Faculty composer celebrates School of Music centennial anniversary

KALAMAZOO—Western Michigan University's School of Music continues the series of events celebrating its centennial with the premiere of a new multimedia composition by Assistant Professor of Electronic Composition Christopher Biggs, at 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, on the Kohrman Hall Lawn. "Fractures of Echoes" will be performed by a student brass ensemble conducted by School of Music Director David Colson. The performance is free and open to the public.

'Fractures of Echoes'

Biggs was commissioned by the School of Music to write "Fractures of Echoes" for the school's 100th anniversary. He created abstract representations of how aspects of the past constitute the present and parts of the present will constitute the future.

Sonically, the present time is represented by a wondering, reflective melody that is searching for direction. The harmonic material in the brass ensemble is frequently fractured into segments and presented in the electronic sounds, then the electronic sounds will reform and lead back to the brass. This process represents the constant deconstruction and reconstruction of ideas and practices that characterize a thoughtful, adaptive institution.

The visual media aspects of the work consist of pictures from the School of Music archives; black and white photos that represent the past and color photos that represent the present. These images dissolve, cross fade, and blend together.

For more information about the concert, visit wmich.edu/music or call (269) 387-4667.