir, and we'll be accompanied by Marita Wolgast.
As a special treat, the composers for each of the works will be in attendance and will share some brief thoughts on the meaning and inspiration for each work just prior to its performance. This should provide the audience with a unique 'behind the scenes peek' into the composers' creative processes.
I hope you can attend one of the concerts! The entire schedule is found below.
| 9:30 am (West Music) | ‘Getting the Word Out in This Digital Age’, Diana Nollen, Cedar Rapids Gazette |
| 11:00 am (West Music) | Concert 1 - works by Ashley Kendrick (IA), Meg Spesia (IL), Jennifer Edmondson (IA), Danielle Orihuela (IL), Michael Kimber (IA), Elaine Erickson (IA), James Romig (IL) |
| 2:30 pm (West Music) | ‘P.S. The Guitar Only Has Six Strings’, John Dowdall, Red Cedar Chamber Music |
| 4:00 pm (West Music) | Concert 2 - works by Bonnie Johansen-Werner (IL), Bryan Tank (IA), Lisa Bost (IA), Tariel Iberi (IA), Matthew Dotson (IA), William Campbell (IA) |
| 8:00 pm (Lovely Lane) | Concert 3 - works by Alan Schmitz (IA), Raymond Songayllo (IA), Joseph Mattingly (IA), Maurice Monhardt (IA), Ralph Kendrick (IA), Melody Dawning Devos (IA), John Griffin (MI), Jerry Owen (IA) |
About the Iowa Composers Forum
Since itsinception in 1987, the Iowa Composers Forum (ICF) has become a strong service,advocacy, educational, and performing organization for living Iowa composers.With a growing membership of 80active participants statewide, the organization has earned a reputation formusical quality, diversity, and programmatic innovation. Through concerts,commissions, workshops, panel presentations, newsletters, the web page, andannual festivals, the ICF has promoted the awareness of Iowa composers andtheir music; enhanced networking opportunities for Iowa composers andperformers; fostered the creation of new work; nurtured the development ofstudent composers; and enriched the cultural climate of Iowa.
During its brief tenure, the ICFhas compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, including:
- Sponsoring over 100 concerts in the state of Iowa
- Performing over 640 works of living composers
- Commissioning 25 Composers to create new pieces of concert music
- Hosting 20 Festivals of New Music
- Awarding and Performing the works of over 40 student composers
- Establishing partnerships with organizations like the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, Orchestra Iowa, the Iowa Choral Director's Association, and Red Cedar Chamber Music
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