Marcella Ortega
Daily Lobo
Christopher Shultis said this year's composer symposium will be something that could only happen every five years.
Shultis, who became director of the University of New Mexico's annual John Donald Robb Composers' Symposium in 2001, said this year is different because the symposium is connected with a regional conference of composers called the Society of Composers Inc. The event that features three days of composition seminars, lectures and concerts will have more participants than in previous years.
"Having the conference here has brought over 30 composers," he said. "It's tripled the number of people who are going to be here."
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Along with the additional participating composers, the incorporation of the conference has doubled the amount of concerts as well.
"We usually give only three or four," he said.
Roger Reynolds is among the 30 composers selected to participate in the event. His music will be performed by Steven Schick and his highly acclaimed Red Fish Blue Fish ensemble. Shultis said Reynold's music is influenced by the American Experimental Tradition, composers that are experimenting with new ideas, and the 2nd Viennese School of musicians, who work with atonal music. He said Reynolds works primarily with electronics.
"I think what's great about his music is how beautiful it is," he said. "You really get the sense that he is a composer that is in love with sound."
Michael Edgerton was also selected to participate in the event although he is not involved with the conference. Shultis met Edgerton and heard his music when doing research in Switzerland.
"I was listening to that music and liked it a lot," he said. "Then he showed me a guitar piece written for a Swedish guitar player. It's amazing. You look at it and say, 'How could anyone possibly play this?'"
Edgerton, who resides in Germany, said he's been composing for quite a while.
"I remember having composed some things as a child before I knew anything about musical technique, and in fact was always recomposing things in my head from the stuff I heard on the radio, starting from when I was real young," he said.
In addition to his performed compositions, Edgerton will be presenting a lecture titled "Zappa Speaks Again: The Tempo Mental Rap Variations and the 21st Century Voice."
Edgerton said the lecture has to do with his performed piece and his work with experimental voices.
"Basically, it refers to the stimulus behind the piece," he said.
In addition to the works by Reynolds and Edgerton, a piece titled "In a Moment's Notice" by Mark Oates will be performed as well. Oates, a UNM junior, transferred from Oklahoma State University.
"I came here because they have a really good composition program," Oates said. "The professors here are really good at what they do."
Oates was the winner of the of the 2006 Scott Wilkinson Undergraduate Composition Contest at UNM and will receive his award during the Symposium.
Although the symposium features a variety of events, Shultis said he enjoys the performances.
"That's one of the reasons why I do this," he said. "I want to hear this music."
For Shultis, this year should prove to be distinct.
"We've been working on this for several years," he said. "I can't wait."
John Donald Robb Composers' Symposium
For a complete schedule of events, log onto unm.edu/~rmt
