New College students, do you want the opportunity to experience experimental music for free? Music is present in all aspects of life, so it is something worthy of exploring—and New Music New College (NMNC), produced and currently directed by Ron Silver, is a perfect venue to do so, bringing experimental, intricate and exciting new music to the New College community.
“It’s a Saturday night and you want something to do, and you want to have a new experience and you want to see some sort of a performance that believe me you will have never seen before,” Silver said. “You won’t have to go far and it won’t cost you a dime.”
NMNC is a self-described “exploration of contemporary music and performance” that is performed here on campus annually for everyone to enjoy. Students and faculty get free admission to all five shows and artist conversations, all happening within walking distance of the residential side of campus. Not only are the shows here free to watch, but they also grant students the opportunity to participate with minimal musical knowledge.
There will also be free snacks at the receptions for the shows, with each show lasting around an hour. Two days before each show, one can meet the artist to offer more context to the performance, allowing the audience to have a dialogue with the performers.
This year’s season of NMNC has quite an interesting lineup. The first performance of the year is Oct. 8, featuring the percussion quartet Recap. Inside the Sudakoff Conference Center, watch this group of young percussionists of color make “music reflecting the diverse society we live in today,” according to the NMNC 2022-2023 season brochure.
The second show of the season is on Nov. 19 outside the PepsiCo Arcade. This will be an experimental piece with the audience being surrounded by the student performers. Not only will there be more “agency for performers” in Silver’s words, the audience will also effectively be able to shape their own experience based on where they are in the arcade. Students with a basic understanding of how to read music will have the opportunity to participate in the performance by reaching out to @rsilver@ncf.edu.
On Jan. 14, pianist Kathleen Supové will perform NMNC’s third show of the season at the Sainer Pavilion. Enjoy Supové’s solo concert NEXT DOOR and revel in the fact that you’ll be hearing a world premier before anyone else.
The fourth show this season is IT’S ALIVE! A MONSTROUS CIRCUS ON FRANKENSTEIN on March 4, which also allows for student performers and invites those interested to get in contact with Silver. As the title suggests, this will be a production based on the second edition of Frankenstein released in 1823. It will be performed at the ACE Lounge, on the ACE balconies and throughout the ACE plaza, with a focus on immersion for the audience with performers on all sides.
The fifth and final show of this season will be a solo performance by the artist Pamela Z. Returning to Sudakoff to end the season with Pamela Z’s unique styles of composition, this will be a show that accomplishes Silver’s goals of creating something to talk about and make people say, “That was wild.”
With talent this impressive and ideas so interesting, these performances should be making their way into student’s schedules now, especially with free admission and food. These shows are done with accessibility as a priority and will be a welcoming environment for all who are curious. Additionally, the performances will be uploaded to YouTube for anyone who can’t make it.
Click here for more information about this upcoming season and any interest in the opportunities for student performers should be directed to rsilver@ncf.edu.