La Crosse New Music Festival Concert #1: (un)settled | UWL Lowe Center for the Arts

Join regional musicians for a celebration of New Music! Featuring innovative and experimental pieces by living composers, this annual festival boasts four distinct concerts over the course of three days. This year’s theme draws on music and its connection to a sense of place, which appears in various forms in every concert.

(un)settled: Thursday November 6, 7:30 p.m.

Our first concert, un(settled), features performances by members of the UWL Symphony Orchestra, the UWL Wind Ensemble, Alyssa Gaines on flute and piccolo, students from Logan High School under the direction of Brian Renkas, and UWL Professors Dr. Jonathan Borja and Dr. Mary Tollefson. All performances are free and open to the public, no reservations required.

(un)familiar: Friday November 7, 7:30 p.m.

Experience an evening of bold creativity at the second concert, (un)familiar, of the 2025 La Crosse New Music Festival featuring Chicago-based flutist Sasha Ishov. Ishov will perform works by composers he has worked with, some of whom have recently passed. Delicate, sensitive and innovative, this program presents a range of colorful works and invites the audience to re-imagine virtuosity. All performances are free and open to the public, no reservations required.

(meta)physical: Saturday November 8 at 4 p.m.

The third concert of the 2025 La Crosse New Music Festival, (meta)physical, features spouses Eric Miller, cello, and Sue Ellen Dubbert, pianist, joined by violinist Leanne Kelso League. The program is made up of music by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, whose aesthetic draws on medieval and Renaissance music, but more profoundly, draws on his Orthodox Christian faith. Those who attend should expect a contemplative spirit, echoing the 2024 festival’s theme of Minimalism. All performances are free and open to the public, no reservations required.

region(less): Saturday November 8, 7:30 p.m.

For our last concert, region(less), we are excited to welcome Zeitgeist, a long-established leader in contemporary music based just up the road in Redwing. Known for their daring programming and richly nuanced performances, Zeitgeist explores where music is and where music can go. Experience sculpted soundscapes, hypnotic rhythms, and emotional intensity—an unforgettable concert of music by Midwestern composers. All performances are free and open to the public, no reservations required.