North American New Music Festival Sound Recordings 1983-1993, 1983-1993

Summary

Creator:
North American New Music Festival (Buffalo, N.Y.)
Abstract:
Contains sound recordings on 390 cassettes and 22 reels of performances from the North American New Music Festival, a series of annual festivals of contemporary art music sponsored by the University at Buffalo Department of Music from 1983 to 1993. The collection contains recordings of circa 720 musical works composed by about 334 different composers, including most of the most prominent composers of the 20th century. Many works were rehearsed and prepared with their respective composers in attendance and performers at the festival were chiefly specialists in new music.
Extent:
10 boxes 390 cassettes 22 reels 1 container with 2 hard drives and accompanying documentation
Language:
Spoken word content is in English.

Background

Scope and content:

Contains sound recordings on 390 cassettes and 22 reels of performances from the North American New Music Festival, a series of annual festivals of contemporary art music sponsored by the University at Buffalo Department of Music from 1983 to 1993. The collection contains recordings of circa 720 musical works composed by about 334 different composers, including most of the most prominent composers of the 20th century. Many works were rehearsed and prepared with their respective composers in attendance and the performers at the festival were chiefly specialists in new music. The works of more than 300 composers were presented, including many world premieres. In addition to the 720 musical works recorded, an additional 217 works were performed but not recorded.

Biographical / historical:

The North American New Music Festival was founded in 1983 by pianist/composerYvar Mikhashoff and percussionist Jan Williams, faculty members of the University at Buffalo Music Department and dedicated proponents of contemporary and avant-garde art music. Their aim was to produce, over a ten-day period, a concentrated series of concerts and related events at multiple Buffalo-area locations. These annual music festivals featured a wide range of modern musical styles composed and performed both by emerging creative musicians and by established composers of national and international reputation.

The Festivals were held in March or April in the years between 1983 and 1992, in October of 1993. Events took place in more than a dozen locations, including concert halls, art galleries, churches, theaters, and cabarets.

Acquisition information:
The cassettes in the collection were copied circa 1996 from the originals held by the Music Department sound engineer. The reels were acquired from radio station WNED in Buffalo in 2017.
Arrangement:

Arranged into three series:

  • I. Cassettes
  • II. Reel-to-reel tapes
  • III. Hard drives and accompanying documentation
Physical description:
( , and )
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using DACS ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard ).

Access and use

Location of this collection:
112 Baird Hall
Buffalo, NY 14260, United States
Link to repository site
Contact:
716-645-2924