American composer William Vollinger to be guest of TTU music and art department

By Tracey Lefevre
TTU
November 01, 2002

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (Oct. 31, 2002) - Composer William Vollinger will present a guest recital at Tennessee Tech University's Wattenbarger Auditorium at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, will include premieres of two new works written for university faculty ensembles, the Brass Arts Chamber Ensemble and the Cumberland Woodwind Quintet. The Tech Chorale will perform Vollinger's "OD," which has been recorded on the "Gregg Smith Singers' Living Artists" album, and the group will premiere the piece, "Empty Swing."

"It's a wonderful art that he uses sometimes the most simple means, but in certain ways not so simple," said Gregg Smith.

Vollinger will talk about his music at 1 p.m. on Nov. 7 in Room 223 of the Bryan Fine Arts Building.

His music has been performed and heard on radio both nationally and internationally, including Europe and Japan. National Public Radio broadcast an hour-long documentary devoted entirely to his compositions. Vollinger has twice been the composer-in-residence at the Adirondack Festival of American Music.

The New York Vocal Ensemble's performance of Vollinger's "Three Songs about the Resurrection" won first prize at the 36th annual Geneva International Music Competition.