Founded in 2006 by their director Bill Ryan, the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble has quickly attracted national attention for their work. In 2007 they were launched onto the national stage with a stunning at-dawn performance of Steve Reich's landmark work Music for 18 Musicians at the 25th Bang On a Can Marathon at the World Financial Center in New York. This was followed by a critically acclaimed recording of the work, named on numerous Best of 2007 lists, including those by the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Weekly, Calgary Herald, Time Out New York and New York Magazine. Proclaimed "The Story of the year in classical music" by WNYC, the nation's most listened to public radio station, their CD reached #1 on the iTunes and Amazon classical charts, as well as spending eleven weeks on the Billboard charts.

The ensemble has been profiled in numerous publications, including Newsweek, the New York Times, and Billboard magazine, and featured on NPR's Weekend Edition and All Things Considered. Recent events included a performance at the College Music Society National Conference in Atlanta, as members of the all-star ensemble assembled by the Kronos Quartet to perform on the "In C" 45th Anniversary concert at Carnegie Hall, and high-energy CD release party/performance at New York's Le Poisson Rouge.

Actively engaged in the creation of new works, the ensemble has commissioned and premiered compositions by Marc Mellits, Belinda Reynolds, Robin Cox, and Kurt Ellenberger, as well as premiered dozens of GVSU student compositions. Their upcoming season includes performances of "In C Remixed" live, premieres of student works with choreography and projections, and a concert featuring the music of Houston composer Rob Smith, including the world premiere of a new work commissioned by the ensemble.

GVSU New Music Ensemble website
Read about In C and its composer HERE.

In C Remixed personnel

Craig Avery, piano
Katie Baynes, percussion
Dan Bouley, xylophone
Katharine Chapman, bassoon
Kurt Ellenberger, accordion
Nicole Frazee, flute, bass flute
Meghan Hoop, percussion
Gary June, clarinet
Alexander Kollias, bass clarinet
Pablo Mahave-Veglia, cello
Tiffany Myers, English horn
Jonathan Nichol, soprano, tenor saxophones
Greg Secor, marimba
Nicholas Usadel, vibraphone
Bill Willits, guitar
Alex Wilson, trumpet
MingHuan Xu, violin

In C Remixed Live personnel

Craig Avery, electric guitar
Ashlee Busch, bass flute
Adam Cuthbert, trumpet
Kurt Ellenberger, accordion
Sam Gould, percussion
Alex Hamel, percussion
Blair Hotz, bass clarinet
Jake Isaacson, percussion
Kaja Lill, bass
Pablo Mahave-Veglia, cello
Jonathan Nichol, soprano, tenor saxophones
Greg Secor, marimba
Tyler Smith, toys
Devin Starr, clarinet
Bill Willits, guitar
MingHuan Xu, violin