New Music Concert slated March 16 at CLU

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Feb. 26, 2013) Highly acclaimed U.S. composer David Maslanka will be the guest of honor at the 11th Annual New Music Concert on Saturday, March 16, in California Lutheran University’s Samuelson Chapel.

Maslanka, whose compositions have been performed extensively throughout the United States and the world, will be present for the 7:30 p.m. concert of his music.

The CLU Woodwind Ensemble directed by Michael Hart will perform “Mother Earth” and “Traveler.” The faculty Woodwind Quintet with Nancy Marfisi on flute, Dan Geeting on clarinet, Fred Beerstein on oboe, Eric Johnson-Tamai on bassoon and Louise MacGillivray on horn will perform “Quintet for Winds No. 2.”

Maslanka’s works for wind and percussion have become standard repertoire for wind band and percussion ensembles. The versatile composer has published more than 100 pieces in a variety of genres including nine symphonies, a Mass, nine concerti and a wide variety of chamber works. His work has been characterized as a blend of lyricism and intense rhythmic drive notable for its poetry, warmth and spiritual qualities.

The composer has received five residence fellowships from the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire as well as multiple grants. He has been honored with the National Endowment for the Arts Composer Award three times and, in 1999, was awarded the National Symphony Orchestra regional composer-in-residence award. He has served as a guest composer for more than 100 universities, music festivals and conferences.

Maslanka received his bachelor’s degree in music from the Oberlin Conservatory. He then spent a year at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and earned a master’s degree and doctorate in music theory and composition at Michigan State University. He served on the faculty at New York University, Sarah Lawrence College, State University of New York at Geneseo and Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York. Since 1990 he has been a freelance composer living in Missoula, Mont.

The chapel is located off of Campus Drive south of Olsen Road on the Thousand Oaks campus.

Donations will be accepted. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-493-3306 or visit http://www.callutheran.edu/music.