Thanks to present and past faculty members at Kansas City Kansas Community College, New York City has been introduced to “Electronic Music Midwest.”
Dr. Ian Corbett, KCKCC professor and coordinator of the Audio Engineering and Music Technology program, was joined by four former KCKCC adjunct instructors and composers who presented a Composer’s Voice Concert in the Jan Hus Church on 74th Street in New York City.
Part of the Composer’s Voice concert series, the “Presenting Electronic Music Midwest” concert featured the music of the founders of the Electronic Music Midwest Festival – Dr. Corbett, Dr. Mike McFerron, Dr. Jay Batzner, Dr. Jason Bolte and Dr. David McIntire, all of whom are now full-time or part-time faculty at colleges and universities Dr. Batzner is now on the music faculty at Central Michigan; Dr. Bolte at Montana State ; Dr. McFerron at Lewis University in the Chicago area; and Dr. McIntire at UMKC where he holds a Preparing Future Faculty Fellowship.
“It was a rare opportunity for New York City to hear the works of all the founding members of this Kanas City and Chicago based-festival in one sitting on a summer Sunday afternoon,” said Dr. Corbett. “All the composers were in attendance to speak about their work and the Electronic Music Midwest Festival.”
Corbett’s composition credentials include a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from UMKC, a fellowship diploma from the London College of Music and an M.M. degree from Emporia State.
The recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to study jazz at Indiana University in 1994, Dr. Corbett’s compositions have won first prize in the 1998 Hasting College Jazz Ensemble competition, 1999 Penfield Contest and the 2002 Musica Viva Electroacoustic competition in Lisbon Portugal, and an honorable mention in the 2002 ASCAP Morton Gould Competition.
An outstanding saxophonist and clarinetist, Dr. Corbett has performed in such venues as the Sydney Opera House in Australia, Valencia’s Palau de Musica in Spain and London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Dr. Corbett said Electronic Music Midwest has programmed more than 500 new electroacoustic compositions in its mission to bring together vibrant and interesting artists of all forms by giving them a vehicle for their expressions and a place for them to share ideas with others.
PHOTO: Dr. Ian Corbett, professor and coordinator of the audio engineering and music technology programs at KCKCC, was joined by four former KCKCC adjunct instructors in a Composer’s Voice concert in New York City Sunday. (Photo by Addison Sauvan)
