VAGANZA: The University of Manchester’s New Music Ensemble
Vaganza is a platform for performers and composers to showcase new works by composers within the university alongside a wide and eclectic range of “classics” by the leading composers of our times. Every year we present an ambitious mix of composers’ concerts and larger New Music Days, consisting of performances, workshops and discussions dedicated to central themes relating to the music of our times. Highlights over recent years have included performances of Stockhausen’s Kreuzspiel, Philip Grange’s As it was, Birtwistle’s Silbury Air and Gérard Grisey’s Partiels, Per Nørgård’s Night-Symphonies, Day Breaks and John Casken’s Vaganza.
Vaganza's name is a homage and pays tribute to composer and Emeritus Professor of Composition John Casken.
All undergraduates and postgraduates are invited to submit compositions to one of our calls for scores, in which pieces are selected to be performed in our concerts. Calls for scores take place in September, January and March/April.
For more information please contact Dr. Richard Whalley