Nief-Norf: Knoxville Concert Series: Fresh Ink

Nief-Norf’s cellist Ashley Walters and percussionist Andrew Bliss will give the world premiere of a new composition from Lewis Nielson.

Lewis Nielson studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, Clark University in Massachusetts and the University of Iowa, where he received his Ph.D. in music theory and composition in 1977. He served as a professor of music composition for 21 years at the University of Georgia while directing the University of Georgia Contemporary Chamber Ensemble. In 2000, he joined the faculty at Oberlin Conservatory, where he taught until 2015. Lewis currently lives in Ithaca, New York where he continues to write relentlessly.

Ashley Walters has been described as performing “with the kind of brilliance that beckons a major new performer on the new music scene” (Mark Swed, L.A. Times). She has been praised for her “imposing talents” (Sequenza 21) and “impressive” (Pitchfork) and “beautiful playing” (All About Jazz).

Andrew Bliss is a solo artist, conductor, curator, and educator who maintains a dynamic career of musical collaboration. Residing in Knoxville, TN, his performances have been heard locally at the Tennessee Theatre and the Knoxville Museum of Art, and abroad in locations such as the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music (Germany), the Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada), the Patagonia Percussion Festival (Argentina), the LiveWire Festival in Baltimore, and Stanford’s Cantor Center for Visual Arts.

Open to students outside of Knox County? YES
Advance reservations required? YES
Contact: mihnen@niefnorf.org