FSU to Host West Fork New Music Festival in September

The Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts will host the third annual West Fork New Music Festival on the University campus Friday, Sept. 23, and Saturday, Sept, 24. Guest composers and performers from West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia will be in attendance.

Featured musicians at the festival are mezzo soprano Jenifer Weber and oboist Richard Kravchak. Weber’s voice will enchant audiences on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. accompanied by live piano and violin. She will be performing new vocal works by composers in attendance.  Kravchak will dazzle with his technical artistry combining classical performance and contemporary technique at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday evening. He will perform exciting new works for the oboe and computer-manipulated sound.  

“The West Fork New Music Festival has grown over the past two years. We are expecting an even larger diversity of music this year with something for everyone,” said Daniel Eichenbaum, Assistant Professor of Music at Fairmont State and event organizer. “This is an exciting opportunity to hear music from the composers and performers living in our area and then meet them afterward.”

Featured composers include Paul Barsom from Penn State University, Matthew Harder from West Liberty University, Matthew Jackfert from WV Public Radio, Jennifer Merkowitz from Otterbein University, Mark Phillips and Ciro Scotto from Ohio University, Mark Snyder from the University of Mary Washington, David Taddie from West Virginia University and Mark Zanter from Marshall University. One of festival organizer Eichenbaum’s compositions will also be performed at the festival.

In addition to the musical performances, several of the composers and performers will be offering workshops on a variety of musical topics.

All performances are at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. both days in Fairmont State’s Colebank Hall Gym. The workshops will be in Fairmont State’s Wallman Hall Room 229. Both are located at the main campus at 1201 Locust Ave., Fairmont. Admission to all concerts and workshops is free and open to the public courtesy of a grant from the Fairmont State Foundation. For more information, contact Dr. Daniel Eichenbaum at (304) 367-4169.  A complete schedule of events and additional information may be found online at: www.danieleichenbaum.com/west_fork

School of Fine ArtsMusicDepartment of MusicWest Fork New Music FestivalDr. Daniel Eichenbaum