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Group for New Music, BYU avant-garde ensemble, plans Oct. 21 concert

Brigham Young University’s Group for New Music will perform avant-garde music Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center.

Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend.

The concert will feature several pieces composed by members of the group. Founder and BYU faculty member, Michael Hicks, will perform his piece, “Rain Music I,” using amplified bowls and radios.

The program includes two multimedia presentations involving music and video. The group will perform “Chess,” with music by BYU faculty member Neil Thornock and video by Dutch artist Jan Suschitzky. Another electronic video piece called “Elements” will feature music by John Gibson.

A trio of violinists will perform “Rigor Vitus” by David Koblitz. The program will also feature selections by a variety of composers including BYU faculty member Christian Asplund and Pulitzer Prize-winner Aaron Jay Kernis.

“Group for New Music is not really a group, but a venue to present a variety of works that don’t fit into other ensembles,” Hicks said. “Most the music was written during the lifetime of BYU students and offers an unusual and surprisingly different sound compared to a classical music concert.”

Group for New Music, founded nearly 20 years ago, specializes in formally composed avant-garde music. The group embraces extended technique, which uses instruments in unusual ways.

For more information, contact Michael Hicks at (801) 422-2275.

Writer: Angela Fischer

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