For Derek Johnson, assistant professor of music, its inception is mysterious, forgotten in memory long before his time. After 41 years of tradition, what remains is a collaboration of composers, musicians and audiences.
"Every year [it] gets stronger and stronger," Johnson said.
Musicians from Ball State and around the country will take the stage this weekend to perform in the university's 41st Annual Festival of New Music.
The music being featured in the festival will all be from the 20th century. Much of what will be performed has been written in the last five years.
"Students will learn about the wide variety of music that's being written now, as well as listen to some great performances," Eleanor Trawick, associate professor of music, said.
The festival will also feature new works written by current Ball State students Jonathan Greybill, James Rhinehart, Michael James Olson and Tim Moyers as well as faculty members Keith Kothman, Jody Nagel, Richard Pressley, Philip Tietze and Derek Johnson.
The BSU Electric Guitar Quartet, a chamber group started by Johnson last year, will present a new work by student Sean Ashcraft, as well as a classic ensemble joined by both Timothy Andres and Color Field Ensemble's percussionist Ellery Trafford.
Johnson has played an integral part in putting this year's program together. Many of the performers are contacts he made while playing with the New York-based new music group, the Bang On a Can All-Stars.
"It's always invigorating to have people from the outside," he said.
Johnson will be playing with Timothy Andres, a New York City-based composer, pianist and Nonesuch recording artist. Andres will also be performing two pieces on his own, one that he composed ("Everything is an Onion") and a piece by Johnson (Infinity Plunge").
Andres is a "quickly rising star in the new music world," Johnson said.
Along with additional performances by Johnson, other highlights of the weekend will include performances from The Color Field Ensemble from Bowling Green, Ohio, Canadian violinist Vèronique Mathieu and Indiana Wesleyan University Percussion Quartet.
Johnson said that he believes students of all backgrounds will enjoy the concert. The festival will present what is going on in contemporary music, which is not necessarily the "academic" stuff of music majors, according to Johnson. Many of the performances will reflect the rock music of today and features the electric guitar.
"The electric guitar is like our national instrument," Johnson said.
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