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Exhilarating performances on tap by MSU Music’s large ensembles
College symphonies, bands, and guests bring five opportunities to hear a wide variety of music.
Large ensembles in the MSU College of Music will pair with innovative guest artists as well as faculty and contemporary European composers in inspired performances open to the public in a ten-day span from October 26 through November 6.
Fans will enjoy a variety of concerts and events that stretch their imaginations. Event highlights include performances by Nois, a saxophone quartet on campus as part of the MSU Federal Credit Union Entrepreneurial Musical Artist in Residence Program. Nois (pronounced noise) is a group of saxophonists known for contemporary classical music and improvisation. They have earned top prizes at prestigious chamber music competitions including the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the M-Prize International Arts Competition.
Established in 2019, The MSU College of Music Entrepreneurial Musical Artist in Residence Program, supported by the MSU Federal Credit Union, focuses on entrepreneurship in the musical arts and provides students and the community the opportunity to learn from and network with successful, progressive artists. Nois will perform with MSU wind and new music ensembles, as well as engage with MSU student composers and conceptual artists in residency activities that are open to the public.
The MSU Wind Symphony and Symphony Band, under the direction of conductors Kevin L. Sedatole and David Thornton, will perform on Friday, Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. in Cobb Great Hall of Wharton Center for Performing Arts. The concert will feature Nois, and performances included Commando March by Samuel Barber, Severance (concerto for saxophone quartet and wind ensemble) by MSU’s own David Biedenbender, Symphony No. 6, Op. 69 by Vincent Persichetti, Tunbridge Fair by Walter Piston, and New England Triptych by William Schuman.
Nois will also perform with the MSU new music ensemble Musique 21 on Monday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Fairchild Theatre in a program that features a performance of I Tell You Me by Annika Socolofsky, conducted by Kevin L. Sedatole. As part of the entrepreneurial residency, the concert is also sponsored by Sam and Mary Austin with additional support from MSU Bands.
During their residency, Nois will host special campus workshops with College musicians and conceptual artists from the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. MSU alums and members of Nois, Jordyn Lulloff (BM ’16) and Julian Velasco (BM ’18) will be reconnecting with their campus roots while at MSU, as well as through off-campus workshops at Okemos High School, Lulloff’s K-12 alma mater.
Special Nois workshops that are free and open to the public include:
- 10/26 Workshop: Composition Reading, Wed. 7:30 p.m. Cook Recital Hall, Nois saxophone quartet performs works penned by MSU student composers.
- 10/30 Unreal Music, Sun. 7 p.m. Newsroom (Communication Arts and Sciences Building, 404 Wilson Road) A visual arts collaboration with MSU Communication Arts and Science students and Nois saxophone quartet, performing improvised vignettes in response to conceptual student art.
Additional upcoming MSU ensemble performances include:
- 10/30 MSU Symphony Orchestra, Sun. 3 p.m. Cobb Great Hall, Wharton Center. Presenting “Hymns of Free, Pure, and Noble Spirits” featuring recent works by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, conducted by Octavio Más-Arocas. The concert is generously sponsored by James and Susan Bonfiglio, and Lauren Julius Harris.
- 11/3 Percussion Ensemble, Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium. Presenting a range of contemporary works performed by members of MSU’s Percussion Ensemble.
- 11/6 State Singers and University Chorale, Sun. 7 p.m. Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium. Presenting choral performances featuring works by Undine Smith Moore, Claudio Monteverdi, Georg Friedrich Handel, Johannes Brahms, and MSU alumnus Brandon Ulrich. Jonathan Reed and David Rayl, conductors.
Admission to student workshops and collaborations is free. General admission seating for large and other ensemble performances are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (age 60 and older), and free for students and those under 18 with valid ID. Tickets can be purchased online (music.msu.edu), by calling (517) 353-5340, or at the door. More information on these and other events in the 2022-23 Encore! Season is found at music.msu.edu/events.
Press materials
View or download the press release (PDF)
Contact Michael Sundermann, 517-353-2043, sunderm7@msu.edu
Photography downloads
Pictured left to right, members of the Nois Saxophone Quartet include Hunter Bockes, Julian Velasco, János Csontos, and Jordan Lulloff.
Pictured left to right, members of the Nois Saxophone Quartet include Hunter Bockes, Jordan Lulloff, Julian Velasco, and János Csontos.
MSU’s Wind Symphony and Symphony Band will share the Cobb Great Hall stage of Wharton Center with the Nois Saxophone Quartet.
Musique 21, the College of Music’s new music ensemble is a “Theatre of Music” style group with flexible instrumentation focusing on contemporary performance.
