The American Wild Ensemble will perform a free, outdoor concert of contemporary chamber music reflecting on the Missouri Bicentennial in Springfield Aug. 4.
The ensemble is directed by Missouri State University music faculty members Daniel Ketter and Emlyn Johnson.
The concert’s program, “Missouri Music at 200,” features new music and poetry by composers and writers connected to the state.
The concert will take place at the Peace Through People Pavilion at Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park. Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs or picnic blankets.
About “Missouri Music at 200”
American Wild Ensemble commissioned and assembled a set of six composers and three poets to celebrate the bicentennial and reflect on the state’s history.
Music commissioned to celebrate bicentennial
Dr. Michael Murray, music professor at MSU, composed a new piece inspired by Ozark folk music found in Missouri State’s Max Hunter Collection. Each of the new pieces on the program is inspired by a person, place, event or musical tradition from Missouri’s history.
Besides Murray, performers include:
- Marcus Lewis, musician.
- Ingrid Stölzel, musician.
- Stefan Freund, musician.
- Barbara Harbach, musician.
- Chris Stark, musician.
- Glenn North, poet.
- Alice Azure, poet.
- Karen Craigo, poet, former Missouri Poet Laureate.
The group will also perform statewide in Joplin, St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia and Gray Summit.
“Missouri Music at 200” is a part of Missouri 2021, an initiative of the State Historical Society of Missouri and its Center for Missouri Studies. It’s supported by Missouri State in partnership with the Missouri Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Learn more about Missouri Music at 200
About American Wild Ensemble
American Wild Ensemble formed in 2016, with a commissioning project inspired by American national parks.
The ensemble celebrates American places, historic figures and events by commissioning new works and performing them in site-inspired and site-specific locations.
Supporting organizations include the National Endowment for the Arts and Chamber Music America.
Johnson, flutist, and Ketter, cellist, lead the group. Other members include Hanna Hurwitz, violin; Ryan Hardcastle, viola; Tiffany Valvo, clarinet; Joel Ockerman, horn; and Colleen Bernstein, percussion.
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