Who's afraid of the "C" Word (Contemporary Music) (DRAKE HALL)

Contemporary composers and their music have come a long way from the 1960s in terms of audience accessibility. Today, those responsible for programming have a wealth of compositions to choose from in both the Anglo/European repertoire and other cultures that have been, until recently, underserved. All that is needed is a small amount of education to help create an "earmap" to guide the listener.

Wes Kenney, this fall, begins his 22nd season as Music Director of the Fort Collins (Colorado) Symphony.  In May 2023, he retired after 20 years as Director of Orchestras and chair of conducting studies at Colorado State University. In 2022, he was named a University Distinguished Professor, the highest honor the university can award, and has also been given the title of Professor Emeritus. His awards include a 2007 Grand Prize Winner of the Varna (Bulgaria) International Conducting Competition, a 2020 Honored Artist from the American Prize, a winner of the American Prize for programming in 2020, a winner of the Ernst Bacon Memorial Prize for excellence in performance of American Music, and the 2020 American Prize Winner for best orchestral performance in the Professional Orchestra Division. He was previously the Associate Conductor of the Virginia Symphony and has guest conducted around the globe, including the Buffalo Philharmonic, Lviv (Ukraine) Philharmonic, Alabama Symphony, Vidin (Bulgaria) Philharmonic, Stara Zagora Opera Bulgaria), Vietnam National Symphony (Hanoi), and the Changwon (South Korea) Philharmonic.

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