Taproot New Music Festival: Opening Concert Sam Nichols, director
Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center
Performers
Colin Minigan, percussion
Members of Splinter Reeds
Kyle Bruckmann, oboe
Bill Kalinkos, clarinet
Jeff Anderle, bass clarinet
Empyrean Ensemble
Sam Nichols, director
Matilda Hofman, conductor-in-residence
Sandra McPherson, clarinet
Jennifer Ellis, harp
Michael Seth Orland, piano
Chris Froh, percussion
Hrabba Atladottir, violin
Ellen Ruth Rose, viola
Leighton Fong, cello
Program
John Cage: Child of Tree (1975)
Dana Reason: …a poet you must become (2023) for
oboe and fixed media
Joseph Kudirka: 21st Century Music (2008) for three
instruments
Kory Reeder: My Mother Made Many Blankets (2023) WORLD
PREMIERE
The Department of Music and the Mondavi Center for the Performing
Arts at UC Davis present the 2025 Taproot New
Music Festival, with the majority of the concerts taking place
November 6–9. During this traditionally biennial festival, nine
participating composers will work with exceptional
artists to produce new works.
Ensemble Dal Niente performs, develops, and sustains new and
experimental music for small to large chamber ensemble. Dal
Niente is dedicated to growing relationships with artists,
composers, and listeners; advancing distinct and challenging
musical voices; and sharing that work with their Chicago, United
States, and international communities. Four composers will
work with Dal Niente:
Sam Nichols, director
Professor of Teaching, Department of Music
Matilda Hofman, conductor-in-residence
Continuing Lecturer, Department of Music
Ensemble-in-residence at UC Davis, the Empyrean Ensemble presents
engaging and eclectic programs, inviting audiences to experience
new musical sensations delivered with high artistry by its
extraordinary players—among the finest new music performers in
California. Four composers will work with Empyrean:
Christian Baldini, music director and conductor
Professor of Music, Department of Music
The UC Davis Symphony Orchestra is a university student and
community orchestra in residence at the Mondavi Center — equally
committed to performing the most provocative music of the
orchestral repertoire and the work of living composers at UC
Davis and from afar.
Mission
The Taproot New Music Festival brings together a diverse group of
composers and performers, both local and visiting, and gives them
the chance to hear new work, and to make lasting connections. A
biennial festival at UC Davis, it features concerts and other
events, and also creates the opportunity for our students to work
alongside exceptional artists. Actively inclusive and
participatory, Taproot broadcasts a unique vision of how to
sustain a musical community.
