NME Syllabus
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Course: New Music Ensemble Course number: MUS 180K for Graduate Students, ENS 107 for Undergraduates Meeting times: MWF 12-2 pm, MRH 6.222 Instructor: Professor Dan Welcher This ensemble presents music of the 20th and 21st centuries, for mixed chamber ensembles ranging from 4 to 18 players. Woodwind, brass, and percussion players are drawn from the same rotation pool as the UT Wind Ensemble and UT Symphony Orchestra, and are assigned to the NME one concert at a time. Pianists and String players are assigned separately by audition, and with the recommendation of the appropriate faculty. The ensemble gives six concerts annually; three in the fall semester and three in the spring. One major feature of the series is the Visiting Composers Series, which brings a number of internationally known composers to the UT campus for three day intensive visits, culminating with performances of their works. The Visiting Composers also work with UT Composition majors, and each one presents a public lecture on his or her music. Past visitors include John Adams, George Crumb, John Corigliano, Joan Tower, Chen Yi, John Harbison, and Melinda Wagner. Another feature of the ensemble is the presentation of a new work by a UT student composer on every concert. This makes the New Music Ensemble one of the premiere exposure media for UT composers, and recordings from these concerts have gained major prizes (such as the ASCAP and BMI Young Composer Awards) for UT students. The instructor is Professor Dan Welcher, prizewinning composer and conductor. Professor Welcher has earned fellowships and grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and many other agencies. His music has been played by more than fifty orchestras worldwide, and is well-represented in both recordings and publications. .