March 26, 2015

‘Outside the Box’ music festival starts Saturday

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The spring-like weather entices nearly everyone outside -- including the Southern Illinois University Carbondale School of Music. In this case, it’s outside -- the box. The annual new-music festival known as “Music Outside the Box” is Saturday through Friday, March 28 to April 3, under the guidance of new faculty member and composer Armando Bayolo.

This year’s featured guest is Deviant Septet, a group of seven musicians determined to “fulfill the vision” held by composer Igor Stravinsky – to blend unusual combinations of instruments and musicians to present “a beautiful musical riddle.” They will be here as part of a residency March 27-29, during which time they will present masterclasses and lectures, focused on the individual instruments of their expertise, and also on options for making a career in music in the 21st Century.

As a highlight of the festival, Deviant Septet headlines a concert at 7:30 p.m., March 29, at Shryock Auditorium. The concert features two world premieres of new compositions: Bayolo’s “The Books of Bokonon,” and Robert Pound’s “The Devil’s Due.” In addition to the world premieres, Deviant Septet presents “For the Deviants,” by Brad Lubman, “Recovering” by Christopher Cerrone, and finally, a mash-up of Rush and Stravinsky entitled “The Devil Dances with Tom Sawyer,” arranged by Stefan Freund.

Here’s an overview of the schedule:

• March 28

5 p.m., Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall: SIU faculty concert featuring Jacob Tews, viola; Junghwa Lee, piano; Yuko Kato, piano. Music compositions by Tews, and by Michael Kimber, Stephen Paulus, John Harbison and Jennifer Higdon.

• March 29

7:30 p.m., The Deviant Septet feature concert Shryock Auditorium, (tickets $12).

• March 30

7:30 p.m., SIU Emerging Composers, Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall. SIU composers include: Jose Guzmán, Darcy Hemphill, Levi Jones, Christina Lyons, Kyle Dixon, William Radtke, Donovan Johnson, Austin Church and Rebecca Newburn.

• March 31

7:30 p.m., Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Shryock Auditorium, ($12). Joseph Ryker conducts a concert featuring compositions by Carlos Carillo-Coto, Armando Bayolo and Igor Stravinsky.

• April 1

7:30 p.m., Altgeld Chamber Players, Shryock Auditorium, ($12). The Altgeld Chamber Players are an SIU faculty ensemble under the direction of Armando Bayolo, and presenting some of his music, and compositions by Marc Mellits and Chul-Ik Huang.

• April 2

5 p.m., Clarinet Studio Concert, Altgeld Hall, Room 110.

7:30 p.m., Guitar concert featuring Mak Grgic and Dan Lippel with compositions by Marc Mellits and others, Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall.

• April 3

5 p.m., The SIU Improvisational Unit presents “Improv Friday” in Altgeld Hall, Room 110.

7:30 p.m., Douglas Worthen, flute and guest musician Margaret Herlehy, oboe, perform music by SIU’s professor and composer in residence emeritus Frank Stemper, as well as Thea Musgrave, Alberto Ginasera, and improvisational music from Worthen and Herlehy.

7:30 p.m., Outside the Box 2015 final performance, Shryock Auditorium, featuring the SIU Percussion Ensemble performing music from Marc Mellits, Brett Dietz, George Hamilton Green, Francisco Pérez, Kevin Bobo, Jennifer Higdon and Robert Becker.