Constantinides New Music Ensemble
The Constantinides New Music Ensemble (CNME) seeks to meet the demands of the 21st century artist, by engaging in new projects that adapt to multiple musical styles and find new ways to connect in the community through traditional and non-traditional venues. The group consists of highly skilled and flexible musicians who work regularly with faculty and guest artists, including applied and academic faculty, composers, and conductors. The CNME explores multiple types of projects, including readings of student and faculty compositions, community engagement, multidisciplinary works (theatre, dance, visual arts), guest artist residencies, and other related ventures.
The Constantinides New Music Ensemble is under the direction of Nanci Belmont, Assistant Professor of Bassoon, with assistance from Mara Gibson, Associate Professor & Coordinator of Student Composition.
About Maestro Constantinides
Dr. Dinos Constantinides (1929 - 2021) was a masterful composer with an extraordinary body of work and incredible tenure at the LSU School of Music, having begun his teaching at the institution in 1966 and holding the rank of Boyd Professor from 1986 until his passing. Throughout his illustrious career as a composer, teacher, violinist, and conductor, he amassed an impressive array of grants, commissions, and awards, and tirelessly used those successes for the betterment of his students at LSU.
Dr. Constantinides studied music theory and violin at the Greek Conservatory in Athens and violin under Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School of Music. He received a master’s degree in violin from Indiana University and doctorate in composition from Michigan State University. He began his career as a violinist, playing with the State Orchestra of Athens in Greece, and later became concertmaster of the Baton Rouge Symphony. The director of the prestigious LSU Festival of Contemporary Music for 22 years, Dr. Consantinides also founded and directed LSU's New Music Ensemble and the Louisiana Sinfonietta.
In 2017, Dr. Constantinides and his beloved wife, Judy, solidifed their unrelenting support of LSU’s music program by establishing the Constantinides New Music Ensemble Endowment, which provided for the creation and support of the Constantinides New Music Ensemble.