Music festival premieres contemporary work
February 3, 2011
907-474-7902
2/2/11
A lone piano note repeated five times, a carefully placed strike on a woodblock, the dancing strings of a violin, perhaps a chime of computer-generated sound: Any or all of these could be elements in a musical composition in the contemporary music genre.
For three days this week, the University of Alaska Fairbanks will be the epicenter of contemporary music in Alaska. The UAF New Music Festival begins Thursday, Feb. 3 and features premieres of new works along with performances by students, faculty and visiting artist Aleck Karis. Concerts will begin at 8 p.m. in the Davis Concert Hall each night through Saturday, Feb. 5. Tickets are available at the door: $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, military and students.
The first day of the festival features mostly undergraduate performances and compositions. Friday night focuses mostly on graduate and faculty work, and Saturday’s concert will feature a piano recital by Aleck Karis, a renowned pianist and faculty member at the University of California, San Diego.
Before the Karis recital, audiences will hear six compositions that, up until now, have never been performed in public.
“That’s pretty exciting,” Palter said. “They might be the next masterpieces of contemporary music.
Palter says that he hopes musicians, like painters and sculptors, will embrace the contemporary genre. “We can’t live in the past,” he said. “Beethoven was modern music. What if only decided to play Bach?”
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Morris Palter, assistant professor, at 907-474-1873 or via e-mail at mspalter@alaska.edu.
ON THE WEB: http://www.uaf.edu/music/schedule/
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