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Towson University has established, through the creation of the New Music Ensemble Endowed Fund, a permanent New Music Ensemble to offer an on-going focus on contemporary music at Towson University and in the greater Baltimore region. The New Music Ensemble is a professional ensemble that presents a range of public offerings including concerts and recordings of new music with an emphasis on music created within three decades of each concert season. The Ensemble is associated with the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Towson University and benefits the Music Composition program at Towson University by sponsoring master classes and lectures given by featured composers and performers, and symposia related to the work of the Ensemble as well as offering continual opportunities for student composers to hear and record their music.

The New Music Ensemble Endowed Fund has been established with a gift from the Argosy Foundation to be contributed over the years of 2001-2004. In addition to the Argosy gift, matching funds will be contributed over the same time frame through the Private Donor Incentive Program (PDIP) II and the fund is open to future deposits beyond this initial set of contributions.  Annual expendable income generated by the Fund covers the costs related to the annual operations of the Ensemble as well as commissions and published recordings.

Towson University's commitment to presenting contemporary music extends back three decades.  From the early 1970s through the mid-1990s, Towson University presented week-long festivals of 20th century music.  In 1995, the festival grew to a biannual event. The last Twentieth Century Music Festival, held in April 1999, celebrated the passage from the 20th to the 21st century by presenting several public concerts and master classes.

Being a professional ensemble associated with the College of Fine Arts and Communication, the Ensemble typically employs a core of members comprised of free lance performers and members of Towson University's Music faculty.  The New Music Ensemble can also provide opportunities for participation by advanced student performers. Beginning in 2001, Dr. William Kleinsasser was named the founding Ensemble director and Dr. Paul Rardin was selected as the Ensemble conductor and served as such until 2005 when he joined the faculty at the University of Michigan. Since 2005, Julien Benichou has served as the Ensemble Conductor.

With the arrival of the 21st Century, Towson University has established a permanent New Music Ensemble to support and highlight contemporary music.  The formation of the New Music Ensemble is a natural next step for Towson University in its efforts to inspire the creation of new music and provide, for its students, faculty, and the greater Baltimore community, opportunities to experience, understand, and enjoy new music. The existence of a New Music Ensemble at Towson University is in direct concord with the growth and development of the College of Fine Arts and Communication and the Department of Music.  For the University community and the greater Baltimore region, the New Music Ensemble  provides opportunities to experience vital new music and engage composers and performers creating the music of our time.

For more information regarding NME events contact William Kleinsasser, NME Director at 410-704-2817; FAX 410-704-2841 or email nme@towson.edu.