CPP students collaborate with living classical composers, develop new works, and perform repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries with MSM’s premier contemporary ensemble, Tactus.
The Contempoary Performance Program (CPP) is a graduate program for students wishing to focus on contemporary classical music. Our students are creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial. Our alumni thrive as soloists and members of prestigious ensembles.
The Contemporary Performance Program at MSM is a vibrant community of graduate students who are passionate about the music of our time. The curriculum includes classes tailored to the specific needs of the contemporary performing musician.
The program features private instruction, group classes, composer collaborations, and groundbreaking performances with MSM’s premier contemporary ensemble, Tactus.
The intense level of collaboration and discussion among the students provides a fertile environment for experimentation and innovation.
Pianist Margaret Kampmeier serves as Chair of the Department and Artistic Director of Tactus.
10th Anniversary Alumni Showcase: Celebrating 10 years of graduates from MSM's Contemporary Performance Program
Coursework is designed to meet the unique needs of the contemporary performer. Required academic classes include Contemporary Musicianship, Contemporary Music Survey, and Advanced Practicum.
Required performance related classes include Contemporary Ensemble, Composer Workshop/Reading, Composer/Performer Project, and Performing with Electronics.
Weekly lessons provide a forum for in-depth study of classical contemporary music. Students choose electives from the wide array of advanced courses available at MSM.
Students in the Contemporary Performance Program form the core of Tactus, Manhattan School of Music’s premier contemporary ensemble. Students focus on many aspects of contemporary music study, including performance with electronics, improvisation, and overall stylistic fluency. Tactus presents 6 public concerts per year. Each of the 6 concert cycles includes rehearsals, coachings with faculty and composers, repertoire classes, and performances in one of MSM’s glorious halls.
Review of Tactus:
“The deepest, grandest noise of the musical season so far” —Alex Ross, The New Yorker
Andy Akiho (composer, percussion) Vicky Chow (piano) Joshua Modney (violin)
Tak (Laura Cocks, flute; Liam Kinson, clarinet; Charlotte Mundy, voice; Marina Kifferstein, violin; Ellery Trafford, percussion)
Loadbang (Carlos Cordeiro, clarinet; Andy Kozar, trumpet; Jeffrey Gavett, voice; William Lang, trombone)
Mivos Quartet (Olivia De Prato, violin; Victor Lowrie, viola; Mariel Roberts, cello)
“The deepest, grandest noise of the musical season so far” —Alex Ross, The New Yorker From a review of Tactus, the CPP Ensemble
“The deepest, grandest noise of the musical season so far”
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker
From a review of Tactus, the CPP Ensemble
Prescreening & Audition Procedures
Contemporary Performance Handbook
MSM Course Catalog (A plan of study may also be found at the bottom of this page.)
Margaret Kampmeier, Artistic Director and Chair mkampmeier@msmnyc.edu
NOTE: Curriculum is subject to change. In case of a discrepancy, the MSM Course Catalog is the authoritative source of requirements. View the Course Catalog here.
Total Program Hours: 54-57
Members of MSM's critically-praised Tactus ensemble
The first CPP performance of the 2022-23 season. Tactus performs multiple times throughout the academic year.
“One of the huge benefits of MSM is its location in NYC, home to the richest and most saturated scene in contemporary classic, jazz and other genres.” Carrie Frey Viola, Contemporary Performance (MM '16)
“One of the huge benefits of MSM is its location in NYC, home to the richest and most saturated scene in contemporary classic, jazz and other genres.”
Carrie Frey
Viola, Contemporary Performance (MM '16)
MSM's critically-praised Tactus ensemble following a Soundpainting performance led by CPP faculty Todd Reynolds (front, right).
Margaret Kampmeier
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https://www.msmnyc.edu/programs/contemporary-performance/
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