EMU - University Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 19, 2003
CONTACT: Ward Mullens
ward.mullens@emich.edu
734.487.4400

P.D.Q. BACH COMPOSER TO VISIT EMU AS PART OF MUSIC NOW FEST

YPSILANTI – Peter Schickele, well known for his P.D.Q. Bach concerts, will be the guest composer for this year’s Eastern Michigan University Music Now Fest. Music Now Fest, Feb. 26-28, is three days of concerts, lectures, recitals and open rehearsals, which will feature the classical musical repertoire of Schickele.

“ The festival is a great chance for everyone to discover that contemporary music is intriguing, inspirational and fun,” said Kristy Meretta, coordinator of EMU music events.

Schickele is best known for his collaborations with folk and rock musicians like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, and the creation and performance of the music of P.D.Q. Bach, the imaginary long-lost son of Johann Sebastion Bach. But it is Schickele’s more than 100 compositions, commissioned by virtually every major symphony in the United States, that more accurately characterize him as a distinguished composer of serious classical music.

Schickele will present a lecture on topics in 21st-century music during a composer convocation, Thursday, Feb. 27, 11 a.m., in Pease Auditorium. Visitors are welcome to attend open rehearsals with Schickele and EMU’s Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and University Choir Friday, Feb. 28, 11 a.m., at Pease Auditorium. Schickele also will interact with EMU music students and faculty for an informal question-and-answer session during a “Meet the Composer Forum” Friday, Feb. 28, 1 p.m., in the Alexander Rehearsal Hall.
Schickele’s chamber music will be featured during a faculty recital, Thursday, Feb. 27, 8 p.m., in Pease Auditorium. The University Choirs, the EMU Symphonic Band, Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble will feature Schickele’s music during the festival finale, Friday, Feb. 28, 8 p.m., in Pease Auditorium. Tickets are $8 for this all-campus collaborative concert. All other events are free.

“ One of the most gratifying aspects of Music Now Fest comes from watching our students become truly involved in the compositional process, and appreciate their own role in interpreting the music of a living composer,” Meretta said.

For more information, call Meretta at 487-0482.