ABOUT
Terminus Ensemble of Contemporary Music was founded in 2011 to promote new classical music by composers based in Atlanta, Georgia. As the end of the Western & Atlantic Railroad, Terminus was the original name of Atlanta; however, “terminus” does not only mean "the end", but also "boundary." In this spirit, our ensemble seeks to explore the boundaries of contemporary art music while showcasing music made primarily by natives and residents of Atlanta. Terminus has commissioned several short compositions and performed dozens of works by local composers in our more than ten years on the Atlanta new music scene.
UPCOMING CONCERTS
February 1, 2025
smol ensemble & Terminus Ensemble featuring
saxophonist Jack Thorpe at the SoundNOW Festival
Florence Kopleff Recital Hall Georgia State University School Of Music
15 Gilmer St SE, Atlanta, Georgia 30303
8:00 pm
FREE
Program information coming soon.
Terminus Performers:
Matthieu Clavé, flute
Tim Fitzgerald, clarinet
Shadwa Mussad, violin
Katie Taylor, viola
Dominic Ryder, percussion
ARTISTIC BOARD
SARAH HERSH
Artistic Director
Sarah Hersh (she/her) is a composer and new music advocate who is particularly interested in promoting the music of composers from underrepresented groups. Her work has been performed around the world by a variety of ensembles, including Clarinets for Conservation, Daraja Music Initiative, Duo46, Duo Neue Musik, Diagenesis, Height Difference Duo, Juxtatonal, Out of Bounds Ensemble, the Florida Chamber Saxophonists, Transient Canvas, and others. She currently teaches composition at the University of West Georgia. For more information, please visit her personal website.
BRENT MILAM
Artistic Director
Brent Milam has remained continually active as both performer and composer since 1986. His music, characterized by shifts of timbre, pointillistic textures, jazz-influenced harmonies, rhythmic complexity, and spectral manipulation, has won multiple contests and been featured at both regional and national conferences for professional composers. He has also performed and recorded professionally with jazz, blues, funk, and new music ensembles. For more information, please visit his personal website.
PERFORMERS
AMY CAPUTO
Flute
Amy has been playing flute with Terminus since 2017.
LAUREN MURPHY
Clarinet/Bass Clarinet
From Powder Springs, Georgia, Lauren W. Murphy is a clarinetist, bass clarinetist, and music educator in the Atlanta area, specializing in clarinet performance and instruction. Lauren received her BM in Clarinet Performance and Music Therapy from Illinois State University in 2013 and her MM in Clarinet Performance from Georgia State University in 2018. A passionate clarinet pedagogue, she is in demand in Atlanta as a clarinet technician and works with many school clarinet sections. Lauren maintains a private clarinet, saxophone, and piano studio, leading many students to District Honor Band and All-State successes as well as competitive youth ensembles. Lauren has performed with the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, the Gwinnett Ballet Orchestra, Terminus Ensemble, and Chamber Cartel; with Tara Winds at the prestigious Midwest Clinic; as a guest artist with Bent Frequency performing John Luther Adams’ Sila: the Breath of the World; and at the International Saxophone Symposium and the North American Saxophone Alliance in 2017 and 2018 with woodwind trio International Counterpoint. In July 2017, Lauren attended the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy with the trio to commission and premiere new music. She looks forward to performing at ClarinetFest in Knoxville in summer 2019!
BRANDYN TAYLOR
Saxophones
Atlanta-based saxophonist Brandyn Taylor is the private lessons coordinator and assistant director of marching band at the Wesleyan School, and a member of the 116th United States Army Band. In addition to mentoring a thriving private studio of students from across the metropolitan region, he has been an instructor of saxophone at Georgia State University and Georgia Southern University and is in demand as a clinician throughout the state. Brandyn has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Ballet, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Saxophone Quartet, Bent Frequency, Terminus Ensemble, and Chamber Cartel. Since 2012, he has been an active jazz and commercial recording artist in the Atlanta area, having been featured on singer-songwriter Ellis Paul's most recent album, "Chasing Beauty," as well as several commercial recordings with Brandon Bush of the band Sugarland. He made his Nashville recording debut in the summer of 2014 with the band RYE. Brandyn holds degrees in music performance from Columbus State University and Georgia State University. His primary teachers include Dr. Alexander Pershounin, Dr. Jan Berry Baker, and additional studies with Dr. Frederick Hemke, Joseph Lulloff , and Mace Hibbard. Brandyn is a Vandoren Regional Artist.
KATIE TAYLOR
Viola
Katie has been playing viola with Terminus since 2017.
DOMINIC RYDER
Percussion
Dominic has been playing percussion with Terminus since 2017.
