Bienen School hosts sixth biennial new music conference April 25-27
/sites/default/files/2025-04/0250402_NUNC6.jpgThe Institute for New Music hosts its biennial Northwestern University New Music Conference (NUNC! 6) from Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27.
Bienen Ensembles Contemporary Music Ensemble Festivals & Series Institute for New Music /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2025-02/May24_CME_WEB.jpg?itok=JOIT3jCu
Alan Pierson, Ben Bolter, and Yelisey Zelman, conductors; Donnacha Dennehy, guest composer
Composer Donnacha Dennehy visits the Bienen School for a performance of his twelve-movement work Land of Winter, a sonic exploration of Ireland’s seasonal changes.
Dennehy explains, “The Latin name for Ireland was Hibernia, which translates as ‘land of winter.’... In a way it is the quality of light that demarcates the seasons, from the shorter days of grey or piercing light in the winter to the much longer, warmer but mercurial light of summer. I like this play between light and time, and it inspires the connection between expanding and contracting temporal processes and harmony, often overtone-hued, in the piece... Comfort and regeneration are found in the circular recurrences and variations.”
Alissa Voth, desire paths
Donnacha Dennehy, Land of Winter
Bienen Ensembles Contemporary Music Ensemble Festivals & Series Institute for New Music Recitals & Lectures Visiting Artists Part of NUNC! 6: the Northwestern University New-Music Conference /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2025-02/apr26_CME_WEB.jpg?itok=2iD1nDxs
Alan Pierson and Ben Bolter, conductors; Bec Plexus and International Contemporary Ensemble members, special guest performers; Ben Chaddha, jazz trumpet; George Lewis, guest composer
Bec Plexus, Letter to a Tardigrade
George Lewis, The Deformation of Mastery
Bec Plexus, Is that your arm?
Christian Quiñones, Hasta que no pueda
Pascal Le Boeuf (arr. Pascal Le Boeuf, Bec Plexus, and Alan Pierson), Mirror Image
Anthony Braxton, Ghost Trance Music
NUNC! is made possible in part by the Sorensen Jacobson Fund for New Music.
Is Featured 1231233 No On Tickets are $8 for the general public and $5 for students with valid ID. Off https://ci.ovationtix.com/36542/performance/11601686?performanceId=11601686 Yes No Off 1231233 Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 7:30pm CDT Galvin Recital Hall On https://www.music.northwestern.edu/live/galvinTop 10 CME Performances from the Past 10 Years
/sites/default/files/2024-10/20241030.jpgFaculty members Ben Bolter and Alan Pierson share their 10 favorite Contemporary Music Ensemble performances from the past 10 years.
Bienen Ensembles Contemporary Music Ensemble Festivals & Series Institute for New Music Recitals & Lectures Visiting Artists /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2024-02/May17_CME_web.jpg?itok=vBobv7Vk
Alan Pierson and Ben Bolter, co-directors; Jason Gluck, graduate assistant conductor; Steven Kazuo Takasugi, guest composer
The Contemporary Music Ensemble's May performance features a new work by student composer Casey Weisman, James Tenney's microtonal 'Scend for Scelsi, and Steven Kazuo Takasugi's Sideshow for amplified ensemble and electronic playback. Takasugi's theatrical work, inspired by Coney Island's early-20th-century sideshow entertainment, examines the intersection of spectacle and sacrifice in the name of showbusiness. The composer explains, "The performers think of themselves as characters in a sideshow. The saxophonist is the Sideshow Giant...the violist is a sword swallower...the pianist is the Human Spider...the percussionist is the Sideshow Proprietor/Announcer. Each character...has his or her uncanny double, twin, imposter, accomplice, copycat, deformed clone."
Content Warning: Sideshow contains material that may be upsetting, including disturbing imagery and representations of screaming.
James Tenney, ‘Scend for Scelsi
Casey Weisman, All Adventurous Women Do (world premiere)
Steven Kazuo Takasugi, Sideshow
Bienen Ensembles Contemporary Music Ensemble Festivals & Series Institute for New Music /sites/default/files/styles/event_featured_image/public/2024-04/cme_harmoniemusik.jpg?itok=SfkjYy8A
Alan Pierson and Ben Bolter, conductors; Cassandra Miller, guest composer; staging direction by Alan Pierson
The Contemporary Music Ensemble presents an immersive, ritualized concert celebrating the residency of visionary Canadian composer Cassandra Miller, creator of “music that reminds us how to cry” (Alex Ross). At the heart of the event is Gérard Grisey’s iconic and beguiling masterpiece Partiels, based on cycles of human breath.
