Pittsburgh New Music Net

Short notice, but there’s a fascinating event happening next Friday (the 17th) at 1107 Greenfield Ave. — a festive holiday party/experimental music show. If you’re a fan of food, beer, the end of the semester, Christmas, creepy basements, apples, and awesome improvisatory music, or even just some of the aforementioned things, you don’t want to miss this one. Music starts at 8:00, party continues, all are invited to stay and partake. A modest donation ($3) to help defray refreshment costs is requested, beverages and food welcomed.

Director Denis Colwell leads the Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble in a program that features Rorem’s Sinfornia (1957), Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920) and Gordon Jacob’s Old Wine in New Bottles (1960). The concert begins at 8 pm. Monday, February 8 on CMU’s campus in the College of Fine Arts’ Kresge Theatre. This event is free and open to the public.

A highlight on the program is the world premiere of a newly transcribed Snapshots of a Great City (2008) by Marilyn Taft Thomas, a professor of composition and music theory at Carnegie Mellon.

The Carnegie Mellon Contemporary Ensemble concert this Friday, November 20th at 6:30 PM in Kresge featuring works by Lutoslawski, Martinu, Knussen, Vasquez, and Birtwistle. The guest conductors are Walter Morales and Tobias Volkmann.

Next week, catch the performance debut of Carnegie Mellon’s Repertoire Orchestra on Monday, November 23 at 5:25 PM in the College of Fine Arts’ Alumni Concert Hall. This first concert of the lab chamber orchestra features soloist Amaury Morales in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23. The program also includes Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 under the direction of Walter Morales.