New Music Series

2026-2027 New Music Series

Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth: Concerto Grosso for Woodwinds and Wind Ensemble

Wednesday, November 18, 2026 • 8 p.m. • Lawrence Memorial Chapel
Free admission

Especially written for the woodwind faculty at Lawrence University, Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth plays on the trope of heavy metal bands using religious concepts, quotes, and imagery in their music. The soloists and ensemble are called to literally wail through their instruments and employ extended techniques to imitate clacking and grinding teeth. The musical material of the work is heavily inspired by progressive metal bands and musicians like Haken, Animals as Leaders, and the solo projects of Richard Henshall (member of Haken).

Drawing from inspirations as diverse as Medieval chant to contemporary pop, the music of composer and conductor Evan Williams ’10 explores the thin lines between beauty and disquieting, joy and sorrow, and simple and complex, while often tackling important social and political issues. Williams’ music has been commissioned, performed, and recorded by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cincinnati and Toledo Symphony Orchestras, the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” and in chamber performances featuring members of the Detroit, Seattle, and National Symphonies

Sophia Vastek and Sam Torres

Thursday, February 18, 2027 • 8 p.m. • Harper Hall
Free admission

For Sova–the moniker of Upstate New York-based pianist/composer Sophia Vastek–the piano has always been home. A second-generation pianist, she holds a deep reverence for her history, coupled with an exploratory ear, and moves quietly between musical worlds. Described as performing with “passion and profound tenderness” (Second Inversion), her intuitive playing style has evolved into a dynamic, cinematic sound that blends neoclassical, ambient, and jazz sensibilities.

She has released multiple albums, including her breakout record In Our Softening (2022). Her music has been released on OPIA–the record label founded by Ólafur Arnalds–Innova Recordings, and Hout Records, as well as on NPR, BBC, and KEXP.

Sova’s new record Alight! is due out September 4 via Hout Records and has been called “a mesmerizing fusion of neoclassical composition and indie electronic sound design” (Last Day Deaf).

In live performance in close collaboration with audio engineer Sam Torres, she has become known for her intimate and highly detailed sound design, welcoming listeners into the complex sound of the piano itself.

Sam Torres spent his early years as an audio engineer working across North America, mixing live events ranging from chamber ensembles with spatialized live electronics to rock bands of all sizes and recording orchestral concerts in classical halls. In 2020, Sam turned his engineering attention to mastering, and has mastered projects for artists ranging from a Colin Stetson collaboration to rapper Murs and jam band Dogs In A Pile.

Sam’s debut full length album, Still, released in early 2023, is the culmination of years of development of a performance practice that processes the saxophone live to create meditative, textural sounds and is entirely improvised. His latest release, Hudson, is a chamber rock piece inspired by the Hudson River, which he’s spent most of his life in close proximity to.

Wisconsin Alliance for Composers concert

Sunday, April 4, 2027 • 3 p.m. • Harper Hall
Free admission

Lawrence University will host this year’s Wisconsin Alliance for Composers New Music Festival. The Wisconsin Alliance for Composers is a non-profit, tax-exempt Wisconsin corporation founded in 1984 to encourage and support the composition and performance of new music by Wisconsin composers. Lawrence faculty and student performers will join guest artists to present new music by Wisconsin Alliance for Composers members.

NOW Ensemble

Monday, April 19, 2027 • 8 p.m. • Harper Hall
Free admission

NOW Ensemble is a dynamic group of performers and composers dedicated to making new chamber music for the 21st century. With a unique instrumentation of flute, clarinet, electric guitar, double bass, and piano, the ensemble brings a fresh sound and a new perspective to the classical tradition, infused with the musical influences that reflect the diverse backgrounds of its members. NOW Ensemble has brought some of the most exciting composers of their generation to national and international recognition.

NOW has performed at Lincoln Center, the Apples and Olives Festival in Zürich, Switzerland, Town Hall Seattle, Da Camera Houston, and in Carnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concert Series, Miller Theater, Merkin Hall, the Bang on a Can Marathon, The Kitchen NYC, The Stone, the Carlsbad Festival, the Festival Internacional Chihuahua, the Look and Listen Festival, The Music Gallery Toronto, Town Hall Seattle, Houston Da Camera, among many others.

The Westerlies

Friday, April 30, 2027 • 7:30 p.m. • Lawrence Memorial Chapel

The Westerlies, “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” (The New York Times), hold a singular space in modern music. From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, the GRAMMY-nominated quartet has upended presumptions of the brass tradition to create music that is “folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music).

Comprising Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands on trumpet and Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon on trombone, the ensemble has relentlessly composed, arranged, adapted, recorded, and toured over the past fifteen years with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along.

Across ten critically acclaimed albums, The Westerlies have earned “a unique reputation for exploring the emotional textures of American music” (DownBeat), championing living composers and collaborators including Caroline Shaw, Nico Muhly, Conrad Tao, Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz, and Robin Holcomb.

This event is part of the Performing Arts Series.