CARSON MCCULLERS COMPOSER RESIDENCY WEEK MARCH 21-25

Dr. Paul Vaillancourt and CSU Percussion Ensemble students are hard at work rehearsing for the world premiere of a piece written especially for them.  Entitled “I Have Only One Itching Desire” and based on Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire,” the composition is the work of nationally acclaimed composer Eric Moe, CSU’s Carson McCullers Composer Resident for 2006.

Eric Moe, composer of what the New York Times calls "music of winning exuberance,” has received numerous grants and awards for his work.  As a pianist and keyboard player, Moe has performed works by hundreds of composers. A founding member of the San Francisco-based EARPLAY ensemble, he currently co-directs the Music on the Edge new music concert series in Pittsburgh. He is currently Professor of Composition and Theory at the University of Pittsburgh, where he directs the graduate program in composition and the department's electroacoustic music studio

The Carson McCullers Composer Residency Program, a collaboration between CSU’s Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians and CSU’s Schwob School of Music, annually commissions a nationally recognized composer and premieres the commissioned piece.

The World Premier of the composition will be performed by the CSU Percussion Ensemble in a performance in Legacy Hall at the RiverCenter on Tuesday evening, March 21, at 7:30 PM.  The event is free, and the public is cordially invited.  A reception will be held following the performance, which in addition to the Percussion Ensemble will include performances by the Contemporary Music ensemble  and solos by Eric Moe.

There will be a second performance of the piece at 7:30 PM on Friday evening, March 24, again in Legacy Hall, as part of the CSU Percussion Ensemble’s annual feature concert.  This event, too, is free and open to the public.

Other events for the week include a recording session on Wednesday, master classes taught by Mr. Moe, and a performance at the Clayton County Performing Arts Center in Morrow, Georgia, on Saturday.  In addition, Mr. Moe will speak at the Simon Schwob School of Music regular Friday Convocation.