Celebration of New Music Concludes Music Now And From Almost Yesterday, a year-long celebration of New Music at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts, concludes with two concerts in May. The Contemporary Ensemble performs with guest Steve Butters on Thursday, May 6 in the Recital Hall, 2400 E. Kenwood Boulevard. The Electro-Acoustic Music Center presents its Salon #16 on Thursday, May 20 in Room B60 in the basement of the Music Building on the UWM campus. Both concerts begin at 7:30 PM and are free. Please see attached Fact Sheet for all details and a complete schedule of events. The Contemporary Ensemble offers the second of two programs in its Chicago Series, featuring performers from that city. Chicago-based percussionist Steven Butters specializes in the music of the avant garde. As an advocate for contemporary music, Butters has performed throughout the United States and has premiered several new works for solo percussion. He performs regularly with Ensemble NoAmnesia, Tone Road Ramblers, Steel Express, Basement Junta and Walleye. He has recorded for the Opus One, Einstein and Drag City labels. He is currently on the faculty of Chicago State University and Elgin Community college. The highlight of his Milwaukee concert will be a work composed by Vinko Globokar that Butters plays on his own body. The Electro-Acoustic Music Center presents Salon #16, a concert of electro-acoustic and multimedia works by UWM composition students. Music Now and From Almost Yesterday completes a season of ten concerts featuring guest artists, four concerts showcasing student compositions and performances, five informal lunchtime convocations with performers from as far afield as Moscow, and four lectures. Included within the year-long New Music celebration were the concerts of the Electro-Acoustic Music Center, directed by Jon Welstead, and the Contemporary Ensemble. For more than 30 years, the Music From Almost Yesterday Ensemble has introduced Milwaukee audiences to the work of emerging, experimental and controversial composers, many of whom have gone on to receive wide recognition. The ensemble, founded in 1971, features the work of living composers of regional, national and international reputation. Over the years, MFAY has presented hundreds of Milwaukee premieres as well as scores of world premieres, showcasing the entire spectrum of American New Music. Made up of UWM Music Department faculty, advanced students, freelance musicians, and special guests, MFAY has received recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wisconsin Arts Board. Support for Music Now and From Almost Yesterday comes from the William F. Vilas Trust, Music From Almost Yesterday, Inc., the Ragir Family Foundation, and many individuals. Electronic images available. Please contact Ellen Ash at (414) 229-5714 or ash@uwm.edu. PLEASE SEE ATTACHED FACT SHEET. FACT SHEET Music Now and From Almost Yesterday A Celebration of 32 Years of New Music Location All events take place in the Peck School of the Arts Recital Hall, 2400 E. Kenwood Boulevard on the UWM campus, unless otherwise noted. Tickets All ticketed events are $8 general/$5 for students and seniors; the remainder are free. To purchase tickets, please call (414) 229-4308 or stop by the Peck School of the Arts Box Office in the Helene Zelazo Center for the Performing Arts, 2419 East Kenwood Boulevard. Short-term parking spaces are available at the south entrance to the building for those purchasing tickets. Box Office hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10 AM-5 PM. The Box Office will open in the Mainstage Theatre lobby one hour prior to each ticketed performance. Parking Parking is available in the UWM Union Parking Garage, 2200 East Kenwood Boulevard. Parking is free on Sundays. April 22 at 7:30 p.m. Longing for Almost Yesterday wth the Milwaukee Choral Artists April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Music From Almost Yesterday Student Ensemble* May 6 at 7:30 p.m. Contemporary Ensemble with Steve Butters* May 20 at 7:30 p.m. Electro-Acoustic Music Center Concert: Salon #16*+ *These events are free. +These events take place in Room B60 in the basement of the Music Building on the UWM campus Please check the UWM web site, www.uwm.psoa/cal for times, locations, and updates.