education

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Dal Niente is deeply committed to education and outreach to increase awareness, enhance understanding of, and ignite enthusiasm for contemporary music through concerts, pre- and post-concert discussions, student composition readings, workshops, masterclasses, and private instruction.

PRE- AND POST-CONCERT LECTURES

In order to familiarize audience members with the sound world and musical journey of pieces they perform, Dal Niente's musicians and guest artists present engaging pre-concert discussions.  They discuss a range of provocative topics, including trends in contemporary music, compositional style, innovations in instrumental techniques, an individual work's particular challenges, and the general expressive content of the music.  Ensemble Dal Niente prides itself on the approachability of its musicians, who enjoy connecting with audience members and discussing the life of a new music organization, the rehearsal process, their approach toward expression in contemporary works, and how listeners can connected with the music.

READINGS AND CONCERTS

Ensemble Dal Niente regularly presents readings of pieces by students as well as fully-rehearsed concerts of young composers' music.  For a young composer, a live performance and quality recording of their work is an invaluable resource — and one that Dal Niente musicians are happy to provide.  The musicians also use these situations as opportunities to give vital feedback to composition students regarding the finer points of instrumental capabilities and contemporary music notation.  In addition to its role as the ensemble-in-residence at Columbia College Chicago, Dal Niente has worked with students at Bowling Green State University in Ohio and Illinois State University; they also regularly give lessons to middle and high school students at the Chicago Academy for the Arts and the Musical Offering in Evanston, Illinois.  Many members have also honed their teaching skills working with younger students through the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's MusiCorps Program.

WORKSHOPS AND INSTRUCTION

Dal Niente offers workshops on a variety of topics including, but not limited to, rehearsal technique, contemporary performance techniques, notation in contemporary music, and the business of running a contemporary music ensemble.  The ensemble's musicians routinely give chamber music coachings and masterclasses on orchestral instruments and voice, while founding composer Kirsten Broberg and guest composers offer masterclasses in music composition.  All students are welcome to take private performance or composition lessons with Dal Niente's instrumentalists, conductor, and founding composer for more extensive and individualized feedback.