The 42nd Annual JMU Contemporary Music Festival

Join us for the 42nd Annual JMU Contemporary Music Festival featuring the music of Britain’s most gifted compositional talent, Gavin Higgins. Higgins comes from a long lineage of brass band musicians and studied French horn and composition at Chetham’s School of Music, The Royal Northern College of Music, and the Royal College of Music. His work has been commissioned by orchestras, ensembles, and soloists including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Royal Opera House, and many others. Higgins has been described as “one of the most interesting voices of his generation” (Limelight). He is currently Composer in Association with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. JMU Brass Band and faculty ensembles will present his music alongside performances by The Madison Singers and JMU Wind Symphony during the festival.

Concert lll with guest performers Emily Albrink and Kathleen Kelly perform songs of Rene Orth and Jake Heggie. The second half of the program features Sarunas Jankauskas, clarinet, performing a solo work by Gavin Higgins, and the JMU Wind Symphony, directed by Stephen Bolstad, performing music of Gavin Higgins and others.