March 16, 2022
Acclaimed Outside the Box new music festival begins Thursday
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Musical interests and influences will be center stage once again beginning this week as Southern Illinois University Carbondale hosts the Outside the Box 2022 new music festival, continuing the rich history of bringing internationally known musicians and performers to campus.
The festival, in its 15th year, runs March 17-26 at various locations on campus and in Carbondale. All of the workshops, and concerts are open to the general public and admission is free. Masks are recommended for the concerts and are required for any of the workshops that take place in classrooms, said director Christopher Walczak, associate professor of music theory and composition in SIU’s School of Music in the College of Arts and Media.
The festival was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and held virtually last year. The event enables the School of Music to provide the region “with completely contemporary new concert music — music that engages, compels and explores possibilities,” Walczak said.
“We are striving to bring composers and performers of the highest caliber to SIU, offering people who live in our area the kinds of concerts they might only find in major metropolitan areas.”
The workshops and concerts will be in several venues on campus, including Shryock Auditorium, Altgeld Hall and the Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall, along with Artspace 304, 304 W. Walnut St., Carbondale.
The festival’s eight featured artists include violinist Hannah Frey; composer John Hennecken; trumpet player, composer and conductor Jeff Kaiser; music technologist and composer Jordan Munson; vocalist Yi-Lan Niu; composer John Orfe; pianist Andrew Staupe and composer Daniel Zajicek.
School of Music faculty who will perform are Christopher Butler, percussion; Jessica Butler, trombone; Cody Brookshire, composer; Junghwa Lee, piano; Eric Mandat, clarinet; Walczak, composer, and Douglas Worthen, flute.
For the complete schedule of events, visit the Outside the Box website.