Despite the unfortunate passing of scheduled guest composer Lou Harrison, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra — in collaboration with Ohio State — will present the Contemporary Music Festival 2003 as planned.
Harrison passed away en route to Columbus from his home in Aptos, Calif. The program will continue as a celebration of his life, said Nancy Colvin, spokeswoman for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
“As far as I know, there are not going to be any changes to the programming itself. However, the entire festival is going to be dedicated to his memory and done in honor of him,” she said.
One of the regularly scheduled performances will take on extra poignancy after Harrison’s death, Colvin said.
“One of the performances here in the Ohio Theatre was a performance of Lou Harrison’s latest revision to his ‘Third Symphony,’ and it takes on a special meaning because it will be his final revision,” she said.
Although the performances will feature the work of Harrison, he was not going to participate as a conductor.
“Lou was coming here and he was going to be at all the concerts, but he wasn’t conducting or anything. He composed the music, so the concerts will all stay the same. They will just be presented in honor of Lou Harrison — in honor of his life and music,” said Victoria Ellwood, spokeswoman for the College of the Arts.
Performances will take place at Weigel Hall on campus and the Ohio Theatre in downtown Columbus, said Colvin.
The performances at Weigel Hall will feature OSU graduate students in the music program — some of whom will premiere their work, said Donald Harris, coordinator of the OSU Contemporary Music Festival and professor in the music department.
One challenge facing musicians who attempt to perform Harrison’s work is many of the percussion instruments featured in his compositions are out of the ordinary. A copy of the liner notes to his “Third Symphony” lists vibrating automobile brake drums, lengths of plumbing pipes, washtubs, flower pots and coffee cans among the percussion instruments used in the composition.
Susan Powell, associate professor in the school of music, had the task of finding the various odds and ends which would comprise the percussion section to some of Harrison’s compositions, Harris said.
Contemporary Music Festival 2003 will feature five different performances, each with different selections from Harrison’s work. The OSU Percussion Ensemble will perform percussion music at 8 tonight in Weigel Auditorium. Faculty and studentscomposers will perform at 3 p.m. tomorrow in Weigel Auditorium. The Columbus Symphony Orchestra will perform the “Third Symphony” at 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday at the Ohio Theatre. Harrison’s chamber music will be performed at 3 p.m. Saturday in Weigel Auditorium. Harrison’s gamelan music will be performed at 3 p.m. Sunday in Weigel Auditrium.
Contemporary Music Festival 2003 will begin tonight and run until Sunday. Tickets are $12 general admission, $10 for faculty and staff and free to OSU students who present valid ID. Tickets are available at the door and through each venue’s box office.
