What: Music for 18 Musicians, a minimalist piece by Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Reich, will be performed at the University of North Texas College of Music.
When/Where: 8 p.m. Oct. 13 (Monday) in Voertman Hall, located at the UNTMusic Building at 415 Avenue C in Denton.
Cost: Free. Evening parking is free in lot 26, southwest of the Music Building. The entrance to the lot is off of Highland Street.
DENTON, Texas (UNT) – Musicians from the University of North Texas College of Music will embrace a return to the foundations of minimalism with a performance of Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians. The performance takes place at 8 p.m. Oct. 13 (Monday) in Voertman Hall, located at the UNTMusic Building at 415 Avenue C in Denton.
When Reich, who later won a Pulitzer Prize, traveled to West Africa in the 1970s, he met and studied daily for a brief time under Ghana native Gideon Foli Alorwoyie, an internationally renowned performer of traditional West African music and dance who now serves as both director of UNT's African Percussion Ensemble and as a professor of music.
This non-Western drumming influence helped Reich to continue his work toward becoming a pioneer of minimalism, and it helped Reich compose Music for 18 Musicians, a title which reflects the minimum number of performers required to make the piece come to life.
Joseph Klein, chair of the Division of Composition Studies, said that because of its significance for the genre, Music for 18 Musicians is one of the pieces he regularly discusses in the courses he teaches at UNT.
"It's very hypnotic," said Klein, who is the faculty coordinator for the performance. "The gradual transformations result in a unique experience for people that have never gone to a performance of a minimalist piece."
Reich's work features a series of repetitive, melodic patterns set to a pulse, which requires the listener to focus on the gradual changes.
The Reich ensemble includes UNT students Shelby Blezinger, Jaime Esposito, Nick Guiliano, Jacob Garcia, Tim Feerst, Adam Davis, Jonathan Carr and Corey Robinson (percussion); Connor O'Meara and Nathan Beatty (clarinet and bass clarinet); David Falterman, Michael Fowler, Ryan Ayers and Michelle Brite (piano); Leah Greenfield (violin); Kourtney Newton (cello); and Isabel Crespo, Ashlie Dance, Amanda Ekery, Anna Jalkeus and Marion Powers (vocalist).
About the UNT College of Music
The UNT College of Music is one of the largest and most respected comprehensive music schools in the country. More than 1,600 music students attend UNT each year, participating in more than 50 widely varied ensembles and pursuing specialized studies in performance, composition, music education or music scholarship. UNT faculty members and students have made appearances on the world's finest stages and have produced numerous recordings, many receiving Grammy awards and nominations. Distinguished UNT alumni can be found around the globe, in top music ensembles, opera companies, universities and schools.