2022 Mizzou International Composers Festival starts July 25

Meredith Monk

Every summer, the present and future tenses of music emanate from the University of Missouri. 

Part of the school’s sure and ever-evolving relationship with new music, the Mizzou International Composers Festival gathers emerging resident composers to workshop their music with revered guest composers, then have their pieces loosed into the world during a concert of premieres.  

The sounds — and stories behind them — are invigorating, and remind listeners that art music is not the province of the past. 

This year’s edition is on approach, set to take place July 25-30. Here are six things to know before attending this year’s festival:

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1. Luminous guest composers guide the way

Angelica Negron

Following the likes of previous guest composers Donnacha Dennehy, Nico Muhly, Augusta Read Thomas and Steven Stucky, this year’s pair twine knowledge and talent to offer considerable musical wisdom. 

The marvelous Meredith Monk owns honors such as the National Medal of Arts as well as Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships for her work in a nearly 60-year career spent in concert halls, theaters and museums. Monk’s work spans music, performance and installation art, film and more — and she is known for her thoughtful, innovative use of the natural human instrument, the voice.