It's rare for Duke and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to come down on the same side of anything this time of year.
But in the heat of the athletic rivalry, the two schools' music departments are collaborating with a host of sponsors to put on the Milestones Festival of New Music, which takes place Friday through Wednesday on the two campuses.
To help you navigate its eclectic offerings, recess' Eric Bishop gives you the dish on what to expect at the biannual festival.
From A to Pamela
Experimental vocalist and composer Pamela Z doesn't just sing-she transforms her voice into swirling layers using real-time computer processing while moving her body to trigger samples with a MIDI controller. She performs "Metal/Vox/Water," a compilation of short solo works and excerpts from her large-scale multimedia projects, Friday at the Nasher Museum of Art Auditorium. Tickets are $5 for students and $18 general admission.
The Four Tenors?
Well, there's really only one tenor, plus a soprano, an alto and a baritone. And they're saxes, not voices. The Red Clay Saxophone Quartet will perform Sunday at 4 p.m. in Baldwin Auditorium. The Greensboro-based group is set to perform works by Duke graduate composers George Lam, Kathleen Bader, Paul Leary and Ben Crawford among other compositions. Admission to the concert is free.
Beethoven's long lost lover?
Just in name. Named after Antonie Brentano, who was said to be the inspiration for Beethoven's "Immortal Beloved," the Brentano String Quartet will perform Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in UNC's Hill Hall. The group's music has been hailed by the New York Times as "private, delicate and fresh." Their program will include Steve Mackey's "Ludus" and Bela Bartok's groundbreaking "String Quartet No. 2." Tickets are $15 general admission.
Black tie required?
Not for this gala. The Milestones Gala Concert will be held Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in UNC's Memorial Hall and will feature the UNC Symphony Orchestra, the UNC Chamber Singers and the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra in collaboration with soprano vocalist Terry Rhodes and alto saxophonist Frank Gratowski. Among the evening's musical selections will be "Songs of Turning, Blue Cathedral," a cantata written by Duke's Stephen Jaffe, and the world premiere of Todd Hershberger's new concerto for saxophone and jazz orchestra. Tickets are $15 general admission.
Songs in the Storehouse
"The Space" at Smith Warehouse-a former tobacco storage facility on North Buchanan Boulevard off Campus Drive near East Campus-will play host to the festival's final concert, a multimedia performance by the Minneapolis-based Zeitgeist Ensemble. The performance will take place Wednesday at 8 p.m., and will feature "Awaken," a collaborative work with music by Scott Lindroth and visual media by Anya Belkina, both Duke professors. Admission is free.
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