NHS Percussion Ensemble to Commission Work from Norman Composer

For more information contact
Marc Jensen 307-9220  

For Immediate Release
Nov. 23, 2009   

NHS Percussion Ensemble to Commission Work from Norman Composer  
(Norman, OK)  The Norman High School Percussion ensemble has selected local composer Kyle Vanderburg to commission a new piece for performance in Spring 2010.  This performance will be the first implementation of the Oklahoma Composers Association’s new program to place composers in working relationships with performing ensembles in the public school systems across the state.  For this commissioning process, composers from across the state submitted portfolios, and the ensemble selected the composer to work with.    

The two Spring 2010 commissions at NHS represent a pilot of this commissioning program before developing this program more widely among the Norman schools in Fall 2010.  Similar programs are also being planned in the Lawton and Tulsa schools systems for the 2010-11 school year.    
In a statement of support for this program, Dr. Brad Benson – the NPS Director of Fine Arts – said, “New works enliven not only our art form and the performers, but they also enrich and excite schools and communities.  In the Norman Public Schools, we have seen the impact that linking composers with our programs can have on our students.  Bringing composers into our schools and community will provide our students and community with quality arts experiences that will translate into positive effects both now and for years to come.  I enthusiastically support this project.”  

The Oklahoma Composers Association is a non-profit group dedicated to promoting the local performance of new music and the work of Oklahoma-based composers.  More information about the OCA can be found online at www.oklahomacomposers.org.  Dr. Marc Jensen, the chair of the OCA, said: “This program is a great opportunity to engage students in the process of creating and performing a new piece of music, to get them excited about the idea of composition as a vital part of performance. It provides opportunities for local composers to work within our community and get their work heard.”