Nix Plays Guitar Compositions at Keene State
KEENE, N.H. 10/22/01 - Composer and guitarist Michael Nix will perform music from the new NixWorks CD release “Preludes, Airs, and Dances,” on Monday, Nov. 5, at Keene State College.
The CD, which features Nix’s compositions and arrangements, includes music influenced by a wealth of styles - American and Celtic folk rhythms, Brazilian dances, jazz, and European classical music.
A new work, “Prayer (for the victims of terror),” composed on Tuesday night, Sept. 11, in reaction to the day’s events, will open the concert at 1:30 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall of KSC’s Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond. The recital, presented by the Department of Music, is free and open to the public.
Nix will play six of his own compositions such as “Wintersong,” which combines American jazz harmonies with rich South American rhythms. He also will perform “The Nelson Suite,” a suite of six dances commonly played in Nelson, N.H., which boasts the oldest continuous contra dance tradition in the U.S.
Another of Nix’s compositions, “Variations on Greensleeves,” uses guitar and lute styles to progress from the Renaissance to contemporary jazz variations. The CD’s title composition, “Prelude, Air, and Dances,” combines the baroque style of a Bach instrumental suite with the lush harmonic influences of South American guitar.
Nix was co-conductor and concertmaster of the 24-piece guitar orchestra at Keene State College in 1983. In that year, the orchestra performed a tour of the Philippines, Hong Kong, and California with guest soloist Alice Artist. The orchestra performed in concert halls and on television and made a recording for Radio Hong Kong.
Nix is currently on the Massachusetts Touring Program as a member of The Moser/Nix Duo, performing music for mandolin and guitar. As a member of the Monadnock Classical Guitar Duo and as a soloist he was on the New Hampshire Touring Program for four years. He was a featured performer for the Connecticut Classical Guitar Society’s Andres Segovia outreach program called “The Guitar About Town.”
For further information about Nix’s recital, call the Music Department at 603-358-2177.
