Amherst (MA) - From September 8 to 10, the UMass Amherst Department of Music and Dance will host the 2017 Five College New Music Festival, featuring four concert programs of music by Five College faculty composers, as well as world premieres, electro-acoustic works and pieces by modern masters from the 20th and 21st centuries. In addition, the winning piece from the festival's nationwide composition competition will be performed; this year’s winner, Sato Matsui, will be in attendance.

The Festival includes nearly 50 performers and composers, primarily current and former Five College faculty but also current students and community musicians. Returning as organizers of the Festival are Elizabeth Chang, assistant professor, UMass, Salvatore Macchia, professor, UMass; and Eric W. Sawyer, professor, Amherst College. All four concerts will take place in Bezanson Recital Hall in the UMass Fine Arts Center, and are free and open to the public.

The schedule of the 2017 festival is as follows:

Friday, Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m. – Five Colleges and Beyond
Composers: David Sanford, Gunther Schuller, Robert Stern, Daniel Warner, Don Wheelock

Saturday, Sept. 9,  2 p.m. – New Duos and Five College Composition Competition Winner
Violin duos by Stan Charkey, Dayton Kinney, Bruce Quaglia, and a saxophone duo by Christine Hedden, plus competition-winning piece by Sato Matsui

Saturday, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. – Old as New Again: The Art of Transcription
Composers: Thomas Adès, Henri Dutilleux, György Kurtág, Salvatore Macchia, Charles Wuorine

Sunday, Sept. 10, 3 p.m. – New Music Masters
Composers: Frank Bennett, George Crumb, Morton Feldman, John Harbison, György Kurtág