KRWG - 11/12/2021
(clockwise from top left) Composer Joni Greene, NMSU Director of Bands Michael Mapp, Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin, and NMSU violin professor and conductor Simon Gollo on a Zoom interview.
| Listen to the interview |
It’s not often that Las Cruces hosts the world premiere of a symphony. But we will next week, when the NMSU Wind Symphony premieres “Reaching Nirvana,” the first symphony written by Austin-based composer Joni Greene. The work is the result of the long-time friendship between NMSU band director Michael Mapp and Greene, who will be in residence all week working with students ahead of the premiere on Nov. 18. The concert will also include another rarity — a large work for violin solo and wind band called “Latent Emotions,” by Spanish composer Oscar Navarro, which will feature violin professor Simon Gollo as the soloist.