Sitting outside Fulton Recital Hall on a Wednesday, I hear the New Music Ensemble (NME) rehearse for this Sunday’s performance. An onslaught of tense chords and the harried flourishes of strings penetrate the Hall’s oak doors, and anxiety soon seems to consume those sitting outside waiting for classes to begin. Our eyes dart around bewildered, fruitlessly attempting to connect sound and image, as though visuals will beget comprehension of the chords that sound far too coincidental for the ghoulish weekend ahead. The musical stylings of the New Music Ensemble are certainly unexpected.

The pieces the New Music Ensemble rehearsed are from newly appointed Assistant Professor Anthony Cheung, as well as from graduate student composers Francisco Castillo Trigueros, Alican Camçi, Marcelle Pierson, and Igor Santos.

While the sound of this music has been considered “cutting edge,” the description fails to grasp just how these young composers translate the conventional Western tradition into the modern experience. I sat down with Professor Cheung to discuss his experiences at UC and the New Music Ensemble. Continue reading →