29th Annual Composition Festival Concert III

The main event of this year's Composition Festival features music written by guest composer Stephen Gryc performed by the MSU Wind Ensemble conducted by John Zastoupil.

The concert will include soloist James Keel Williams performing Gryc's Guignol: Concerto for Bassoon and Small Wind Orchestra (2016) and new music by MSU Composition professor John Prescott.

Stephen Gryc is Professor Emeritus of Music Composition and Theory at the Hartt School of the University of Hartford where he taught full-time for thirty-five years.  His instrumental expertise has brought him commissions from some of the world's leading soloists.

His music has been performed by a diverse group of ensembles such as the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble, American Brass Quintet, Avalon String Quartet, Cascadian Chorale, United States Marine Band, and Minnesota Orchestra.  His music has been heard in 46 states, 34 foreign countries and at 186 colleges and universities worldwide.

Another aspect of Stephen Michael Gryc's work as a composer is his interest in fostering a sense of community through his music.  He wrote six pieces for the yearlong celebration of the three hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of his hometown of Farmington, Connecticut.

Free