For the 41st year, the Sam Houston State University School of Music will host its annual Contemporary Music Festival beginning today and running through Wednesday.
The festival will begin tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall with a faculty and student chamber music concert.
Students and faculty members will perform together in the show, and some members of the Sam Houston State music department will have the chance to play pieces they have composed themselves.
Starting off the second day of the festival on Wednesday, guest composer Michael Horvit, from the University of Houston, will give a lecture over contemporary music in Room 201 of the Fine Arts Building on campus.The lecture is set to begin at 9 a.m.
At noon on Wednesday an open rehearsal of the SHSU Wind Ensemble, directed by Horvit, will take place in Room 201 of the Fine Arts Building.
Two concerts will follow in the Killinger Auditorium of the Beto Criminal Justice Center at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The concerts will feature University of Houston piano doctoral student Kingchi Au, who is writing her dissertation on Hovit’s music. Au will provide a spoken narrative before each of her two presentations.
The concerts will also feature performances by vocal soloists and by the SHSU Wind Ensemble.
Entrance to any portion of the festival will be of no charge to SHSU students and is also open to members of the local community.
Thomas Couvillion, SHSU music professor and director of the festival said the music to be played at the festival is in the contemporary genre. He said music written within the last 50 years is generally considered contemporary.
The festival honoring contemporary music at SHSU is one of the longest running, he said.
“Sam Houston has one of the oldest contemporary music festivals in the country,” Couvillion said.
Couvillion said he encourages students to come hear what the festival has to offer.
“It’s very exciting and accessible music.”