Sonic Illinois: Illinois Modern Ensemble

In this concert, the Illinois Modern Ensemble showcases music solely by current, distinguished Midwest-based composers. Canboulay, by University of Illinois DMA Student Kyle Shaw, is a concerto for steelpan and orchestra in which the steelpan symbolizes the history of racial tension which gave birth to it. Director of the UIUC Electronic Music Studios Eli Fieldsteel’s award-winning Fractus I for trumpet and electronics explores a number of granular synthesis techniques, allowing for an open-ended manipulation of tonal and rhythmic ideas. Mouthpiece XIX, a selection from UIUC Professor Erin Gee’s extensive Mouthpiece collection, draws from the International Phonetic Alphabet to construct a unique and fantastical sound world. The concert concludes with Chamber Symphony by Carl Schimmel (Professor, Illinois State University), who draws inspiration from Thomas Pynchon’s 1973 novel, Gravity’s Rainbow and balances the ideas of absurdity and unity in one colorful narrative.

Shaw: Canboulay
Gee: Mouthpiece XIX
Fieldsteel: Fractus I
Schimmel: Chamber Symphony

This performance will run approximately 44 minutes with no intermission.

Sonic Illinois

Honoring the University of Illinois sesquicentennial anniversary in 2017, Krannert Center and the School of Music collaboratively explore the extraordinary diversity of today’s vital contemporary music scene—a revival of the spirit of the University of Illinois Festival of Contemporary Arts, which was a major cultural force in the mid-20th century. Sonic Illinois, a month-long celebration of new music, will celebrate innovative creators who challenge convention, forge new pathways, and expand the creative process. See featured performances.