Faculty note: McQuade Dewhirst lands spot in ‘Iron Composer’ faceoff

UW-Green Bay Associate Prof. of Music Michelle McQuade Dewhirst has been selected from a pool of more than 200 applicants to compete as one of five finalists in an event called Iron Composer. It’s similar in some ways to the TV show “Iron Chef” (both the Japanese original and the Food Network reboot). On competition day (Friday, Sept. 26), the finalists will gather at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio, where they will be assigned instrumentation to compose for, as well as a “secret ingredient” that must be included in the composition. (Past secret ingredients have ranged from the inclusion of 8 seconds of silence, an antique music box or drawing inspiration from a piece of art). The composers will each have 5 hours to compose their piece before presenting their work that evening as part of Cleveland’s IngenuityFest — a festival of art and technology. If you’re interested in this very interesting event, visit the website at www.ironcomposer.org.