# New music festivals and contemporary composers...



## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Hello there,
Sort of double up title for my current interest. Would it be a nice theme to a thread, to try and sum up which composers are in the spotlight at the major new festivals around the world? I suddenly felt like it. It could of course be a too broad a subject...


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Here's a start. Composer/critic Simon Cummings does a great job with premieres at the Proms.
http://5against4.com/the-proms-premieres-the-polls/


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

...and here's the program for Ultima-Oslo contemporary music festival that just finished (and I wasn't there again...).
https://www.ultima.no/en/program


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Although I could not attend this year there is an amazing festival in August at Staunton, Virginia, the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson (Yeah I know Wilson was no saint and a bit of a racist).

The Festival features everything from HIP performances to contemporary. This year the festival had the following guest composers:

Benjamin Broening (He is one of these academic composers that some of the members around here hate.)*
Gabriela Frank*
Grahm Garlington
Eric Guinivan (Another one of these academic composers that some of the members around here hate. He teaches at James Madison University. James Madison may have the best music department in the state of Virginia and is a state university. Oh Horrors!!!! State tax money is supporting this hack )*
Stefan Houcke
Zachery Wadsworth (I have a recording of one of his band works. I got his autograph at a previous festival)*

Link to their artists from this years festival: http://siteline.vendini.com/site/stauntonmusicfestival.org/artists

Staunton really does a great job of recruiting great musicians and composers. They are all accessible to the audience. I learn a great deal from conversing with the HIP musicians and the composers.

*Found YouTube samples of their music.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

Is that really a festival or a conspiracy rally for promoting 'unlistenable' composers.

We should know!


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

eugeneonagain said:


> Is that really a festival or a conspiracy rally for promoting 'unlistenable' composers.
> 
> We should know!


How should I know. I have been accused of having a tin ear 

FTI: This is the audience that gave a standing ovation to a Cage work.


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

Do we count that ovation as part of the work?

(don't answer...it's a can of worms best left closed).


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## Guest (Sep 24, 2018)

Donaueschinger Musiktage this year (coming up quite soon!) has many fabolous composers being featured

https://www.swr.de/-/id=21966288/pr...schinger-musiktage-2018-programmflyer-pdf.pdf

I only recognise about 11 of the composers being featured, but I'm excited that Isabel Mundry has works in a couple of concerts. More on the jazz side of things, you might be interested in Alessandra Novaga's solo concert on the 19th of October.



eugeneonagain said:


> Is that really a festival or a conspiracy rally for promoting 'unlistenable' composers.
> 
> We should know!


I'm a bit confused by your contribution to the thread....is there an in-joke I don't get or something? Taking your comment seriously, these are festivals that have been going for years and have strong audience turnout and are generally very appreciated by fans of contemporary classical music (as well as HIP and jazz, depending on what else is in the festival).


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## eugeneonagain (May 14, 2017)

Don't take it seriously.


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## Guest (Sep 24, 2018)

Next year when the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra hosts their Metropolis New Music Festival again, the orchestral concerts are featuring works by Andriessen as well as recently composed works by local composers. I don't know the full details of the festival just yet, but I'll come back to post the programmes in the chamber concerts when they are announced. Usually I prefer the chamber concerts as they tend to feature a much wider variety of composers. Kinda sad I missed last year's festival, there was heaps of music by Unsuk Chin (and a bit of Ligeti too in the orchestra concerts)......although a few years back I was delighted to hear one of her works played by the orchestra and that was one of the best experiences I have had watching that orchestra.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Shrime,

Eugeneonagain is reacting to my sarcasm.


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Humour is welcome here  We don't have to take ourselves too seriously, even though we like serious music.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

arpeggio said:


> How should I know. I have been accused of having a tin ear
> 
> FTI: This is the audience that gave a standing ovation to a Cage work.


I wonder what a standing ovation for 433 is like. Does everyone stand but remain silent? Or would that be the start of a mass walk out?

I say this merely for the same of humour. I have nothing against Cage's iconic work that still has the power to stir strong emotions among music lovers.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Enthusiast said:


> I wonder what a standing ovation for 433 is like. Does everyone stand but remain silent? Or would that be the start of a mass walk out?
> 
> I say this merely for the same of humour. I have nothing against Cage's iconic work that still has the power to stir strong emotions among music lovers.


FYI: I can not remember what it was but it was not _433_. It was a work for tenor and piano


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Here in Southern California, we have the Ojai Music Festival.

https://www.ojaifestival.org/


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

We also have Microfest.

http://www.microfest.org/

This one is for microtonal music.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Simon Moon said:


> Here in Southern California, we have the Ojai Music Festival.
> 
> https://www.ojaifestival.org/


Nice festival. My wife and I have attended it twice.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

Simon Moon said:


> We also have Microfest.
> 
> http://www.microfest.org/
> 
> This one is for microtonal music.


I have not attended the festival, but I listened to a lot of recordings of the composers & performers featured in the concerts: John Schneider, Bill Alves, Aron Kallay, Tom Johnson, Mak Grgić, HMC American Gamelan, etc.

Microfest Records was founded by Schneider and pianist Aron Kallay. I got all the releases. An excellent label.


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