Alvin Singleton visits the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance in a two-day residency and appears as guest composer for their "Musica Nova" concert on Thursday, February 11. Featuring works by Singleton and others, performed by students of the conservatory along with guest pianist Teresa McCollough, the program includes Singleton's chamber pieces Greed Machine, Argoru VIII, Ishirini and Jasper Drag.

The works heard throughout the program add up to an intimate and revealing portrait of Alvin Singleton. Argoru VIII, a sparse, gestural work for solo snare drum, challenges the common notion of how snare drums are expected to be used and showcases just how expressive any instrument can be. Greed Machine, for vibraphone and piano, is an immensely suspenseful work with its stark contrasts and measured pacing. Ishirini, an energetic, propulsive work for two violins, was commissioned by Music from Angel Fire for its 20th Anniversary Season. Jasper Drag, commissioned by Michigan State University and the Phillips Collection for the Verdehr Trio, refers to the brutal killing of a black man in Jasper, Texas in 1998. Singleton writes that this composition "is not intended to tell a story, or even to evoke images. Jasper Drag is meant to be a marker on the collective memory of a nation still growing."

For more on the concert at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, go to www.conservatory.umkc.edu.

Visit www.alvinsingleton.com and www.schott-music.com to learn more on the music of Alvin Singleton.

Alvin Singleton
Greed Machine (2003)
for vibraphone and piano
7'

Jasper Drag (2000)
for clarinet, piano and violin
10'

Ishirini (2003)
for two violins
4'

Argoru VIII (2002)
for solo snare drum
6'