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Sounds of the Music Department

A small portion of the great variety of music studied, created, and performed in the Department of Music by students and faculty is sampled on this page. The sounds of Italian opera, Caribbean popular music, jazz, and Baroque music often mingle in the corridor of Morrison Hall. Each semester in Hertz Hall new works by faculty, graduate, and undergraduate composers are performed, department ensembles play noon and evening concerts of European orchestral, choral, and chamber works, as well as chamber music, improvisation in a variety of styles, gospel, and presentations of music and dance from West Africa and Indonesia. Frequent concerts of new music are also held at CNMAT.

Unless otherwise noted, all sound clips are 30-40 sec excerpts in mp3 format.

Composers

Outside Music by Edmund Campion

Outside Music (307kb)

San Francisco Contemporary Music Players; David Milnes, Conductor

Timeless Pulse – Live at CNMAT 2002

Timeless Pulse (551kb)

David Wessel, electronics
Pauline Oliveros, Accordion
George Marsh, Percussion
Jennifer Wilsey, Percussion

Nature Is by Cindy Cox

Nature Is, 5th Movement (481kb)

Played by the Continental Trombone Quartet

Song of Songs by Jorge Liderman

Song of_Songs (809kb)

Funded in part by a UC President’s Fellowship Grant and the UC Berkeley Consortium for the Arts.

Premiered by Elissa Johnston, Charles Blandy, the Chamber Chorus of the University of California, Berkeley, and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players
David Milnes, conductor
March 2002, Cal Performances, Berkeley
Soprano, tenor, female chorus, and chamber orchestra:
1(pic)-1-2-0; 2-1-0-0; 2 perc; 2 pf; 1-2-0-1

“interaction” by Mei-Fang Lin

“interaction” (selection, 768kb)

Performed by Mei-Fang Lin

brainFire and bugLight by Trio M / Myra Melford

brainFire and bugLight (566kb)

From the recent Trio M album Big Picture

Myra Melford, piano, Mark Dresser, bass, Matt Wilson, drums

On a Sufficient Condition for the Existence of Most Specific Hypothesis by Ken Ueno

On a Sufficient Condition for the Existence of Most Specific Hypothesis (550kb)

concerto for overtone singer & orchestra

Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gil Rose, conductor, Ken Ueno, vocal soloist.
Program notes

Ensembles

Kpalango, performed by African Music and Dance Ensemble

“Revuelta, Revolución, Rebelión (después de Octavio Paz)” by graduate student composer Amadeus Rugucera  at the Berkeley New Music Project performance in Hertz Hall, November 24, 2008.
Performed by Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players: Stacey Pelinka, flute; Darcy Rindt, viola

Excerpt from a 2008 performance in Hertz Hall, Javanese Gamelan Ensemble

“Theme for Odwalla” by Roscoe Mitchell performed by the Jazz & Contemporary Improvised Music Ensemble , noon concert , Hertz Hall, April 2007

Cantico Movt. 3 “Sora luna” by John Thow performed by the University Chamber Chorus in Hertz Hall, 2000

Matthaus-Passion, Movt. 1 exerpt with baroque orchestra performed by the University Chorus, recorded live, Hertz Hall, Spring 2006

“You’ve Been Good to Me” performed by the University Gospel Chorus on February 24, 2008 in Hertz Hall

“Rusty Air in Carolina” for orchestra & electronica (2006; 1.25 mb) by Mason Bates (PhD Composition 2008) performed by the University Symphony Orchestra in Hertz Hall, Fall 2006

Symphony No 5 in C# minor (1901-04; 1.4 mb) by Gustav Mahler performed by the University Symphony Orchestra in Hertz Hall, May 2009

“Foster’s America” by David Gilligham, performed by the University Wind Ensemble in Hertz Hall in October 2006.