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Duke-UNC Collaborate On Innovative Music Program

A music festival will have performances of 20th century classics as well as new and recent works

 

While Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill continue to battle in the sporting arena, behind the scenes the universities continue to forge ties in their classrooms and concert halls.

Following last year's collaborative festival of music by Igor Stravinsky, the Encounters Concert Series at Duke is teaming up again with Allen Anderson and UNC's Department of Music to sponsor a four concert/event series of new music titled "Milestones 2002: A Festival of New, Recent and Landmark Music."

Milestones 2002 is a series of concerts and conversations featuring an unusual array of guest artists and composers as well as local professional, faculty and student ensembles. This festival is designed not only as an arts event, but as a chance to explore the connection between great works of 20th century music and new works by resident composers.

For many listeners, this festival will mark the first time they may encounter significant classical works of the 20th century, such as Samuel Barber's "Prayers of Kierkegaard" or Edgard Varese's "Ionisation," written in 1931 for an orchestra of percussionists. For others, Milestones 2002 will provide an opportunity to hear works by some of today's most important artists, including John Adams, Shulamit Ran and John Harbison.

Area composers also have a chance to get their new works performed or premiered. Duke faculty members Anthony Kelley and Scott Lindroth will have pieces performed, and young composers with Duke connections -- John Mayrose and Christopher Adler -- will be featured.

UNC's Anderson will be represented in the festival by "Cloud Collar," which he wrote in 1997 for Ross Bauer and the Empyrean Ensemble. The title refers to the geometrically stylized clouds used as a patterned border or frame motif in Chinese fabric and porcelain design.

The Milestones festival opens at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, in the Nelson Music Room on Duke's East Campus. The opening concert will highlight works by Adams, Ran and Pierre Boulez in addition to Anderson's "Cloud Collar."

The festival moves to Hill Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill on Friday, Nov. 8. In addition to featuring Myarose and Adler, the UNC Symphony, Carolina Choir, Percussion and Wind Ensembles will perform works by Lindroth, Harbison, Varese and Barber.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 9, in 207 Hill Hall, Jacqui Carrasco will perform Mario Davidovsky's "Synchronisms No. 9 for Violin and Electronic Sound" during the festival's Performance/Talk session. Audience members will have the chance to discuss the work with Carrasco.

Milestones 2002 concludes at 8 p.m. Nov. 9 in Duke's Reynolds Theater with the renowned Ciompi Quartet, Duke's resident quartet, premiering Kelley's "Sidelines" as well as offering works by Ben Johnston, Alfred Schnittke and Peter Alexander.

Complete concert schedule, performers and ticket information can be obtained online at www.duke.edu/music/events/encounters.html.