The 33rd Annual Seminar on Contemporary Music takes place Friday, April 1 – Sunday, April 3, 2011. 

For more than thirty years, The Rivers School Conservatory has been one of the world’s leading advocates for contemporary music for young musicians. Each year in late March or early April, the RSC presents a three-day festival of student recitals, guest performers, lectures, master classes and presentations all focused on contemporary music.

Since 1983, the Seminar has included a major commissioned work by a nationally or internationally recognized composer written expressly for a conservatory student or ensemble. The conservatory also funds up to ten teacher-initiated small commissions each year.

The following major works have been commissioned by The Rivers School Conservatory for its Annual Seminar on Contemporary Music:

1983 Sonority Forms for Piano Otto Luening

1984 After Glass Sorrel Hays

1985 Trio Fantasia Ivan Tcherepnin

1986 Piano Sonata, Op. 25 Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee

1987 Rivers Robert Strizich

1988 Ivesiana T.J. Anderson

1989 Seven Poems of Juan Ramon Jiminez John McDonald

1990 Rivers Daniel Pinkham

1991 Son et Lumiere James Yannatos

1992 Arrows to the Sun Peter Child

1993 Variations for String Quartet John Harbison

Inventions for Piano

Inventions for a Young Percussionist

O Magnum Mysterium

1994 Concerto for Cello and Chamber Orchestra Marti Epstein

1995 Prelude for Piano Donald Sur

1996 East, West of the Sunday Arlene Zallman

1997 Rhinestones, Pinecones and Telephones Andy Vores

1998 Riversonata Marjorie Merryman

1999 Fantastical Colloquy for Trumpet and Bass Gunther Schuller

2000 Rivers of Wood Gordon Stout

2001 Fantasy for Two Pianos and String Orchestra Jonathan McPhee

2002 In Memory . . . Sir John Tavener

2003 Music for Three for violin, marimba, and piano Lukas Foss

2004 Concerto #3 for Piano and String Orchestra Samuel Adler

2005 Four Rivers David Rakowski

2006 Daydream and Nightmare, Op. 94 Lowell Liebermann

2007 Serenade for Guitar Trio, Op. 84 Larry Thomas Bell

2008 Slate River Scott Wheeler