The Institute for New Music functions as the nerve center of all contemporary music activities at the Bienen School of Music.
Founded in 2012, the Institute presents numerous events over the course of the academic year—from residencies of visiting ensembles and composers to workshops, lectures, and masterclasses, to the biennial conference/festival NUNC! Several critical assets make Northwestern an ideal site for a major new music initiative. These include a corps of talented performance students interested in new music; a strong composition program; the Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition, which regularly brings world-renowned composers to campus; the Northwestern Music Library, which contains an unparalleled and internationally renowned archive of printed music composed since 1945; and proximity to Chicago’s vibrant new music scene.
April 24, 2021
This event will be held in a virtual format. All events are free and open to the public. Zoom registration links for the conference presentations and roundtable discussions are available on the NUNC! 4 website:
See the NUNC! 4 Schedule
A message from the Director, Hans Thomalla
Like every other academic institution, Northwestern University and the Institute for New Music have without a doubt been strongly impacted by the global pandemic. Concerts and other events had to be canceled and many of our usual activities are now online. Nevertheless, the Institute continues to present New Music activities for students and the Northwestern community, as contemporary artistic voices seem more important than ever in our world.
The Contemporary Music Ensemble (CME), led by Alan Pierson and Ben Bolter, are working on contemporary works that can be rehearsed and performed online: John Luther Adams’ breathtakingly beautiful “Ten Thousand Birds” and Bienen School alumnus Marcos Balter’s “Meltdown Upshot”. A second production period will feature Jessie Cox “Existence Lies In Between” and Inti Figgis-Vizueta’s “Primavera Crown.”
Seth Parker Woods, one of the leading contemporary music cellists of our time, is a featured guest artist at the Institute in 2020-21. As part of his collaboration with the Bienen School, he will give a presentation on contemporary repertoire and technique, provide insights into his performance praxis, and discuss current repertoire. Furthermore, he will perform several new compositions for solo cello written by Bienen composition students for him during the year.
The Spektral Quartet, Chicago’s preeminent chamber group for contemporary music and a long-time partner of the Institute for New Music, will return later in the academic year for a collaboration with Bienen School students. The quartet will coach instrumentalists from the Contemporary Music Ensemble in contemporary performance techniques, and perform new works written for them by Bienen School students.
Chicago-based new music pianist Mabel Kwan, whose concert of student works had to be canceled in spring, will return to campus and perform seven new works written for her.
Jennifer Higdon, 2018 Nemmers Prize Winner in Music Composition, will return virtually to campus for a master class with composition students. We look forward to seeing her return in person later in the academic year for performances of her works and further engagements with students in music performance and music composition.