New Music on the Bayou

The spring semester is winding down, but my colleagues and I are gearing up for several performances this summer. First up is the 2017 New Music on the Bayou Festival, May 31-June 3 in Monroe, LA and Ruston, LA. Now in its second year, this year’s festival is shaping up to be even more exciting than the inaugural season last year. An impressive array of composers and performers have been brought together for a few intense days of rehearsals, performances, and presentations, and if you are within driving distance I highly recommend coming out for one or more of the events. As with last year’s festival, a few ensembles will be featured, including the Implosion Percussion Group, and Trio Mélange, a voice, horn, and piano trio comprised of faculty at the University of Louisiana-Monroe.  We’ll be performing two works, For Jessica, by Jason Mulligan, and Connect All. We All Connect., by Oliver Caplan.  Both works were chosen for the festival through a competitive submission process, and we are excited about sharing them with audiences here. Contrary to some opinions about contemporary music, not all of it is highly abstract, esoteric, or demanding on traditional audiences. In fact, these two works are very accessible, and the horn parts are rewarding to play. Don’t take my word for it, though! Listen for yourself, and see what you think. Here’s a sample recording of Oliver Caplan’s Connect All. We All Connect, linked from the composer’s Soundcloud account. Caplan writes the following about this work:

Are we individual actors, alone together? Or are we bound by our common humanity? Connect All. We All Connect. explores the interconnectedness of people in today’s world. At times fragile and questioning, at times confident and affirming, the piece ultimately sounds a message that we are our best selves when we embrace heartfelt connection.

The performers aren’t listed, but they really sound great! Perhaps this piece will strike you (as it did me) with its simple beauty and profound message. If you want to hear more new music, be sure to check out the New Music on the Bayou Festival this summer!