Red Note Music Festival returns to ISU

Image courtesy of the Red Note Music Festival’s official Instagram page

NORMAL, Ill. – The Red Note Music Festival is coming back to ISU this week featuring composition contests and professional musician performances.

Red Note Music Festival  Director Carl Schimmel shared what the planning process is like, who will be performing and what the event entails for ISU Students. 

“We plan the festival about a year in advance,  planning takes up most of the year,” Schimmel said. “It involves selecting guest composers and ensembles and finalizing contracts, advertising our annual composition competition via mail and email and social media, judging the composition competition, and advertising the Festival itself. Then [it’s just] scheduling the details of the Festival and putting the program together, among other things.”

Schimmel broke down day by day on what the Festival will include.

“On Monday Night at 8 p.m. we have Akropolis Reed Quintet,  Tuesday at 11 a.m. is Unheard-of Ensemble and that night we have our guest composer Colin Matthews,” Schimmel said. “Wednesday in the evening we have World premieres performed by the guest ensembles and on Thursday we have our very own  ISU Orchestra and Chorus. There are also numerous presentations, rehearsals, and master classes.”

All the events Monday through Wednesday will take place at Kemp Recital Hall and the event on Thursday will take place at  The  Center for Performing Arts Concert Hall. All of the concerts are free and open to the public, with the exception of the final concert on Thursday which requires a ticket.