Three-Day Music Extravaganza Welcomes Renowned Composers to the CSU Campus
The Colorado State University Center for the Arts presents the 2013 Aries Composers Festival running from Sunday, Oct. 20 to Tuesday, Oct. 22 at the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington St.
Some events are free for public observation. For ticketed concerts, the cost is $7 for CSU students, $1 for youth (under 18), and $12 for the public. Tickets are available at the University Center for the Arts (UCA) ticket office in the UCA lobby, by phone at (970) 491-ARTS (2787) or online at CSUartsTickets@universitytickets.com. Youth tickets must be purchased in person at the Ticket Office. Advance purchase is recommended to avoid at-the-door fees.
This three-day festival celebrating new composers and new music features discussions, concerts, and presentations from renowned composers, guest artists, and CSU ensembles. The festival has welcomed world famous composers to the University Center for the Arts to share their unique talents with CSU music students in rehearsals, concerts, lectures, and master classes.
Originally known as the Rocky Mountain Contemporary Music Festival, the reimagined and rebranded Aries Composers Festival began in 2011, bringing in multiple guest composers as well as music theorists, musicologists, and other researchers interested in new music. The festival holds events that encompass concerts – with forces ranging from a full symphony orchestra to electroacoustic media – professional lectures, paper presentations, receptions, and panel discussions.
The 2013 Aries Composers Festival is honored to welcome prominent special guests such as Pulitzer Prize winning composer Michael Colgrass and the Oasis Quartet as the festival’s guest ensemble. The special guests will join CSU ensembles such as the percussion ensemble, chamber choir, concert choir, CSU faculty, symphonic band, and the wind ensemble to perform during the three day festival.
2013 Aries Composers Festival Concert Schedule:
Aries Composers Festival: CSU Percussion Ensemble Concert Sunday, October 20, 2 p.m., Griffin Concert Hall, UCA This concert features the music of Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Michael Colgrass, whose music is rhythmically fresh and beautifully scored. Colgrass is well-known for his percussion compositions and is a percussionist himself. Aries Composers Festival: Chamber Choir and Concert Choir Concert “Collaborations” CSU Chamber and Concert Choirs with various solo instruments Sunday, October 20, 7:30 p.m., Griffin Concert Hall, UCA These select CSU ensembles present a program of choral music by living composers as part of the Aries Festival. Many of these pieces include collaborations with various instrumental solos and smaller ensembles, including A Dome of Many Coloured Glass by Dominick DiOrio – for choir and marimba and Dance Sets by Libby Larsen for choir, piano, clarinet, cello, and drum set. The concert also features finalists and winners of the call for choral scores for the Aries Festival. Aries Composers Festival: Faculty Chamber Concert Monday, October 21, 7:30 p.m., Organ Recital Hall, UCA This event features a program of new chamber music performed by CSU faculty. The works were competitively selected from submissions provided by composers from throughout the nation. These compositions represent some of the most dynamic and innovative works being written today. Aries Composers Festival: Wind Ensemble & Symphonic Band Concert Tuesday, October 22, 7:30 p.m., Griffin Concert Hall, UCA Led by Dr. Richard Frey, this concert features works by visiting artist Michael Colgrass and other recently composed works for wind band. The Wind Ensemble will tackle Colgrass’ Pulitzer Prize winning Déjà vu and Christopher Theofanidis’s intriguing I wander the world in a dream of my own making.Some workshops, masterclasses, and presentations are free for public observation.