Introduction from Professor Lisa Leonard, the festival director
Welcome to the 15th Annual New Music Festival at the Lynn University Conservatory of Music! For 14 seasons, we have been welcoming renowned composers to take residency at the Conservatory to directly work with our students preparing three main events: a concert of emerging composers featuring student composers and performers, a master class/lecture focused on the creative and practical issues of contemporary music, and a full program solely featuring the works of the guest composer, including the premiere of the annual commissioned work.
We were thrilled when John Harbison agreed to serve as our 2021 composer-in-residence and then, with the rest of the world, were forced to change our plans. Although we diverged from our traditional program content, I was able to preserve the mission of the festival which encourages direct contact between composers and performers who in turn, share music that is brand new, off the beaten track, or simply, overlooked.
I’ve titled the Festival, “A Global Harvest,” which reflects the whereabouts of our student body, spread out over five continents. The first event, Spotlight I: Emerging Composers, remained true to its traditional role, kicking off the Festival with world premieres that were performed and recorded in person and on- campus in the Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall.
Students were also given the option to identify and perform music from the African diaspora or living composers from their homeland. 55 performers recorded 46 works from 14 countries including 8 premieres! It was a record-breaking year, boasting a larger output than we have ever achieved before.
Thanks to a major grant from the office of Florida Cultural Affairs, highlights of the festival have been combined into a video, giving this incredible music a chance to be heard by many for years to come. Enjoy exploring the world’s music- there are few things as exciting!https://spiral.lynn.edu/conservatory_newmusicfest/1014/thumbnail.jp
