MSUFCU Showcase Series: NOW Ensemble

NOW Ensemble, a five-piece instrumental chamber group now in its 20th year, has performed and collaborated with hundreds of composers throughout the world. In their return to East Lansing on Thursday (March 7), they’ll take the stage at the Fairchild Theatre at 7:30 p.m. to perform a setlist that will include the premier of a new work written by composer and MSU graduate Griffin Candey. The piece, titled “Everybody Leaves If They Get the Chance,” according to Candey, touches on “the quiet nostalgia for small hometowns and the way they shape us as people,” and was inspired by his own experiences growing up in Michigan. 

NOW Ensemble is comprised of Erin Lesser on flute, Yoonah Kim on clarinet, Mark Dancigers on electric guitar, Lizzie Burns on bass and Michael Mizrahi on piano. Each member is also a composer. During their stay in East Lansing, the group will also host a trio of educational clinics on campus, starting with a Clarinet Masterclass at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (March 6) at Eichler Hall. Later that evening, at 8 p.m., they’ll hold a composition reading at Murray Hall. On Friday (March 8), the group will conclude its stay with a Chamber Music Masterclass session, beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the Billman Music Pavilion. 

Tickets are $17 for adults, $15 for seniors and $7 for students. They can be purchased through 6 p.m. on the date of the show (March 7) at https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/6989933/ssnow-ensemble-east-lansing-fairchild-theatre.