Cassandra Miller, O Zomer! (US premiere)
Mya Vandegrift, you do not have to be good (world premiere)
Gérard Grisey, Partiels from Les espaces acoustiques
Cassandra Miller, Perfect Offering
‘The Emperor of Atlantis’ gets a modern update
/sites/default/files/2023-11/20231030_opera.jpgA new staging of a classic opera and a master class lead by Grammy Award-winning American soprano Christine Brewer are among the highlights of the fall voice and opera season at the Bienen School of Music.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2023/10/opera-emperor-of-atlantis-gets-an…Looking Back at 10 Years of the Institute for New Music
/sites/default/files/2023-05/20230518_institute_letter_collage.jpgHans 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
/sites/default/files/2023-03/20230322_nunc.jpgFor 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.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2023/03/bienen-school-hosts-fifth-biennia…Bienen School announces new music concerts for winter and spring
/sites/default/files/2023-01/20230123_instute_winter_events.jpgTed 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.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2023/01/bienen-school-announces-new-music…Bienen School presents the Midwest premiere of ‘In a Grove’
/sites/default/files/2022-11/20221104_grove.jpgNorthwestern University Opera Theater will present the regional premiere of composer Christopher Cerrone and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann’s opera “In a Grove,” Nov. 17 to 20.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2022/11/bienen-school-presents-the-midwes…Nov. 19 Bienen concert to feature US premiere of Thomalla work
/sites/default/files/2021-11/Nov.19_preview_web.jpgThe 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
/sites/default/files/2021-09/20210909_eartaxi.jpgMore 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
/sites/default/files/2021-05/20210517_cme_stream.jpgUndergraduate 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
/sites/default/files/2021-04/20210406_nunc4%20copy.jpgThe 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.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2021/04/bienen-school-hosts-fourth-bienni…Faculty artists release new works on page and stage this summer
/sites/default/files/2020-07/dark%20spring.jpgNorthwestern’s accomplished arts faculty will make a mark globally this season with published research, new books, a traveling art exhibition and an opera exploring teens and mental health set to premiere in Germany.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2020/07/faculty-artists-release-new-works…A Lot from Little
/sites/default/files/2020-04/20200417_lot_little.jpgIn its Chicago-area premiere, David T. Little's "Dog Days" gave Bienen School students an inside look at composing and mounting a contemporary opera.
Bienen School presents Chicago-area premiere of David T. Little's Dog Days
/sites/default/files/2019-10/dogdays_pressrelease.jpgThe Northwestern Opera Theater and Institute for New Music production runs November 21 to 24.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2019/10/bienen-school-presents-chicago-ar…Institute for New Music announces 2019-2020 season
/sites/default/files/2019-08/20190808_Alan-Pierson.jpgThe 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.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2019/08/bienen-schools-institute-for-new-…Bienen Institute for New Music welcomes David T. Little and Judd Greenstein
/sites/default/files/2019-04/20190403_newmusic.jpgThe 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.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2019/04/bienen-institute-for-new-music-we…Bienen School hosts third biennial new music conference April 20-22
/sites/default/files/2018-04/20180403_new_music_0.jpgThe Bienen School of Music's Institute for New Music will host the third biennial Northwestern University New-Music Conference (NUNC! 3) April 20-22.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2018/april/bienen-school-hosts-third-bien…Alan Pierson is co-director of the Contemporary Music Ensemble. He is the artistic director and conductor of the ensemble Alarm Will Sound.
Learn MoreSteve Reich completes first Nemmers Prize residency
/sites/default/files/2018-11/20170210_reich.jpgSteve Reich’s first Bienen School residency as winner of the 2016 Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition culminated February 9 in a sold-out concert in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, featuring performances by the Contemporary Music Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble.
MusicNOW: Steve Reich's 80th Birthday Celebration
/sites/default/files/2018-01/20161109_musicnow.jpgStudents from two Bienen School ensembles – the Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble and Contemporary Music Ensemble – will perform Steve Reich’s Proverb in an upcoming MusicNOW concert commemorating the composer’s 80th birthday.
Opening Year Celebration Events
/sites/default/files/2018-01/20160613_opening_year.jpgThroughout the 2015–16 academic year, special events celebrated the Bienen School of Music’s new Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, commemorating the transformative time in the school’s history.
New Music Thrives at Northwestern
/sites/default/files/2018-10/20160601_newmusic_recap.jpgThe Institute for New Music held its second new-music conference November 6–8. NUNC! 2 brought together composers, performers, theorists, and musicologists specializing in new music.
David Lang commissioned work premieres by Bienen ensemble
/sites/default/files/2018-01/20160418_david_lang.jpgTwo Bienen School ensembles came together for a program of music by Pulitzer Prize winning composer David Lang, including the premiere of a work commissioned by the Bienen School of Music to celebrate the opening of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts.
Bienen School Presents Spring Celebration Events
/sites/default/files/2018-01/20160407_celebration_events.jpgThe world premiere of a commissioned work by David Lang, a performance of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony at the Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park, and a three-day Horn Festival will be performed in honor of the Bienen School’s new Ryan Center for the Musical Arts.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2016/04/bienen-school-spring-celebrationBienen School Continues New Year With New Music
/sites/default/files/2018-01/20160205_new_music.jpgThe new music season at Northwestern University continues this winter with performances of new works, including the world premieres of pieces by composers Joel Puckett and Benjamin Hjertmann.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2016/02/bienen-new-musicNorthwestern Hosts Second New Music Conference Nov. 6 to 8
/sites/default/files/2018-03/20151015_newmusic_conference.jpgThe 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.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2015/10/music-conferenceBienen Celebrates Ryan Center with Year of Music Events
/sites/default/files/2018-03/20150914_bienen_celebrates.jpgThe 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.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2015/09/ryan-center-eventsNorthwestern Spring Choral Season Combines Ensembles
/sites/default/files/2018-08/20150416_choral.jpgThe Midwest premiere of “Lost Objects” by three Bang on a Can new music composers -- and the world premiere of “Canticle” by composer Imant Raminsh during a concert commemorating the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War -- are among the choral and collaborative performances taking place at Northwestern University this spring.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2015/04/northwestern-spring-choral-season…Bienen School to Present a Variety of New Music Programs
/sites/default/files/2018-04/20150324_new_music.JPGPerformances 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.
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2015/03/bienen-school-to-present-a-variet…