This week, April 15-17, I am the featured composer at the annual new-music festival at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. There appear to be six concerts, with my music on four of them, mixed with works by student composers there; click on the link to see the official site. I give a talk Friday morning at 11. I love looking at the list of composers from previous festivals: Peter Mennin in ’62, my one-time teacher Kent Kennan in ’63, Persichetti in ’64, Sandor Varess in ’65, Paul Creston in ’71, Ben Johnston in ’72, Elie Siegmeister in ’91, and several I haven’t heard of. But they brought John Luther Adams in ’07 and Peter Garland last year, and given that progression I do look like a logical next choice. Plus the festival’s directed by Brian Herrington and John Lane, the latter of whom runs their percussion ensemble, and I’ve got several percussion pieces, so I fit in. Also, a lot of their composers are Texas-related, and I’m originally from Texas – though I haven’t had a performance in that state since 1976.
Spring 2010 Concert and Event Schedule (April 15th-17th,
2010)
Admission: FREE for SHSU Music
Majors and Music Faculty, $5 SHSU Students, $10 General Public
Thursday, April
15th
Sam Houston State
Student Composers Concert
Recital Hall;
4:00pm
Artist Faculty
Spotlight: Daniel Saenz, Cello Recital
Recital Hall;
7:30pm
Friday, April
16th
Kyle Gann, Guest
Lecture
11:00am; Music
Building RM 202 (subject to change)
The Chamber Music
of Kyle Gann and Sam Houston State Composers (Concert 1)
Recital Hall;
4:00pm
The Chamber Music
of Kyle Gann and Sam Houston State Composers (Concert 2)
Recital Hall;
7:30pm
Saturday, April
17th
Intersection and
the Sam Houston Percussion Group: The Music of Kyle Gann (Concert 1)
Directed by Brian
Herrington and John Lane
Recital Hall;
4:30pm
Intersection and
the Sam Houston Percussion Group: The Music of Kyle Gann (Concert 2)
Directed by Brian
Herrington and John Lane
Recital Hall;
7:30pm – Pre-Concert Talk; 8:00pm – Concert
Hmmmm, days after your concerts at SHSU and no report or photos. When you go to gigs, you usually have some kind of response afterwards.
Did they find out about some existing warrants and really “send you down to Huntsville”?
Was the whole thing some kind of set up to bring you to justice and there weren’t really any concerts scheduled at all?
KG replies: All reasonable theories, I have to admit. However, 1. I wanted, when I post, to upload all my new recordings, and I’m still waiting for them to send me one; and 2. I plunged from traveling back into teaching, which latter I need to give my complete focus this week. Glad to know someone’s waiting for the results, though. It was a lovely festival, two blocks from Huntsville prison. (Also, i forgot to take my camera, dammit!)
So when an American composer enters the concert hall, do the security guards shout “DEAD MAN WALKING!”…?