This past Friday, the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble performed a program of new music alongside the acclaimed International Contemporary Ensemble. This concert gave Oberlin Conservatory students the invaluable opportunity to work side-by-side with world-class professional contemporary musicians.

The program featured works exclusively by living composers — Courtney Bryan, Adegoke Steve Colson, Jalulu-Kalvert Nelson, Corie Rose Soumah, and Anthony Braxton. Many of these pieces were premiered and commissioned by the International Contemporary Ensemble. Bryan’s piece was particularly impactful. The piece was inspired by George E. Lewis and the question: “What is the sound of freedom?” Performers displayed remarkable precision and attention to detail, weaving powerful, flowing vocals with instrumental accompaniment and improvisation. Vocal lines discussed political issues, reading from Supreme Court decisions and news headlines.

Double-degree third-year Owen Ganor played clarinet on Bryan’s piece and described the performance as particularly prescient to our current moment.

“The vocalists on [Bryan’s] piece were fantastic,” he said. “And I think the message was really important for today.” 

Anthony Braxton’s suite of pieces was entirely free improvisation, displaying the full creativity and collaborative ability of the performers. Double-degree third-year Zachary Allen, an oboist on the program, described the importance of listening in free improvisation.

“As much as it was … making stuff up in the moment, there was a structure to it, and we did have to be very aware of everything else that was going on around us,” he said. Traditionally, improvisation is not a component of a classical education. Many of the performers described Braxton’s piece as an opportunity to push themselves beyond their usual expectations for rehearsal and performance. Ganor became more confident as an improviser throughout the process.

“At first, I was a little hesitant, but [improvisation] really grew on me, and I think my general musicianship actually improved playing that piece because the level of communication that you have to have has to be much higher,” he said.

Allen was surprised by the structure of the rehearsals. “A big part of playing Anthony Braxton’s music is not rehearsing,” he said. “Anthony Braxton himself says that he doesn’t like to overrehearse.”

Ganor concurred.

“I never practiced my part once outside of rehearsal,” he said.

Conservatory fourth-year Leah Vey, a violist on three of the pieces, remarked on the fluidity of collaboration throughout the project.

“[The International Contemporary Ensemble] was super interested in getting to know us as players,” she said. “There was a lot of openness in talking with one another and [emphasis on] building relationships before we really dove into the music. … That aspect made it less intimidating to work with them.”

Vey commented on the rehearsal culture: “Music is meant to be fun, and we’re here to give this music respect and expression,” she said.

This concert was a beautiful display of the vibrant new music community at Oberlin. The Conservatory’s undergraduate performance education provides a unique focus on contemporary music. Through the expertise of Professor Timothy Weiss, students perform in Oberlin’s new music ensembles — Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble and Oberlin Sinfonietta. Oberlin’s strong culture of contemporary performance has a long history, producing ensembles such as Eighth Blackbird and the International Contemporary Ensemble itself.

Many of the performers on the piece said that performing new music was a crucial part of their education as musicians. Vey was not involved in new music performance before coming to Oberlin.

“Before coming [to Oberlin], I knew I liked contemporary music,” she said. “But I kind of thought, ‘That’s this thing that other people are into. I don’t really know how to do that.’”

Since coming to Oberlin, however, Vey says she has worked with student composers and with Professor Tim Weiss’s ensembles on numerous occasions.

“I think it should be at the forefront of every musician’s mind that it is so exciting to play music by someone who is alive right now, and that is its own unique process where we have the ability to give this music shape and life,” she said.

Ganor agreed with Vey about the importance of new music as a working classical musician.

“I think a lot of people think that the ‘right’ way to make a living in music is by playing in an orchestra, and that is just not how it works,” he said. “There are not enough jobs for everybody. But there are [other] jobs in new music.” 

The performers were all excited to share new music with a broader audience. “I think it’s our responsibility to play new music, especially outside of the academic setting,” Ganor said. “And I think we need to make [new music performance] more accessible.”

Allen shared an anecdote regarding the role he believes new music should play in programming and performance. “One thing that my youth orchestra music director used to tell us a lot is that an orchestra should function as both a [modern] art gallery and a [classical] art museum.”

Contemporary music opportunities at Oberlin push musicians to develop new skills and challenge audiences’ musical expectations. This fluid, ever-changing landscape provides both opportunities for deep, revolutionary artistic expression and the expansion of classical music to encompass improvisation, jazz, and themes of social justice.