Congratulations – you made it through Block 1! Whether you’re attending one of our events, performing yourself, or just hanging out, we look forward to seeing you in the Music Department soon.

United States Air Force Academy Band Chamber Recital
“Songs & Echoes”
Monday, Sep. 29 at 7 p.m.
Packard Hall
A musical tour de force, the program features the talents of the United States Air Force Academy Premier Band performing an eclectic program from composers of the Romantic era to minimalism and modern jazz.

CC Ensembles Showcase
Friday, Oct. 3 at 4 p.m.
Packard Hall
A multi-genre concert featuring fabulous ensembles from the music department, including CC Bluegrass, Tiger Jazz, Chamber Chorus, and Gamelan.

Music at Midday
Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 12:15 p.m.
Packard Hall
CC’s students perform instrumental and vocal works. This is a wonderful opportunity to see the variety and talent of our students!

Summer Music Festival Intermezzo Series: Poiesis Quartet
Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m.
Packard Hall
Winners of the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Poiesis Quartet brings their unique depth and passion to a vibrant mix of exciting new works, old standards, and underrepresented composers: Macklay, Beethoven, Perkinson, Nabors, and the Colorado premiere of Kevin Lau’s String Quartet No. 7. Derived from ancient Greek (ποιεῖν), the word Poiesis means “to make” – specifically, to create something that has never existed before. Don’t miss this chance to experience music history unfolding. Free Tickets with Your CC ID! More information can be found on the Summer Music Festival Website.

Six Concertos and Four New Commissions –
All on Period Instruments!

The Brandenburg Project brings together students and faculty from the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music and Colorado College’s Collegium Musicum to collaborate on an exciting performance of J.S. Bach’s six Brandenburg Concertos and four newly-commissioned works for early instruments. This pedagogical and performance project aims to involve students in a conversation between Bach’s famous instrumental works, contemporary composers, and the material and musical possibilities of historical instruments and performance practices. Students will spend the entire year working on these pieces, honing their rhetorical style, and grappling with unfamiliar instruments. Participants from both institutions will have the chance to work together intensely and socially at a musical retreat at DU’s Kennedy Mountain Campus in the spring, and the entire project will culminate in two public performances on May 2 at CC and May 3 at the University of Denver. Don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of this unique experience – join Collegium NOW! Contact Assistant Professor of Musicology Dr. Lidia Chang or Collegium Musicum Director Elisa Wicks with any questions.

Calling All Composers:
Submit Your Scores by Wednesday, Oct. 1
Winners will be commissioned to compose a short chamber work performed on early instruments as part of The Brandenburg Project. Read more for details on the Brandenburg Project Commission Competition.

By Visiting Professor in Music Dr. Elizabeth Macy ’00

On July 15, 2025, Professor I Made Lasmawan (Music and Asian Studies) received the Adibrata Nugraha Kridha Sanggita award from the Indonesian Institute of the Arts in Surakarta, Java, Indonesia (ISI Surakarta) for his devotion and work as a teacher of Indonesian performing arts in the United States. This award was presented at the 61st Anniversary Ceremony of ISI Surakarta, in celebration of the “Harmoni Tradisi dan Inovasi” (the Harmony of Tradition and Innovation) for Lasmawan’s contributions as a teacher of Balinese and Javanese gamelan in the U.S.

Lasmawan, a graduate of ISI Surakarta, came to the U.S. in 1990 to teach Balinese gamelan at San Diego State University. In 1993, after relocating to Colorado with his family, he became Artist-in-Residence for Denver’s Gamelan Tunas Mekar community-based ensemble and began directing Colorado College’s Gamelan Tunjung Sari. At CC, Professor Emeritus Victoria Lindsay Levine assisted Lasmawan in developing course offerings in Indonesian music, including Performing the Hindu Epics (Block 2), Music in Culture: Indonesia (Block 4), Music and Dance in Bali (Block 8), and The Arts and Culture of Bali (taught as a Summer Block Abroad). Today, Lasmawan and his wife, Professor Ni Ketut Marni (Dance), oversee the CC Indonesian music and dance program.

As a master drummer, composer, and pedagogue, Lasmawan has helped found and develop multiple gamelan ensembles around the country, developed his own teaching approach (Panca Guru/Meguru, or his five teaching strategies), and composed new pieces for student ensembles. In summer 2025, Gamelan Tunas Mekar (under Lasmawan’s leadership) performed a headlining concert at the first Los Angeles Gamelan Festival, students in his co-taught study abroad block in Bali performed a full concert of music and dance in his home village, and Lasmawan returned to ISI Surakarta to receive his award and meet with faculty about ways CC can partner with the Institute of the Arts to benefit students across both institutions.

In Bali, terraced rice fields are watered through an intricate subak (water irrigation) system in which water is shared and dispersed. Lasmawan likens the running water (air mengalir) that floods Bali’s rice fields to the spread of knowledge that flows from teacher to student, in harmony with tradition and innovation. This prestigious award recognizes not only his many contributions to gamelan in the U.S. but also honors his approach to teaching and the ways he has impacted his students.

View this email online.
14 E. Cache La Poudre St. | Colorado Springs, CO 80903 US

You are receiving this email because you are a member of the Colorado College community. Thank you for the important work you do each day.