Composer George Crumb, whom Music Department Chair Walter Barr says is a "contemporary Leonard Bernstein," arrives on campus Friday, Oct. 22 to teach and perform.

Named Composer of the Year for 2004 by the "Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts," Crumb is traveling the country conducting master classes and concertizing in celebration of his 75th birthday. At Metro State, he will teach a master class in composition during the afternoon, and at 6:30 p.m. will deliver a pre-concert lecture, sponsored by Hal Tamblyn, former Metro Music Department chair and a past student of Crumb's. The 7:30 p.m. all-Crumb concert at the King Center Concert Hall will feature works including, "Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik," a piece based on Thelonius Monk's "'Round Midnight;" "Mundus Canis," a five-part composition honoring the five dogs owned by Crumb and his wife during their lives; and "Vox Balanae" (the Voice of Whales), which calls for musicians to wear masks.

Crumb will be joined in concert by noted guitarist David Starobin, chairman of the Manhattan School of Music's guitar program, pianist Sue Grace from Colorado College, and Metro faculty members percussionist Mark Foster, pianist Tamara Goldstein, soprano MeeAe Nam and flutist Michelle Stanley.

Crumb, who once taught at the University of Colorado and is now a professor emeritus from the University of Pennsylvania, received a Pulitzer Prize for his composition "Echoes of Time and the River" in 1968 and a 2001 Grammy for Best Contemporary Composition for "Star-Child." He has also earned grants from many foundations including Fulbright, Guggenheim and Rockefeller. He is known for mixing stage elements such as lighting and movement into his performances as well as his unconventional use of instruments, including the human voice, to achieve unique effects.

The Oct. 22 concert is free for all Metro State faculty, staff and students with valid ID. Tickets for the public are $15; $10 for students and seniors. For tickets, call 303-556-2296.