DMA in Contemporary Music, Summer 2025 Highlights

Students from BGSU’s DMA in Contemporary Music program showcased their performance and teaching chops locally, nationally, and internationally this past summer. In addition to their own recitals, concerts, and competitions, the fourteen full-time members of the 2024-25 DMA cohort took part in various festivals, institutes, and conferences, demonstrating that BGSU’s College of Musical Arts continues to be at the forefront of contemporary music.

In July, saxophonist Garrett Evans gave two recitals at the Festival Internacional de Saxofones de Palmela (FISP) in Palmela, Portugal. He performed in the Igreja de Santiago de Palmela, a scenic late Gothic church with a stunning six seconds of reverberation. The first recital featured pieces for solo saxophone and fixed media; the other was a recital by Event Horizon Duo, a collaboration between Evans and saxophonist Aislinn Jakary. This latter recital included Butterfly Lovers by Toronto-based composer Aaron Chung (BGSU MM ’23) along with pieces commissioned by the duo. (One of these commissions, UK-based saxophonist-composer Jenni Watson’s Purple Mountain Dawn, was partially funded using the professional development funds made available each year to DMA students.)

At FISP, Evans notes, “I met many Portuguese and other international saxophonists (a few Americans as well!) who were all incredible players and performers, all of whom I will see and reconnect with at future saxophone events.” Evans used these two concerts to fulfill his last remaining requirement for the DMA degree: an off-campus recital. He graduated in August.

Pianist Nia Javaheri attended the SPLICE Music Institute in June thanks in part to a Pro Musica grant from BGSU’s College of Musical Arts. SPLICE, which this year was held at Western Michigan University, brings together performers, composers, and composer-performers interested in music that integrates live performance with electronics. There, Javaheri attended daily classes—Introduction to Performance Technology, Max for Performers, and Ableton—as well workshops and concerts. She also was paired with composer Lucy Shirley for a collaborative project, Footprints in the Concrete, which Javaheri premiered during the festival.

“This immersive experience opened a new window for me to perform, collaborate, and deepen my understanding of electronic music,” Javaheri says. “The most memorable experience was my performance on the final day, followed by inspiring conversations with fellow musicians.”

Clarinetist Haley Harrison traveled to the Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs, New York as well as International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest in Fort Worth, Texas. Harrison’s summer repertoire included orchestral world premieres by Adam Harrington (Fireworks) and Iggy Rosado (Cambrian Explosion) as well as chamber and solo pieces such as Rosado’s Warp Acoustics (for Pierrot ensemble), Paquito D’Rivera’s Aires Tropicales (woodwind quintet), and Reena Esmail’s Jhula Jhule (clarinet). Perhaps her most unusual performance was as principal fish in Pauline Oliveros’s Tropical Fish Opera.

When she was not performing or taking part in masterclasses, Harrison attended lectures and networked with new and old colleagues. At Mostly Modern, she says, “it was a nice touch to eat breakfast every morning with cellist Dave Eggar, who would tell us stories about the artists he works with and obstacles that he has faced in the field.”

DMA Student Summer 2025 Activities included:
BGSU Summer Music Institute (Double Reed Camp, Vocal Arts Camp, Sax Camp, Flute Camp) (Bowling Green, OH)
Camber Arts (Canada)
Darmstadt Ferienkurse (Piano Studio) (Germany)
Festival Internacional de Saxofones de Palmela (Portugal)
Frederick L. Hemke Saxophone Institute (Sidney, ME)
Interlochen (teaching assistant) (Interlochen, MI)
International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest (Fort Worth, TX)
International Double Reed Conference (Indianapolis, IN)
Mahlerfest (Boulder, CO)
Mostly Modern Festival (Saratoga Springs, NY)
Nief-Norf Summer Festival (Knoxville, TN)
SPLICE Summer Festival (Kalamazoo, MI)
Taconic Opera (Yorktown Heights, NY)