This Saturday, the beginning of the 28th Annual Festival of New Musics, entitled "Orchestras of Sameness," will introduce Dartmouth to the sound of the future, as the vanguard of contemporary music envelops Hanover with its singular aesthetic.
This unique celebration of the latest in modern music combines the original creative endeavors of the talented undergraduate and graduate students of Dartmouth's music program with some of the leading, critically acclaimed musicians of the field, many of them visiting faculty within the department. Throughout the five-day Festival, performers will traverse the boundaries of sonority, investigating musical notions of similitude through a variety of approaches including ensembles of similar instruments, imitation and experimentation with the potent juxtaposition of disorder and stability. With free events all over campus, including four concerts and a panel discussion, the Festival promises to be an enjoyable experience for anyone who appreciates music in any capacity, from the casual enthusiast to the discerning aficionado.
The Festival kicks off Saturday, May 6, at 7 p.m. in the Brace Commons lounge of East Wheelock with a concert by the Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk), the futuristic brainchild of Princeton professor Dan Trueman. Fusing a symbiotic relationship between technology and music, PLOrk is heralded for its manipulation of the pedestrian computer into a veritable instrument. The 15-member group, composed of students and faculty from other elite schools, will showcase the work of one of the founding fathers of the genre of computer music, Paul Lansky (also from Princeton), as well as the captivating compositions of the other foremost names of contemporary music, including Curtis Bahn, Tomie Hahan of RPI and Brad Garton of Columbia. The unparalleled PLOrk, which functions as a traditional orchestra does, will undoubtedly ensure that concertgoers will never look at their laptop the same way again. A discussion of electronic music will follow the concert, allowing for audience interaction.
The Festival continues on Sunday with a concert in Rollins Chapel at 12:30 p.m. by experimental pioneers Christian Wolff and Kui Dong, notable for their conceptual instrumentalism, alongside students Katie McNabb '06 and Tom Villalon '06. A mystical, ethereal and profound melding of elusive and intangible concepts such as indeterminacy and chance with musical composition, the experimental music of this quartet of musicians will leave attendees contemplating not only the beauty of their musical talents but also the multidimensional, intellectual overtones of their performance.
Scheduled for Monday, May 8, at 12:30 p.m. is a panel discussion in Collis Commonground entitled "Meanings of New Music." Extending an invitation to students to interact with the celebrated innovators of the new musical revolution -- including Wolff, Dong, Charles Dodge and Marina Rosenfeld -- the discussion will address such topics as the status of current composition, the origin and future of art music, as well as the integral relationship between technology and contemporary music.
On Tuesday, the centerpiece of the Festival of New Musics debuts at 7 p.m. in the Spaulding Auditorium. The show will introduce ambitious compositions written and performed by Dartmouth's most talented, under the direction of Katharine Blumenthal '06 and Ryan Berger '04. Collaborating with the students, the visiting artists and faculty lend their world class flair. The New York-based turntablist, artist and composer Rosenfeld will exhibit her large-scale, mixed-media musical vision while computer scientist and fellow composer Kojiko Umezaki combines traditional and progressive with his interpretation of Japanese shakuhachi through the electronic medium. An intriguing combination of improvisation, animation and, of course, music, the concert promises to be not just an auditory delight but also a unique visual experience.
Last on the Festival's program is the finale concert on Wednesday, May 10, at 12:30 p.m. in the Hop's Faulkner Recital Hall. Part of the Vaughn Recital Series, students conclude the celebration with compositions inspired by the festival's theme -- "Orchestras of Sameness" -- in performances by a guitar duo, a wind ensemble and electronic tape.
The Festival of New Musics is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to become acquainted with the sound and the leaders of the musical revolution of the 21st century. A glimpse into the music of future, its innovative performances are sure to astound with their forward thinking audacity, redefining listeners' ideas about music.
