UNC alumni to premier performances of contemporary classical music

Two UNC alumni will premiere their new pieces tonight at Chapel Hill Contemporary Music Ensemble’s “Modes of Modulation” in the Kenan Music Building.

The show will also incorporate community musicians.

Richard Drehoff Jr., director of the CHCME, said the ensemble was founded in December 2012 to bring local composers and performers together to play and perform music by contemporary classical composers.

“Modes of Modulation” was originally meant to take place at UNC’s Bell Tower, which would have incorporated its bells into the performance of the two pieces, but the concert was moved indoors due to a rainy weather forecast.

Although the concert has been moved inside, Drehoff said he is still excited because each piece in the concert showcases different types of modulation — the changing from one key to another — and features the premieres of locally composed pieces, including his own.

“My piece is called ‘metallurgy,’ and it’s for all metallic percussion instruments, playing off the idea of bells and similar concepts,” Drehoff said.

“I haven’t really worked with percussion before, so it’s been a really interesting experience for me to get to see what percussionists do behind the scenes and how they work.”

For this concert, the ensemble invited musicians from the Chapel Hill community to participate in the performance of Terry Riley’s “In C” to celebrate the piece’s 50th anniversary.

“What we really want to do is get as many people who are interested in performing it as possible to come join us for the performance. The music’s all online, and they print it off and then just show up and play with us,” Drehoff said. “I feel like the community aspect creates a really different vibe to the concert. We want it to be more laid-back than your traditional concert hall experience.”

Thomas Woodward Davis, composer and UNC alumnus, is premiering an eight-minute saxophone quartet piece that he composed in one month called, “‘You sound like a broken record.‘”

“The name is actually a quote based on an argument that I had, but it’s kind of based on that process of argument,” Davis said. “Like it says, it sounds like a broken record sometimes — skipping, stuttering, things like that.”

Davis said he has been attending the quartet’s rehearsals for his piece, but he has been trying to let the musicians interpret the music in their own way.

“Each composer has their own voice, and it takes a while for players to get used to speaking with that voice,” he said. “I’m trying not to lead and trying to let them do their thing because I think it’s good for an ensemble to work together, and they’re doing a good job so far.”

Edmond Harrison, a senior and the ensemble’s director of philanthropy, will play the tuba and the chimes during the concert, but he said he would have controlled the bells in the Bell Tower for both “metallurgy” and “In C” if the concert were held outside.

Harrison said he hopes the audience develops a better understanding of contemporary music after attending the concert.

“I think ‘New York Counterpoint’ by Steve Reich and Terry Riley’s ‘In C’ are definitely hallmarks in contemporary music repertoire,” he said.

“I think it’s kind of neat that we’re doing these two very well-known contemporary music pieces in addition to pieces by two local composers that were written for this concert.”

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