During the spring of 2015, Drs. Kristin Ditlow and Karola Obermüller began planning the first installments of a contemporary music exchange. This exchange would bring American contemporary music to Germany, and likewise sponsor performances of contemporary German music in New Mexico.
The project quickly expanded to include Professors Eric Lau and Scott Ney, with performances in Nürnberg and Darmstadt and master classes in Würzburg.
darabq1summer2015 from Kristin Ditlow on Vimeo.
The program included compositions by Volker Blumenthaler, professor for composition and theory at Nuremberg Hochschule für Musik, Cord Meijering, director of Akademie für Tonkunst, Darmstadt; UNM Music Faculty Karola Obermüller, Jose-Luis Hurtado, Peter Gilbert, and Richard Hermann; and noted composers Olivier Messiaen, Lori Laitman, Milton Babbitt, and James Beale.
The Nürnberg performance was hosted by Monika Teepe and Volker Blumenthaler while the Würzburg Hochschule für Musik hosted master classes for percussion and saxophone. The Akademie für Tonkunst, Darmstadt, was the host for the Darmstadt solo “klavierabend.”
Future performances and exchanges are being planned for the coming season.
Dr. Beth Ratay awarded Discovery Grant from OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Women Composers program
Dr. Beth Ratay, a faculty member at The University of New Mexico, has been awarded a Discovery Grant from OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Women Composers program. This prestigious grant, totaling $100,000 across eight recipients, supports the development of new opera...
Marchiando and Stojanovska to present “Soundscapes of Her,” music for trumpet and piano on KHFM, 95.5 FM “10 at 10” Series with Brent Stevens
Marchiando and Stojanovska to present “Soundscapes of Her,” music for trumpet and piano on KHFM, 95.5 FM “10 at 10” Series with Brent Stevens UNM Associate Professor of Trumpet, Dr. John Marchiando, and pianist Dr. Natasha Stojanovska will perform and chat about music...
Dr. Hurtado is the recipient of the 2024 “Mexicanos Distinguidos Award”
Dr. Hurtado is the recipient of the 2024 “Mexicanos Distinguidos Award” Every year, the Mexican Government, through the Foreign Ministry of Mexico, selects a handful of nationals from all over the world to receive the Distinguished Mexicans Award, which is given to...