Intermission

 

 

 

A Lucid Dream

Jack Gaffney is a 20-year-old music composition student at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is also a singer-songwriter, pianist and abstract artist. Jack’s interest in music spans many genres, and he pulls influence from contemporary rock and pop when writing classical music. Jack began playing piano at the age of four, singing at eight, and writing songs at nine. Much of his inspiration comes from nature, as he spends a large portion of his free time hiking and camping in the Rocky Mountains.

 

Wafting Mists

Daniel Morel is a Kansas City-based composer who energizes his music with spectral lyricism. Garnering commissions and performances across the United States, his music reflects myriad literary and natural interests. His works are permeated with the Western sensibilities of his Colorado upbringing, drawing on influences ranging from prairie thunderstorms to classic American poetry. Mr. Morel has received awards and honors from the Mizzou New Music Initiative, Byrdcliffe Guild, the City of Hartford, the Hartt School, the Longfellow Chorus, and the Colorado State Music Teacher’s Association, among others. Recent premieres include the Cherry Creek Chorale, Hartford Opera Theater, and Seasons Festival Orchestra. Mr. Morel holds degrees from Bucknell University (BA) and The Hartt School, University of Hartford (MM, AD). He is currently working on a doctorate at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Performance details and further information are available at www.danmorel.com.

 

Moments

Hongwei Cai (b.1988) is a Chinese composer and pianist living in the Iowa City. He is currently a second-year Ph.D. student majoring in music composition at the University of Iowa. He has composed for various ensembles and his works have been premiered by renowned musicians such as the JACK Quartet. He is active as both composer and pianist in the Midwest Composers’ Symposium, the Exchange of Midwest Collegiate Composers, and the Composers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. Hongwei Cai received his MM degree in composition at the Oklahoma City University and a BM degree in composition in Shenyang Conservatory of Music (China). His teachers have included David Gompper, Josh Levine, Edward Knight, and Shenglin Jiang (China).

 

The Hesitation in Your Eyes

Qi Jing was born on April 14, 1989, in Yinchuan, China. Both of his parents are musicians. Qi start his piano study at age of 5. His music represents the personal sensitivity. It often contains highly emotional expression, which him prefer not to indicate with flowery words. He interests in absorbing the folk music element from China and Japan into his own musical language, using special extended technique of western instrument to represent the sound of the east. His music usually contains multiple linear, rhythmically cross with each other, to create a misty atmosphere.
    Qi has great passion about composing and working with musicians. He said: “The most delightful moment for me probably is when I hear my music transformed, finally, from the ink on the sheet to the meaningful sounds produced by the players, I mean, correctly. That little moment is always refresh and satisfying.”
    Qi Jing’s music has been performed in various conferences and festivals, including SoundSCAPE music festival, Italy (2016,2017) Atlantic music festival (2014) American Viola Society annual conference, Oberlin.(2016), etc.
    Qi Jing is the winner of the 13th SUN RIVER PRIZE International Students’ New Music Composition Competition, 2017. Cleveland Composers Guild Collegiate Competition, 2014, and the 4th Biennial Gardner Composition Competition, 2016. He is also the finalist of the ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, 2014.
    Qi holds degrees from University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign and Kent State University. Currently he is getting a DMA in composition at University of Missouri-Kansas City. Qi primarily studied with Zhou Long, Erik Lund, Reynold Tharp, Frank Wiley and Sebastian Birch. He also studied electronic music with Scott Wyatt, James Mobberley and Eli Fieldsteel.

 

last goodnight amidst Superior fog

Jeremy Maas (b. 1994) is a composer living in Iowa City. He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Music Composition at the University of Iowa while working as a graduate assistant in Music Theory. He previously completed a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Luther College. His music has been featured by the Iowa Composers Forum, the Exchange of Midwest Collegiate Composers, Minnesota Public Radio, and by Sybarite5. Jeremy has studied composition with Brooke Joyce, Steve Smith, Stefano Sacher, and Josh Levine.

 

Light Pillars

Originally from Ruidoso, New Mexico, Clay Allen is an American composer and pianist. Clay has studied composition at the University of North Texas with Kirsten Broberg, Andrew May, and Joseph Klein and at West Texas A&M University with BJ Brooks. Clay is currently pursuing his DMA at the University of Colorado – Boulder where he works with Carter Pann and Michael Theodore.
    Clay’s compositions have been performed across the United States and internationally at festivals including SEAMUS, CICTeM in Buenos Aires, the Cortona Sessions in Italy, and the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival. Recent commissions include works for New Music on the Point, Charlotte New Music Festival, and bassoonist Grant Bingham with funding from the DuoSolo Foundation. Passionate about education and outreach, Clay is a founding member of the Equinox New Music Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing new music to new audiences.