Students rock out at new horizons

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Truman State students experienced new genres of music and had the chance to interact with composers last Saturday at the New Horizons Music Festival. Collaborative Truman pianists Michael Bunchman and Teng-Kuan Wang dueled with pianos, and an ensemble of trombone players stomped their feet between complex rhythms during a piece called “Mushroom Haiku.” The Binary Canary duo played songs using woodwind instruments with a laptop playing electronically mixed beats in the background and Wind Symphony I closed the show by playing an original three-part piece, “Wayward Images” composed by Michael Ippolito, based on three pieces of surrealist art from the 1920’s. Senior Christina Scocchera, festival chair and euphonium player in Wind Symphony I, said she was excited to have three different composers creating music for Truman ensembles to perform this year. “I like the fact that we get to work directly with the composer,” Scocchera said. “That’s something unique, especially this year, because it’s a great way to explore how composers nowadays are composing. It’s a different way of looking at music.” Freshman Andrew Schaper, Wind Symphony I member and french horn player, said he had a strong appreciation for the song “Wayward Images.” Schaper said he hopes to one day compose his own pieces of music like Truman music professor Charles Gran, who composed for the festival this year. “We have composers here on our faculty, but it’s cool to see other people from around the country showing what they can do,” Schaper said. “It gives a broader perspective than just what we have at Truman.” Schaper said his main goal is to be a film composer, but he’d love to have his own music featured in this festival because of his connection to the school. Schaper also said he hoped the New Horizons concert would promote contemporary music and keep it from dying out. “I think it’s important to get a wide spectrum of what kind of music is being played nowadays,” Schaper said. “If people don’t appreciate things like this, that art form is going to die out eventually, so I think it’s important people keep events like this alive.” To learn more about the students at the New Horizons festival, read the rest on Issuu.[/vc_column_text][vc_video link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyJmCdjwQBc"][/vc_column][/vc_row]