Outside The Box

The Outside The Box new music festival is going on this week at SIU. It is not often you get the chance to see so many interesting and diverse performances by some very talented artists, we definitely suggest you check some of this out if you get the chance. You can get all the details at http://otbsiu.com/ supposedly, although the space-age website is hard to figure out.. so here is a simple rundown of what's going on:

APRIL 4

• Altgeld Chamber Players concert, 7:30 p.m., Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall.

This concert highlights several SIUC composers, including Kathleen Ginther, Frank Stemper and Eric Mandat, and other contemporary composers, including Lee Hyla and Mario Davidovsky.

APRIL 5

• Master classes with the Tone Road Ramblers, 10 a.m., Altgeld Hall, rooms to be announced.

Classes are with Stephen Butters, percussion; Jon Fonville, flute; Ray Sasaki, trumpet; and Morgan Powell and Jim Staley, trombone.

• Improv workshop with Jim Staley, 1 p.m., Altgeld Hall, Room 112

• Composer Portrait Concert: Music of Morgan Powell with the Tone Road Ramblers and the Altgeld Chamber Players, 7:30 p.m., Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall

This concert features guest Dorothy Martirano, violinist. Martirano performs with the Tone Road Ramblers regularly, but she also performs all over the world on her own and with other groups. At present, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra is her home.

APRIL 6

• Emerging Composers Concert, 7:30 p.m., Old Baptist Foundation Recital Hall

It doesn’t get newer than this. SIUC is producing composers as well as musicians. The evening includes music by student composers Matt Clark, Jim Davis, Cody Foltz, Audra Fuhr and Brent Grapperhaus.

APRIL 7

• New Arts Jazztet with the SIUC Studio Jazz Orchestra, 7:30 p.m. Shryock Auditorium.

The New Arts Jazztet, a faculty ensemble, shares the stage with the SIUC Studio Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of Tim Pitchford. The concert also features special guests from the Tone Road Ramblers, Morgan Powell on trombone and Ray Sasaki on trumpet.

APRIL 8

• Composers Forum with Morgan Powell, 10 a.m., Altgeld Hall, Room 110

• Tone Road Ramblers concert, 7:30 p.m., Shryock Auditorium

APRIL 9

• Film screening with live score by Paul Festa

Enjoy presentations of the award-winning film “Apparition of the Eternal Church,” a film about listening to music, and “The Glitter Emergency,” a silent film with live violin by Paul Festa.