Conference Information
Fifteenth Annual Conference
University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO, 16-17 May, 2004, 2004
General Information
This year's meeting coincides with the inauguration of the Howard and Patricia Barr Institute for American Composition Studies, a very special occasion that is reflected in several events that coincide with the conference and in the program of the meeting itself. The program committee, chaired by Anne Marie de Zeeuw, has selected a very interesting group of papers that together address multiple issues that live at the core of our discipline.
Please make your reservations as soon as possible. If you need additional information, please contact Hali Fieldman FieldmanH@umkc.edu, who is coordinating Local Arrangements. We look forward to seeing you there!
Keynote Abstract
The keynote address will be given by Andrew Mead (The University of Michigan); and Walter Simmons, an authority on Paul Creston's music and author of the recently-published Voices in the Wilderness: Six American Neo-Romantic Composers (Scarecrow Press, 2004), will speak in special session about Creston.
Conference Events
On Saturday, 15 May, we have made time in the conference for the attendees to participate in a very special event, the inauguration of the newly-established Howard and Patricia Barr Institute for American Composition Studies. The Institute is devoted to the acquisition, care, preservation, use and promotion of materials related to the period of American composition between 1890 and thereafter. The cornerstone of the Institute's collection is the Paul Creston Collection, consisting of approximately 46,000 items including scores, personal scrapbooks and diaries, photographs, sound recordings and taped interviews. The inauguration will feature the formal addition of the first of the Institute's newly-acquired works, with the Barrs and Paul Creston's son Tim in attendance. In addition there will be time for a brief tour of the special collections in the Miller Nichols Library, home of the Institute's holdings. The afternoon sessions will include a special talk by a Creston scholar, Walter Simmons of New York; and following Andrew Mead's keynote address and a reception hosted by the Barrs at 6:00 p.m., there will be a short concert of several of Creston's works, including "Nocturne," a piece rarely if ever performed since its debut.
This year's annual conference banquet will be held on Friday evening instead of Saturday, to make room for our special event with the Barr Instutite (which will be preceded by a reception).
The full-service meal (with cash bar) will commence at the Canyon Café at 5:30 Friday, with dinner served at 6:00 p.m. Banquet cost is $27/person. We hope that you will be able to attend this event, which always promises good food, fellowship, and conversation.
Additionally, you may order a box lunch for Saturday at a cost of $6.00. Meat, turkey, or veggie will be available.
Travel
By Air: Kansas City Airport (MCI) is served by many major carriers.
Probably the least expensive way to get from the airport into town is to take the KCI Shuttle: 816-243-5000 or 1-800-243-6383 - (kcishuttle.com). The price for a one-way trip is $15, $25 for round trip (between KCI and hotel). A shuttle leaves KCI twice per hour with no reservations necessary. When in KCI, dial -5000 from any white courtesy phone and you will be directed to the nearest pick-up location. When returning to KCI from hotel, reservations are necessary.
Other numbers of note are:
Yellow Cab: 816-471-5000 -- wheelchair capable taxis
The Metro: 816-221-0660
Driving Directions:
From the South:
1. From US 71 North, exit at Volker Boulevard/Emmanuel Cleaver II Blvd. Turn left onto Emmanuel Cleaver II Blvd. Turn right Main Street. Follow Main Street North (about 2 - 3 blocks). The hotel is on the right (just before the light at) 43rd Street.
2. From I-35 North, exit onto Southwest Boulevard/Mission Road (Exit 233A). Staying to the right, take ramp onto Mission Road South. Turn left onto 43rd Avenue. Stay to the right at the wye at Belleview Ave (follow 43rd St, not Westport Rd). Upon reaching the light at Main St., you will see the hotel across Main and slightly to your right.
From the North:
1. From I-29 south, merge onto I-35 south then follow directions for #2.
2. From I-35 South, follow I-35 through downtown loop, then exit onto Southwest Trafficway (left exit 1A). Follow Southwest Trafficway, turn left onto 43rd Street. Upon reaching the light at Main St., you will see the hotel across Main and slightly to your right.
From the East:
From I-70 West, follow I-670 West (I-70 alt), exit onto I-35 South. Exit onto Southwest Trafficway (left exit 1A). Follow Southwest Trafficway, turn left onto 43rd Street. Upon reaching the light at Main St., you will see the hotel across Main and slightly to your right.
From the West:
From I-70 East, follow signs to I-670 East (I-70 alt). Exit onto I-35 South. Exit onto Southwest Trafficway (left exit 1A). Follow Southwest Trafficway, turn left onto 43rd Street. Upon reaching the light at Main St., you will see the hotel across Main and slightly to your right.
We have ordered parking passes for those who will be driving to campus. Passes can be picked up at the registration table on Friday morning (the only day they'll be needed). There is a place on the registration form to reserve a parking pass; cost is $3.
Accommodations
We have reserved 50 rooms at the Seville Plaza Hotel, 4309 Main Street, Kansas City, MO. Call the hotel directly for reservations (816.561.9600) and ask for the Music Theory Midwest rate, which is $69.00 plus tax. The hotel has been newly renovated; rooms include hair dryers, irons, and ironing boards, and free high-speed internet access. Parking and local calls are free, and Kansas City's good local Roasterie coffee is provided in-room. Price includes complimentary continental breakfast. The hotel is only two blocks from the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and three blocks from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, known for its Asian collection and for several major impressionist works, among other things. The hotel has six whirlpool suites which are very nice; they are not part of our arrangement, but you are free to inquire about them..
Directions (both driving and walking) from hotel to campus will be at the hotel the evening of May 13.
Local Information
Local Arrangements Chair: Hali Fieldman (University of Missouri - Kansas City)
Program Committee
Anne Marie de Zeeuw (University of Louisville), Chair
Online Program
The online program can be found here once it is available.