128 MTSU SERVES AS HOST, SITE OF NEW MUSIC CONFERENCE ON OCT. 26-28

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 16, 2006
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493


(MURFREESBORO)—Ninety faculty, student and guest musicians will perform 30 new works by visiting composers during five free public concerts and two paper sessions at the Society of Composers Inc. (SCI) Region IV Conference on Oct. 26-28 in the McLean School of Music at the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The free and open concerts will be held at 8 p.m. Oct. 26; at 1:30, 4 and 8 p.m. Oct. 27; and at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in the Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building. In addition to the performances, five composer-theorists also will present scholarly papers at two sessions; namely, 10 a.m. Oct. 26 and at 10 a.m. Oct. 28.
“This is the first time that MTSU has hosted a large composition conference with national exposure,” said George T. Riordan, the school’s director.
"The fact that McLean School of Music faculty and students can quickly organize, prepare and perform such a large number of new complex and varied works is a testament to the maturity of the music-making at MTSU,” he added.
For the SCI conference, Riordan said 35 participating composers will travel to middle Tennessee from 13 different Eastern states—from Connecticut to Minnesota and from Texas to Florida. Also, representatives from different nations are also involved, including composers from Korea, Taiwan, Argentina and Turkey, all of whom will attend performances of their works.
“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to meet so many composers from throughout the nation, and to have them work with our musicians,” Riordan added.
Dr. Paul Osterfield, associate professor of composition and music theory at MTSU, organized the conference.
"I am very pleased to have many composers at MTSU for a festival celebrating new music," Osterfield remarked. "I am also very grateful to the many performance faculty and students who have put much time into selecting, rehearsing, and performing the compositions," he added.
Riordan said Osterfield performed a “yeoman’s work” in regard to his efforts to solicit submissions for the conference.
"His first task was to solicit new music scores from throughout the country," Riordan said. "Composers responded by submitted more than 150 scores for possible conference performance, and we can only perform about one fifth of those sent in.
"Next, a selection committee sifted through the scores, and then Dr. Osterfield located the performers, recruited student volunteers, helped out with housing, travel and parking issues and in general he has run the whole show.”
Riordan said that of the 30 works to be performed, only two are by MTSU composers—specifically, Osterfield and undergraduate student Travis Clem. “The whole point to hosting the conference is to be able to bring in works from the outside, to make direct contact with and get to know a wide variety of composers,” Riordan noted. “However, we also need to show a sampling of what’s happening at MTSU, and especially important to offer up a work by the fellow hosting the event, Dr. Osterfield.”
Although MTSU musicians make up the bulk of the performing forces, the Cumberland Wind Quintet from Tennessee Technological University are invited guests and will perform two works on the opening concert.
A schedule of events, dates, times and locations of the festival events may be found at the 'SCI Conference' link on the 'Calendar of Events' page at www.mtsumusic.com.
For more information, please call the music school at 615-898-2493.


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