News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NDSU Composers Selected for CMS Central Conference

Fargo, ND (March 28, 2025) — The Contrabassoon Character Piece Project, an initiative led by Dr. Martin Van Klompenberg of North Dakota State University, has been selected for presentation at the College Music Society’s Central Conference, to be held April 5–6, 2025, at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS.

Designed to expand the repertoire for an often-overlooked instrument, the Contrabassoon Character Piece Project commissions and curates short, engaging works intended for student performers. These “jury-length” pieces give contrabassoonists meaningful solo material that is both pedagogically useful and musically compelling.

The CMS presentation will feature new works by NDSU faculty composer Dr. Kyle Vanderburg (Miniwashitu), NDSU student composer Jonathon Erickson (The Treant’s March), and University of Kansas composer Snow Kim, whose contribution will premiere at the event.

By focusing on concise, character-driven pieces, the project highlights the contrabassoon’s dramatic and lyrical potential—offering student performers new avenues for technical growth and artistic expression.

The Contrabassoon Character Piece Project will also be featured later this year at the 2025 International Double Reed Society Conference.

More information about the CMS Central Conference is available at https://www.music.org.