Professors and students of the Ball State School of Music will bring old and new music together in a classical collaboration tonight during the first of four free concerts.
The 67th annual Chamber Music Festival, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Sursa Hall, will feature university faculty and students playing classic music.
“This is an opportunity for the Muncie community and Ball State community to participate in concerts that are free and experience chamber music as opposed to solos,” said Paul Reilly, a music performance professor. “During the school year, most of the performances are solos.”
After applying two years ago, Ball State’s Chamber Music Festival will also be a part of National Chamber Music month. May is dedicated as National Chamber Music Month through Chamber Music America and exists to celebrate small ensemble music.
The Chamber Music Festival Concert Series has been funded since 2003 through the Sue Derexa Smith Memorial Concert Fund, and is also funded by the Shafer Music Endowment Fund.
The first concert has a piece that involves four harpsichords, a keyboard instrument.
“You just never see four harpsichords together,” Reilly said. “It’s a chance for the community to hear something that you just never hear.”
Three of the four concerts will be hosted on Ball State’s campus in Sursa Hall, and onewill be hosted at the Unitarian Universalist Church On May 30.
The concerts will consist of mostly faculty, but a few students are also involved. Nigorabonu Miliyeva, a junior cello performance major, is one of the students who was invited to play.
Although she is working on becoming a soloist, Miliyeva said she enjoys playing with other musicians for the festival.
“I enjoy playing with other people and it gives me a good experience,” Miliyeva said.
Miliyeva believes everyone can benefit from attending the concerts.
“I feel like music makes people better,” she said. “Music helps people forget about their problems and they leave with something warm in their hearts.”
