Grateful Reflections on the 7th NMB Festival

New Music on the Bayou 2023 was chock-full of memorable moments from start to finish. We want to extend heartfelt thanks to each composer, performer, volunteer, and audience member for being a part of it all. If you attended one or more of our concerts either in person or by viewing our live streams, please help us prepare for future festivals by taking a moment to complete our anonymous Audience Survey. We depend on your feedback.

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At the closing concert, we presented the Black Bayou Composition Award for the work that most closely reflects music's connection to nature. Congratulations to the 2023 awardee, Christopher Mortlock, for his piece Brightening Band. He will receive a $500 cash prize and a commission for a work that will be premiered next year. Congratulations also to our runners-up, Aurés Moussong and Leanna Kirchoff, for their pieces Desde el lugar del misterio and Divine Cloud That We Share. You can find these pieces and all the other amazing selected works heard at #NMB2023 on our Live Stream Archive.

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This year's festival would not have been possible without the financial support of our individual, institutional, and corporate donors. We are deeply thankful for the generosity of the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council, Louisiana Tech University, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Ecoutez Press, the Monroe Symphony League, KEDM Radio, the Ruston-Lincoln Parish Convention & Visitors Bureau, The Band House, Century Next Bank of Ruston, D.H. Clark, the Friends of Black Bayou, Terry Tugwell, John Lowe, and Mark Stevens. 

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The dates for NMB 2024 will be announced at the end of the summer and our next submission round will open in the fall. If you have not already, be sure to follow us on social media and sign up for our Newsletter.

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