Students’ music, channeled through the Mivos Quartet

Months of hard work and creativity culminated in a rare opportunity for a few music students when the internationally acclaimed Mivos Quartet brought their compositions to life on Feb. 20.

A Leap Forward for Music

Northwestern’s Institute for New Music connects students, faculty and visiting artists to push the frontiers of contemporary music. Since 2012 the Institute has nurtured composers and performers who are shaping the present and future of music.

Top 10 CME Performances from the Past 10 Years

Faculty members Ben Bolter and Alan Pierson share their 10 favorite Contemporary Music Ensemble performances from the past 10 years.

Bienen School warms up winter with a range of new music

This winter, the Institute for New Music presents a full slate of events featuring works by contemporary artists, including special guest performances and world premieres.

Tania León at Northwestern

Nemmers Prize winner Tania León discussed her work with the Contemporary Music Ensemble in an episode of WTTW's "Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices." 

Looking Back at 10 Years of the Institute for New Music

Hans Thomalla, director of the Institute for New Music, reflects on the first 10 years of the institute's impact on the Bienen School of Music and greater Northwestern communities.

Bienen School hosts fifth biennial new music conference April 21-23

For the first time in five years, the Institute for New Music hosts its biennial Northwestern University New Music Conference (NUNC! 5) in person from Friday, April 21 to Sunday, April 23. 

Bienen School announces new music concerts for winter and spring

Ted Hearne’s SCOTUS-inflected choral cantata “Sound from the Bench” and NUNC! 5 are among the winter and spring offerings at the Institute for New Music at the Bienen School of Music.

Ned Rorem (1923-2022)

American composer, author, and distinguished Bienen School of Music alumnus Ned Rorem ’44, ’77 H died November 18 at age 99. He made several visits to Northwestern over the years.

Composer and performer Joan La Barbara visits Bienen School of Music

Composer and performer Joan La Barbara will visit the Bienen School of Music for an Institute for New Music residency Oct. 21–29. 

Nov. 19 Bienen concert to feature US premiere of Thomalla work

The Bienen School of Music’s Contemporary Music Ensemble will present the US premiere of Harmoniemusik (full version) by Hans Thomalla on Friday, November 19, 2021.

Chicago’s Ear Taxi Festival to showcase Bienen School prominently

More than 100 alumni, faculty, and current students of the Bienen School of Music will participate in Chicago’s Ear Taxi Festival September 15 through October 4.

Experiencing the Live Remote Concert Space

Undergraduate cello student Annie Hyung describes her experiences performing remotely in the Contemporary Music Ensemble.

Bienen School hosts fourth biennial new music conference virtually on April 24

The Institute for New Music at the Bienen School of Music will host its fourth biennial Northwestern University New-Music Conference (NUNC! 4) in a virtual format on Saturday, April 24.

Institute for New Music announces 2019-2020 season

The Institute for New Music will present the Chicago premiere of David T. Little’s powerful contemporary opera “Dog Days,” Nov. 21 to 24 at the Ryan Center for the Musical Arts.

Bienen Institute for New Music welcomes David T. Little and Judd Greenstein

The Institute for New Music welcomes contemporary American composers David T. Little and Judd Greenstein for an April 24-27 residency. Other new music events this spring include a Mivos Quartet residency and performances by the Contemporary Music Ensemble, Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble and University Chorale.

JACK Quartet wins Avery Fisher Career Grant

JACK Quartet – an ensemble featuring Bienen School of Music alumnus and violinist Austin Wulliman (G08) – has won $25,000 Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Past Events at the Institute for New Music

Jennifer Higdon completes first Nemmers residency

The Bienen School of Music recently hosted composer Jennifer Higdon for the first of two Nemmers Prize residencies.

Nemmers Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon to visit Bienen School Oct. 15 to 20

The Bienen School of Music welcomes Jennifer Higdon, winner of the Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition, Oct. 15 to 20 for the first of two Nemmers Prize residencies.

NUNC 3

Northwestern Hosts Second New Music Conference Nov. 6 to 8

The Ensemble Dal Niente, a contemporary music collective, and Third Coast Percussion, a group that explores and expands the sonic possibilities of percussion, are among the guest ensembles participating in an early November new music conference on Northwestern University’s Evanston campus.

Bienen Celebrates Ryan Center with Year of Music Events

The Midwest premiere of “Sila: The Breath of the World,” a work by John Luther Adams that was written to be performed outdoors, will kick off a yearlong series of public events to celebrate the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music’s new Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts.

Programming New Music: Strategies, Successes, Challenges

Flutist Claire Chase, the Institute for New Music’s Visiting Artist and executive director of ICE (International Contemporary Ensemble) will be the keynote speaker at Northwestern University’s “Programming New Music: Strategies, Successes, Challenges” symposium.

Bienen School to Present a Variety of New Music Programs

Performances by acoustic and electric cellist Maya Beiser, Wilco percussionist Glenn Kotche; flutist Claire Chase, pianist James Giles and two of the Bienen School’s new music ensembles will be among the artists who will push the boundaries of contemporary instrumental and vocal sounds at Northwestern University this spring.

Bienen School Institute for New Music Hosts ICE

A concert combining the talents of the Contemporary Music Ensemble with the International Contemporary Ensemble and another program with flutist Claire Chase are among the diverse lineup of new music events at Northwestern University in winter 2015.

Bienen School Of Music Hosts International Guest Artists

The New York-based contemporary music ensemble loadbang; the International Contemporary Ensemble, also known as ICE; and the traditional Irish group Danú, are among the variety of guest ensembles who will take the stage to perform for Northwestern University audiences this winter.

Bienen School of Music to Present New Music Conference April 26-27

Professional musicians and music students are encouraged to attend a free two-day Northwestern University conference and festival, April 26 and April 27, for composers, performers, theorists and musicologists specializing in new music. 

Established and Rising World Stars to Perform at Northwestern

Classical guitarists Zoran Dukic and Eliot Fisk, soprano Amanda Majeski, West African superstar Habib Koite, pianist Murray Perahia, and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato are among the guest artists who will appear on Northwestern University stages this winter.

Institute for New Music Pays Tribute to Ned Rorem

The Institute for New Music at the Bienen School of Music will present a two-day celebration of composer Ned Rorem’s 90th birthday October 10-11.