Center for 21st Century Music presents Spring Festival

Spring Festival – The Expanded Musical Canon, a three-day exploration of contemporary music, performance and critical listening that examines how the musical canon continues to evolve, will take place April 1-3 on the North Campus.

Bringing together internationally acclaimed performers, faculty artists and emerging composers, the festival highlights the Center for 21st Century Music’s mission to advance new music through performance, collaboration and scholarly engagement. Concerts, presentations and discussions throughout the festival invite audiences to encounter music from multiple perspectives — from historical repertoire that shaped contemporary practice to newly emerging voices redefining the boundaries of sound today.

A centerpiece of the festival is the appearance of the internationally celebrated vocal ensemble Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, widely regarded as one of the leading ensembles devoted to contemporary vocal music. Known for its experimental and interdisciplinary approach to performance, the ensemble presents more than 30 world premieres each year and collaborates closely with composers across the globe.

The festival also features pianist Eric Huebner, professor and chair of the UB Department of Music, with guest artists Christopher Gross, cello, and Barret Ham, clarinet/bass clarinet, alongside UB faculty performers, the UB Chamber Choir and student composers. Together, these artists explore works that stretch from Renaissance counterpoint to the radical sonic language of contemporary composition.

Throughout the festival, audiences will encounter music by composers including Johannes Ockeghem, Helmut Lachenmann, Chaya Czernowin, Ming Tsao and Johannes Brahms, as well as new works by UB PhD composers.

The full concert lineup can be found on the Center for 21^st Century Music website.

Tickets are required for concerts at 7:30 p.m. April 1 and 2; all other programs are free of charge.

Tickets are $20. Advance tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster, at the Center for the Arts box office from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and at the Slee Hall box office an hour before the concert. UB students can receive one complimentary ticket — to these concerts and all UB music department concerts —  and may pick up their ticket right before the concert.