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.
Amjad Ali Khan, Sarod Virtuso and Composer Joins the UNM Faculty
Amjad Ali Khan is one of the undisputed masters of the music world. For many, he takes on a celestial avatar when he is playing the Sarod. Born to Sarod icon Haafiz Ali Khan, he gave his first performance at the age of six. Over the course of his career, he has delivered his music in a flexible instrument line that is vocal in its expressiveness.
Chris Buckholz, Assistant Professor of Trombone, has released his third solo CD
Assistant Professor of Trombone Chris Buckholz has released his third solo CD, Versatility, a double album of classical and jazz.
Musicology Colloquium Series: Hell You Talmbout: Hip hop Activism and How Black Lives Matter in Post-Racial America
In this talk Dr. Finnie D. Coleman discusses a closing chapter from his book manuscript Visible Rhythms. Music from Janelle Monae, Kendrick Lamar, and Brother Ali set the stage for a discussion of Hip Hop Activism, the Black Lives Matter Movement…