CHA grant makes some ~Nois in the College of Music
With support from a $15K CU Boulder Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) grant, the Chicago-based returned to the College of Music earlier this month as guest artists in our Faculty Tuesdays series and SoundWorks series.
The composition department has been bringing ~Nois to campus for the last six or seven years, says Carter Pann, chair of the composition department. This is the first year that two studios hosted the quartetcomposition and saxophone. The plan was for ~Nois to work with our student and faculty composers, and with students in [Assistant Professor of Saxophone] Nathan Mertens' saxophone studio.
Indeed, the five-day residency was packedin addition to Faculty Tuesdays and SoundWorks concerts, ~Nois also presented a master class, a guest lecture in the Department of Theatre & Dance and more. College of Music students had the opportunity to rehearse with members of the quartet, ask questions, and get feedback on performances and compositions.
CHA grants support projects that amplify the arts and humanities, and create community around campus. The College of Music's composition and saxophone departments were awarded more than they applied for, allowing for an extra house concert in a donors home.
I believe that the application meets all criteria and that it is far ranging, wrote CHA Director Jennifer Ho. This is one reason Ive increased the awardso that you may be able to think even more capaciously in creating programs that will involve multiple community members within the College of Music and across campus.
The College of Musics relationship with the quartet began with Panns musical connection with a family member of one of the musicians. One of the ~Nois members, Jordan Lulloff, is the son of a very good friend of mine whom I have written lots of saxophone music for, shares Pann. A lightbulb went off and I realized that Jordan was in this new quartet of Northwestern University grads.
Its really useful and its a great opportunity for young composers to write for saxophone quartet. Its a very enterprising endeavor because saxophonists in general clamor for new music.
Through the years, ~Nois has become familiar on campus, and created even more and deeper connections. Theyre just game when theyre here, adds Pann. They end up seeing donors, seeing the dean, working with students, coming to classes色
Pann hopes the residency inspired creativity among our students. When students work closely with them, the ~Nois boys are so professional. They dont skimp on anything. They will crash open the door to rehearse more with these students. Theyre constantly teaching them what their instruments can do.
These guys increase the learning horizon tenfold. When you see somebody thats kind of close to your age breaking into this professional realmits really inspiring to our students.