Electro-Acoustic Music Festival to be Held at University of Richmond

November 1, 2001

Two concerts of new electro-acoustic music will be presented at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 at the University of Richmond.

The concerts are part of a national conference on electro-acoustic music called Third Practice. The 2001 festival is the first of what will become an annual event.

Eleven composers from around the United States, including Evan Chambers, composer in residence at the University of Richmond, will present works for violin and computer, piano and computer, video projection and tape, didgeridoo and tape, live remixing and eight-channel tape. The concerts also will present works by Richmond faculty member Benjamin Broening and University of Richmond students.

Chambers writes music noted for its intensity and emotional depth, its haunting lyricism and explosive energy. A traditional Irish fiddler as well as a composer, his music has deep roots in folk music and in the physicality of performance. He appears frequently as an interpreter of his own works and serves as resident composer with the new-music ensemble Quorum. He is associate professor of composition and director of Electronic Music Studios at the University of Michigan.

The second part of the conference will be a festival of new works to be held at the Modlin Center in 2002. It will be the only festival of its kind in Virginia. The Modlin Center for the Arts and the Department of Music are sponsors.