Students ready to play Carnegie Hall

The Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble will perform at Carnegie Hall tonight, April 24.

Their performance, by invitation from the Kronos Quartet, is for the 45th anniversary of the premiere of Terry Riley’s “In C.” Kronos, plus members of Grand Valley’s ensemble, will be among a one-time-only gathering of musicians including, Terry Riley and original “In C” performers Stuart Dempster, Jon Gibson, and Pauline Oliveros.

The ensemble’s founder and director, Bill Ryan, was named as an Arts Educator Award honoree at the 23rd Annual Governor’s Awards for Arts & Culture (The Guvvys), in November. Since its start in 2006, the New Music Ensemble has quickly risen to the national stage. They have been featured on NPR’s “Weekend Edition,” performed in New York at the Bang On a Can marathon, and at the College Music Society national conference in Atlanta.

The ensemble’s 2007 recording of Steve Reich’s “Music for 18 Musicians” was called the “story of the year in classical music” by WNYC’s John Shaefer. The CD has received glowing critical reviews worldwide and was named on numerous “Best Recordings of 2007” lists, including those by the New York Times, New York Magazine, and L.A. Weekly. In a rarity for new music ensembles, it spent 11 weeks on Billboard’s top classical crossover chart.

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