GRAMMY-nominated composer featured in two MSU Music concerts

Courtesy Photo-GRAMMY-nominated composer Adam Schoenberg

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The works of GRAMMY-nominated composer Adam Schoenberg will be featured in two upcoming concerts at while in residency at Michigan State University.

College of Music contemporary music ensemble Musique 21 will perform on Monday, January 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Fairchild Theatre at the MSU Auditorium, and the MSU Wind Symphony will perform at the Cobb Great Hall in Wharton Center on Tuesday, January 30 at 7:30 p.m. Both performances will be under the direction of Professor of Music and Director of Bands, Kevin Sedatole.

The performances happen to be just after the GRAMMY Awards which take place on January 28 in New York. Schoenberg, nominated by the Recording Academy in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category for his piece “Picture Studies,” will be in attendance at the performances as guest composer. He happens to be nominated in the same category as MSU composer and Associate Professor Zhou Tian whose “Concerto for Orchestra” earned him the nomination.

Schoenberg, a classical, orchestral composer and film scorer, has received commissions from several major American orchestras, including the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (Up! and La Luna Azul), the Kansas City Symphony (American Symphony and Picture Studies), and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Aspen Music Festival and School (Bounce). His works have received performances and premieres at the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Hollywood Bowl. He is currently a professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, where he runs the composition and film scoring programs.

“Adam Schoenberg’s compositions are a delight to bring alive, and I’m thrilled to be leading back-to-back performances with Musique 21 and the MSU Wind Symphony,” Sedatole said. “Presenting his work through our contemporary ensemble and the Wind Symphony will show the breadth of his invigorating style. The fact that he and Zhou Tian are nominated for GRAMMYS in the same category and the timing of the awards adds to the fun!”

Musique 21 concert includes “Bounce for Two Pianos,” “One Acquainted with the Night for Solo Flute and Piano,” and “Avaha for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano.” Wind Symphony’s repertoire includes “Bounce” transcribed for wind symphony by MSU DMA conducting student Tyler Austin, and “Picture Studies,” arranged for wind instruments from Schoenberg’s GRAMMY-nominated piece.

Tickets for each concert are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (age 60 and older), and free for students with ID and anyone under age 18, and can be purchased online, in the Music Office via phone at (517) 353-5340, or in person in Room 102, Music Building, 333 W. Circle Drive, East Lansing, or at the door.

The Musique 21 concert is generously sponsored by Sam and Mary Austin. The Wind Symphony concert is generously sponsored by Jim and Elaine Rauschert.

More information about the concerts can be found at http://music.msu.edu/event-listing/musique-21-13 and http://music.msu.edu/event-listing/wind-symphony-and-spartan-youth-wind-symphony-3.

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