Denison University’s Department of Music works with a myriad of studio artists, musicians, composers, dancers and actors to produce the biennial TUTTI Original Works Festival, which showcases original art by students and faculty. In the years that the TUTTI festival is not taking place, the department continues to showcase student (and faculty) work with a 2-day event affectionately known as “Tiny TUTTI.” TUTTI, an Italian word used in musical ensembles to describe “togetherness,” signifies the many creatives and media that combine to form Denison’s expansive arts department.
This year’s Tiny TUTTI Festival will be held March 5th and 6th in Sharon Martin Hall. The first day of the event will feature Rulfo Collage, a collaboration between student composers and faculty and student musicians; students created graphic scores that will be “improvisationally realized” by members of the performance department. The group is directed by Professor Zachery Meier. The music will be accompanied by a pre-recorded piece by Third Coast Percussion, an ensemble-in-residence. The students’ visual pieces draw inspiration from the work of composer Danny Clay as well as from the text of Juan Rulfo’s novel Pedro Paramo.
The second day is another artful combination of music and visual art, this time featuring the Modern Languages department. Violin Professor Hanna Hurwitz has selected compositions that bridge one another not only in regard to language, culture and identity. Modern Language Professor Monica Ayala-Martinez and Mary Beaton narrate spoken word pieces, while Music Professor Sam Reich accompanies on piano. Tejido de Voces/Woven Voices is a response to literary texts in Spanish, English, and Ladino, drawing on musical works by Carlos Chavez, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, Alan Ridout and David Serkin Ludwig. Studio Art Professor Ron Abram has hand crafted linoleum and woodcut prints for each of the compositions that will be projected throughout the performance, as well as created a unique artist book style program.
Claire Anderson ‘24 will play saxophone in Rulfo Collage, and said that she is excited to present the interpretive work to an audience. She said that the spontaneity of improvisation makes the pieces more interesting, and that she is interested to see what comes out of the woodwork on the day of the performance.
“It was really cool hearing the musical ideas develop throughout the rehearsal and hearing how the different instruments interact with each other based on the live composition,” she said. “I’m really glad I have the chance to be a part of it and I’m really looking forward to the concert.”
- March 5, 7pm – Composers’ Collaborative Watch Party with Third Coast Percussion
- March 6, 7 & 8:15pm – Tejido de Voces, Woven Voices
These performances are open to Denison Students, Faculty and Staff and advanced tickets are required.
