Our annual Christmas concert this year features a mix of holiday delights and wintertime favorites both familiar and new. Featuring works by Doug Andrews, Franz Biebl, Ken Burton, Ed Frazier Davis, Melissa Dunphy, Moses Hogan, and Dale Trumbore, plus Francis Poulenc's mysterious Christmas Motets and a brand new commission by Chicago-based composer Marybeth Kurnat.

ABOUT the NIU New Music Ensemble and Festival Created in 2008 by its director, Dr. Gregory Beyer, the Northern Illinois University New Music Festival is a 2- to 3-day event dedicated to historically groundbreaking music of the 20th Century and the emerging musical voices of the 21st Century. 

Featured Work: Messengers (World Premiere) - for choir and percussion ensemble

Music by Ēriks Ešenvalds, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Maurice Duruflé, Ivor Gurney, Ivo Antognini, Charles Villiers Stanford, and others. The concert will also feature three works by local composers: Marybeth Kurnat’s For the Sake of Your Journey; Donald Fraser’s Magnificat and Robert Boyd’s arrangement of the traditional, tragic British folk ballad Two Brothers.

Music by Ēriks Ešenvalds, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Maurice Duruflé, Ivor Gurney, Ivo Antognini, Charles Villiers Stanford, and others. The concert will also feature three works by local composers: Marybeth Kurnat’s For the Sake of Your Journey; Donald Fraser’s Magnificat and Robert Boyd’s arrangement of the traditional, tragic British folk ballad Two Brothers.

withonevoice is dedicated to performing unique concerts featuring a variety of vocal styles and voice qualities. Our second July concert season, "Meet Me There" will feature multiple world premieres by diverse composers including Chicago-based composer Marybeth Kurnat and Canadian composer, Katerina Gimon.

NOVA VII: in bloom, June 7-9 2024 – collaborating with the Chicago Parks District, CME will premiere Eric Malmquist’s OPEN, CLEAR & FREE using the history of Chicago parks from the city’s history, to the past lives of Lincoln Park, to present day green space. In total, 10 works connected to nature and the eternal spring that music can create will be premiered by CME at city parks in honor of our 10th anniversary season in Chicago.

NOVA VII: in bloom, June 7-9 2024 – collaborating with the Chicago Parks District, CME will premiere Eric Malmquist’s OPEN, CLEAR & FREE using the history of Chicago parks from the city’s history, to the past lives of Lincoln Park, to present day green space. In total, 10 works connected to nature and the eternal spring that music can create will be premiered by CME at city parks in honor of our 10th anniversary season in Chicago.