CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The University of Northern Iowa School of Music will hold its third annual New Music Festival Feb. 24-25. The festival will feature Meryl Norton Hearst Visiting Artist Series artists Ensemble Dal Niente and Chen Yi, as well as guest artists Calypsus Brass and UNI faculty and student performers. All three festival concerts are free and open to the public.

The festival will offer three concerts: Friday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m.; and Saturday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. All events will be held in Davis Hall at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center. From electronica-inspired songs to virtuosic tour-de-force new music, these concerts will span a dazzling array of artistry, aesthetics and appeal and celebrate new music on the UNI campus. 

The festival is being coordinated by UNI faculty artists Sang Koh, Daniel Swilley, Hannah Porter-Occeña, Ben Roidl-Ward and Stephanie Ycaza. 

“While it is important to know where we have been, it is just as important to appreciate where we are so that we can gain glimpses into what is possible in the future,” said Koh. “With generous support from the Hearst Foundation, the New Music Festival samples the music of today to give audiences insights into the immense potential of music going forward.”

“The music of our time does not enjoy the same level of exposure as the music of centuries past,” Swilley added. “It is commonplace to attend concerts where not a single piece on the program was composed within the last 50 or even 100 years. We need events like the New Music Festival to showcase the vibrant and diverse output of living composers! We need the art of our time — the art generated by the human condition of our time.”

For more information on the New Music Festival visit music.uni.edu/newmusicfestival. For more information on the 22-23 Hearst Series visit music.uni.edu/hearstseries. 

For questions on these or any other School of Music events and activities, contact Caroline Francis (319) 273-2028, caroline.francis@uni.edu.