The Georgia Tech School of Music has commissioned an orchestral work to feature Artist-in-Residence Daniel Juárez and faculty member Nat Condit-Schultz. The world premiere of NOIR will be at the Georgia Tech Concert Orchestra's Hispanic Imprint concert, Tuesday, September 26, at the Ferst Center for the Arts.

"NOIR is a Georgia Tech commission, meaning that Tech contracted composer Jennifer Bellor, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to compose an orchestral work," said Chaowen Ting, Director of Orchestral Studies for the School.

"I am a passionate advocate for living composers, and the Tech orchestra program has given many premieres in the past," said Ting. "It’s a very rewarding experience for our student musicians to realize the sound from the score for the first time, and it’s always a challenge to conceptualize the sounds based solely on written notations."

"Student musicians are involved and engaged in the shaping of new music, and being able to present something to the world for the first time is a unique experience for the Tech community."

According to Bellor's notes on the piece, NOIR builds on an earlier piece called Nightingale. "I decided to create an instrumental jazz version, which I titled NOIR referencing the dark and mysterious atmosphere throughout," Bellor wrote. "For this new version premiered tonight, the piece has been extended to feature both the sax and electric guitar, along with giving the orchestra a more prominent role in various sections."

"Furthermore, I grew up listening to a lot of progressive rock, and wanted to incorporate more of that stylistic influence into this new composition."

The featured saxophonist is Daniel Juárez, an artist-in-residence with the School. During his residency, Juárez will perform with with the Concert Orchestra and the Jazz Ensembles, along with offering a public lecture and performance.

"World-renowned artists regularly come to Georgia Tech to work with our student musicians and to perform with them," Ting said, "and Daniel’s residency is a great example of this. As the second collaboration with the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain in Washington, D.C., Daniel Juárez is the first jazz musician participated in this Spanish Young Music Talents program, which manifests the versatility and diverse musical interests and talents on the Tech campus and community."

Condit-Schultz, who will be featured on electric guitar in the performance, teaches recording technology, rock/pop performance, and computational composition. The piece will be conducted by Andrea Pérez Mukdsi.