Inaugural Concert by the University's new Ensemble in Residence New Music Players.

Wednesday October 18th (8pm) sees the beginning of a three year association between the University of York Department of Music and the New Music Players (formerly the Cambridge New Music Players).

Founded by composer Edward Dudley Hughes, the New Music Players have rapidly become one of the UK's premiere ensembles, with frequent broadcasts and festival appearances in recent years. As specialists in contemporary repertoire, their expertise links in directly with the Music Department's teaching and research strengths in Composition and contemporary music. Over the next three years the ensemble will contribute to the department in a variety of ways, - coaching undergraduate ensemble performance, working with post graduate and undergraduate composers, and delivering quality performances of challenging new music to concert audiences. Two of the groups six players are former York students: horn player and conductor Roger Montgomery, who is principal horn of English National Opera and violinist Mieko Kanno, widely considered the finest exponent of modern violin repertoire in the UK. In their first concert on October 18 New Music Players play music by Elliot Carter, Brian Ferneyhough and Gyorgy Ligeti (three of his extraordinary piano Etudes), together with music by Gordon McPherson, Jo Kondo and Edward Dudley Hughes. Later in the season audiences can look forward to NMP programmes including music by Debussy, Janacek, Messiaien (The Quartet for the End of Time) and Takemitsu.