March 14, 2023
SIU’s Outside the Box new music festival opens March 24
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Music lovers throughout the region will have a bevy of musical interests and influences to enjoy later this month as Southern Illinois University Carbondale hosts the Outside the Box 2023 new music festival, continuing the rich history of bringing internationally known musicians and performers to campus.
The festival, now in its 16th year, runs March 24-31 at various locations on campus and in Carbondale. All of the workshops and concerts are open to the public, and admission is free.
Grammy Award winning Third Coast Percussion kicks off the festivities at 7 p.m. Friday, March 24, showcasing its latest work, and will then be joined by the SIU Wind Ensemble conducted by Christopher Morehouse, professor and SIU director of bands, for the Southern Illinois premiere of American composer David T. Little’s 2015 arrangement “Radiant Child,” co-commissioned by SIU.
This year, nearly all of the School of Music faculty are contributing to the festival, including the university’s wind ensemble and concert choir, said director Christopher Walczak, associate professor of music theory and composition in the School of Music, which is within College of Arts and Media.
“This is an incredibly exciting time of year for the Carbondale community, especially School of Music students and faculty as they perform and interact with nationally and internationally recognized musicians of the highest caliber, often premiering completely new compositions,” Walczak said. “There’s an incomparable energy around Outside the Box. The concerts would be something special in any city, so we’re very proud to be able to offer these events to music lovers in our area.”
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.
Other featured artists include composers Dana Wilson and Stephen Andrew Taylor, along with Emily Rach Beisel, saxophone; Margaret Herlehy, oboe; Wrest, a free improvisational trio, and digital animator Paul Hertz, who collaborated with Walczak to create “Campos | Temporales,” a 15-minute intermedia work.
School of Music faculty who will perform are Joseph Bauer, bass; Christopher Butler, percussion; Jessica Butler, trombone; Rosanna Cauti, viola; Susan Davenport, conductor; Anthony Gray, piano; Sean Harold, composer, guitar; Yuko Kato, piano; Richard Kelley, saxophone; Eric Mandat, clarinet; Morehouse, conductor; Walczak, composer, and Douglas Worthen, flute.
For the complete schedule of events, visit the Outside the Box website.