The Brandon University New Music Festival (BUNMF) returns this month, highlighting the compositions and performances of BU students and community members.
This year's festival, entitled LISTEN NOW, features the Brandon University New Music Ensemble (BUNME) and will take place on Monday, Jan. 26 and Tuesday, Jan. 27, with concerts both evenings at 7:30 in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall. There is no admission charge.
"For this year's Brandon University New Music Festival LISTEN NOW, we focused on creating a dynamic, symbiotic environment where creation and performance grow together in real time," said Megumi Masaki, director of BUNME and the BUNMF. "Moving away from the traditional model of composers working in isolation and handing over scores shortly before performance, we removed the divide between composing and performing music through four months of close collaboration: drafting, experimenting, exchanging feedback, and shaping each work together as a living process."
During the festival, BUNME will perform world premieres of works by BU's Jesse Barr, Corbin A. Brown, Veronica Casigay, Porter Dunn, Victor Hourie, Trina Nestibo, Dianna Neufeld, Qianna Zhen and Annika Wiebe. Also featured will be works by Jordan Nobles, György Kurtág and Luis Ramirez. Brown, Zhen, Dunn, Neufeld and Nestibo have written under the mentorship of Dr. Jason Young, an Assistant Professor of Composition in BU's School of Music.
"The BU New Music Ensemble gives students from across programs in our School of Music the opportunity to push themselves and explore new directions in performance through exciting works by new and innovative composers," said Dr. Leanne Zacharias, Acting Dean of Music at BU. "This year's BU New Music Festival will also allow several of our students to showcase their compositional skills alongside works from our faculty and other members of the BU community.
The BU New Music Festival is just one of the upcoming highlights for BUNME. The ensemble has been invited to participate in the Winnipeg New Music Festival's Community Concert. Their performance will take place this Saturday at 2 p.m., in the Carol Shields Auditorium of the Millennium Library, at 251 Donald St., in Winnipeg.
"We removed the divide between composing and performing music through four months of close collaboration."
BUNME and BUNMF Director Megumi Masaki
Members of BUME are:
- Jesse Barr, Bb and bass clarinet, looping clarinet-electronics, composer
- Kate Bell, Bb and Eb clarinet
- Veronica Casigay, french horn, piano, keyboard, composer
- Victor Hourie, tuba, composer
- Trina Nestibo, guitar, voice, percussion, composer
- Raven McKenzie, piano, electronics, composer
- Bennett Radcliffe, voice
- Annika Wiebe, piano, keyboard, composer
- BUNME Director Megumi Masaki, Dianna Neufeld (acting)
Please note that seating in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall, in the Queen Elizabeth II Music Building at BU, is limited and that programs are subject to change. For an up-to-date listing of pro series and student performances, please visit Events.BrandonU.ca/Events/Category/Music.
