Not Just Fooling Around

ALLENDALE, Mich. -- April 1 seemed the most appropriate date for the Grand Valley State University world premiere of "Fool’s Day," featuring the music of Robin Cox. The Grand Valley New Music Ensemble, which gained national attention for its Steve Reich Project and recent "Music for 18 Musicians" CD, commissioned the piece in the fall and has been busy preparing for its premiere.

Under the direction of Bill Ryan, the ensemble will perform four pieces during a free concert at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, in room 1600 of Grand Valley’s Performing Arts Center, Allendale Campus. The program will also feature a duet by Cox and percussionist Scott Deal.

Cox is a composer and violinist known for performances of his own and other contemporary composers. He directs his own ensemble, which has performed more than 100 times in its first eight years. He is also an active concert producer, leading a highly successful mixed-media series in Santa Barbara as executive director of Iridian Arts, Inc.

Cox will perform with another guest, Scott Deal, a faculty member from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and director of the Donald Tavel Arts and Technology Research Center. Deal is also a founding member of ART GRID, an Internet2 telematic performing collective comprised of a multi-disciplinary group of artists and computer specialists.

“My goal for the New Music Ensemble and our audience is to continually inspire and introduce them to emerging artists and technology,” said Ryan. I’m so pleased to have both these artists in residence at Grand Valley to do just that.”

In the days leading up to the concert, Cox and Deal will be on campus giving lectures to performers and composers, as well as coaching the NME in rehearsals.

The concert, which will run about one hour, will feature the Cox and Deal duet, and four performances by the NME: “Levitation Games,” featuring Deal on marimba; “Five Reasons to Move,” for brass trio; “New Year’s Harmattan,” for ensemble and film; and the world premiere of the NME commissioned work, “Fool’s Day.”

The Grand Valley NME was formed in 2006, with the mission of presenting the music of our time. Their performances have received critical acclaim in The New York Times and New Yorker, and their recent CD received strong reviews nationwide in publications including Billboard Magazine, LA Weekly, New York Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Washington Post. Bill Ryan and a few ensemble members were also featured on NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday,” on February 3. The segment helped push their CD to #1 on the iTunes Classical charts and to #15 on the Amazon CD sales chart.

For more information, visit www.newmusicensemble.org or call Bill Ryan at (616) 331-3087.