Former principal trombonist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Timothy Myers now channels his passion into
Ascenda Music Publishing while continuing to perform in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Mizzou International Composers Festival is held every summer on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia. When I was a Missouri resident, I tried every year to get to Columbia to hear at least one concert, if not two. The resident ensemble is Alarm Will Sound, a new music band that got its start at the Eastman School of Music in the mid-1990’s. Many of the original musicians of the group that became Alarm Will Sound are still regular members of the band.
The connection between Alarm and Missouri goes through Dr. Jeanne and Sinquefield, Missouri philanthropists who established the Mizzou New Music Initiative. The Mizzou International Composers Festival is but one important feature in a dizzying array of programs that serves K-12 students through conservatory composition majors.
Just days ago, Alarm released a video from the 2024 Festival of a performance of Trittbrettfahrer by German composer Benjamin Scheuer (not the American songwriter). “Trittbrettffahrer” means “fare dodger”—someone who freeloads off society. I had not known this composer, and my initial impression that this piece was just a collection of glissandi and comedic gestures soon gave way to the understanding that I was hearing a masterful construction. The music is colorful, goofy, and downright funny. The piece is rhythmically intricate in the extreme. The performance is certified Alarm: the detailed ensemble work is just amazing.
Former principal trombonist of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Timothy Myers now channels his passion into
Ascenda Music Publishing while continuing to perform in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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I happened upon this intriguing video about a collaboration between one of my favorite vocal groups, Roomful of Teeth, and Nathalie Joachim, vocalist, flutist, and Professor of Composition at Princeton.
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