New Music + Technology Festival brings large collaborations and immersive experiences to Blacksburg
The festival's 10th iteration celebrates experimentalism, performance, multimedia, and interdisciplinary research.
Experimental sound, interdisciplinary research, and creative technology will take center stage when the New Music + Technology Festival returns to Virginia Tech this spring for its 10th iteration.
Presented by the School of Performing Arts and the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, this biannual multiday event features works and performances from faculty, students, and guest artists at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech on March 22 and 24-25.
Founded in 2021 by Kyle Hutchins, assistant professor of practice in the School of Performing Arts, the New Music + Technology Festival was designed to serve as a platform for students, staff, and guest artists who are working at the intersection of contemporary music and cutting-edge technology.
Since its founding, the festival has steadily expanded in scope and reach. Across nine festivals, it has involved nearly 100 student participants, welcomed more than 90 visiting artists, and involved over 50 faculty members. The events have showcased 43 world-premiere performances and drawn participation from five colleges across the university.
“Over the last 10 iterations, this festival has included a wide range of disciplines,” Hutchins said. “I hope that it encourages faculty and students to work across disciplines to create new and exciting works that can be presented at our world-class facilities.”
Large ensemble performance
The festival begins on Sunday, March 22, at 5 p.m. in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, with a large-scale collaboration featuring the Virginia Tech Saxophone Ensemble, Percussion Ensemble, and dancers alongside faculty, students, and guest artists.
The Sunday program includes the H2 Quartet, a saxophone ensemble nearing its 20th anniversary. “Commissioning and premiering new works has always been central to what we do,” said Kim Loeffert, H2 member and assistant professor of music. “We will perform works by Takuma Itoh, including 'Echolocation,' which we commissioned and premiered at the World Saxophone Conference in Bangkok, Thailand in 2009. Two years ago, 'Echolocation' was also one of the compulsory pieces for the North American Saxophone Alliance Saxophone Quartet Competition.”
“This is the first year we’re presenting a large-scale project in the Fife,” Hutchins said. “By the end of the concert, we’ll have upwards of 60 people on stage.”
ARTx collaboration
On Tuesday, March 24, at 7:30 p.m., the festival moves to the Cube at the Center for the Arts, where ARTx presents saxophone duo Kyle Hutchins and guest artist Kendra Wheeler of Louisiana State University (LSU).
“Kendra is a dear friend and collaborator,” Hutchins said. “This concert is part of an ARTx exchange with LSU where we have had new works written for us, one being by Charles Nichols, and one by Eric Lyon here at Virginia Tech. This concert also features a new version of Elizabeth Baker’s 'Hologram,' a world premiere of a new piece by Sophia Matus Cancino, a doctoral student at Arizona State University, and a new piece by Elliot Lupp. The idea is that we will take this set of pieces and perform them at LSU’s multichannel space in the fall.” The duo will later perform a portion of this concert at the Sonorities Music Festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Spatial music for flute and electronics
The festival concludes in the Cube on Wednesday, March 25, with a 7:30 p.m. portrait concert with works by Eric Lyon, composer and professor of practice, and flutist Margaret Lancaster.
“A portrait concert is a concert that showcases works by a single composer. The idea is to present a portrait of what the musical mind is working on,” said Lyon. “In my case, the pieces will span a range of 30 years.”
Margaret Lancaster, known for her work in contemporary music, will perform all pieces in this concert. Lyon stated that Lancaster is “one of the great new music flutists. She is a dancer and actor, so she responds very thoughtfully to the dramatic content of the music she is playing.”
The Wednesday performance will take place in the Cube, whose immersive sound system allows composers to shape how audiences experience sound. “The Cube is a world-famous and highly influential venue. What allows it to stand out is that it has 140 loud speakers in the system. We can do some very powerful things with the perception of space in the Cube,” said Lyon. “People who come to the New Music + Technology Festival are going to be able to experience music in a world-leading facility, and experience space and sound in a way that is only possible in a few other places in the world.”
For Hutchins, the goal of the festival is to encourage curiosity for performers and audiences. “It takes a community to put on something of this size,” Hutchins said. “I always hope that people come with an open mind. I hope everyone has a new experience that moves them. I want people to come here, knowing they may not know what they’re going to experience, but trust us to come along for the journey.”
Tickets, parking, and other details
Performances are March 22 at 5 p.m. in the Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, and March 24-25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Cube, all at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech.
Admission is free, but audiences are encouraged to reserve their seats in advance through the Center for the Arts ticket office in person, online, or by calling 540-231-5300.
All university community members and visitors will need to display a parking permit, use the ParkMobile app, pay a fee, or pay using an hourly meter to park on the Blacksburg campus unless otherwise noted by signage. Additional parking information is available online.
If you are an individual with a disability or desire an accommodation, please contact Emily Baker at emilyrb@vt.edu at least 10 days prior to the event.
