Every spring, the Northwestern State University of Louisiana’s Dear School of Creative and Performing Arts hosts a performance showcasing the work of modern contemporary composers. This semester they hosted “Carterfest” to honor American composer Elliott Carter.
The performance started with a pre-show talk given by John Dunn, associate professor of fine arts. Dunn’s address highlighted key points of Elliot Carter’s career and discussed various techniques of Carter’s work. He provided context for the audience to understand Carter’s pieces played in the performance.
“It is important for music students to hear a music style they do not normally get to hear,” Dunn said.
The concert featured eleven compositions by Carter, which included titles such as “Figment II,” “Remembering Mr. Ives” and “Steep Steps and Rigmarole.” Each piece showcased a distinct style, incorporating a variety of instruments such as a percussion ensemble, saxophones, a string quartet, tuba and more.
Paul Christopher, Carterfest director and associate professor of music, described how Carter is one of the great American composers of the 21st century. Carter had a significant impact on the music industry with his technical innovations.
Christopher explained how Carter’s work is a remarkably unique, modern approach to contemporary style. He added that the complexity of the work makes it difficult for both performers to play and audiences to fully appreciate.
Malena McLaren, clarinet professor and performer in the showcase, explained that Carter’s use of metric modulation creates a fun challenge for the performers.
“This music opens your ears and your mind to expressiveness and musicality in ways you aren’t used to hearing. It’s an academic approach in many ways, but it is still a means of expression and art that have value in the history of music,” McLaren said.
Christopher explained that there is an emphasis on traditional music composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky when educating music students. The students are eager to experience more modern-day work such as Carter.
“Art is not always about entertainment or aesthetics. Sometimes art is ugly or painful, but you can articulate things that you cannot through spoken word,” Christopher said.
He also expressed his profound appreciation to the performers, the audience and everyone who helped make the concert a success.
The audience had a well-engaged response and was eager to hear and learn about a non-traditional composer. The performance was also live streamed on the CAPA website as well as internationally broadcasted on the Elliott Carter website.
