Festival on the Hill

Festival on the Hill takes place every two years, sponsored by the music department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For this year’s festival, coordinators Mark Katz and Stephen Anderson, both faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, have partnered with the Institute for the Arts and Humanities and the CHAT festival.

This year’s Festival on the Hill features two components: a series of electro-acoustic performances and sound exhibitions coordinated by Anderson, and a two-day event, February 18-19, coordinated by Katz on The Art and Culture of the DJ featuring performances, scholarly presentations and discussions, and a DJ/VJ Dance Party geared toward students.

Represented on this page are Festival on the Hill performances. In addition, Festival on the Hill features:


  • Festival on the Hill: An Electro-Acoustic Concert
    Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
    Memorial Hall
    Free and open to the public

    New digital technology has had significant impact on both popular and classical music production. Evolving from German electronic music and French musique concrète traditions, electro-acoustic music is now a burgeoning field in the world of music composition. Stephen Anderson and his team will debut new electro-acoustic works at this opening concert, which also features a number of premieres.


  • Festival on the Hill: An Electro-Acoustic Student Performance
    Thursday, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
    Person Hall
    Free and open to the public

    Following Tuesday evening’s electro-acoustic concert, this evening’s event will feature student compositions incorporating digital technology. Performers include student composers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Northern Illinois University, University of Oregon and University at Buffalo.


  • Festival on the Hill: Open Charanga Carolina Rehearsal with DJ Radar and Raúl Yañez
    Thursday    , 7:30 to 9:00 p.m.
    Gerrard Hall
    Free and open to the public

    Charanga Carolina, a UNC student ensemble that plays Cuban and salsa music, will offer the world premiere performance of Circulo, a work for turntables and Latin ensemble.  Mark Katz, Festival on the Hill coordinator, commissioned composer Raúl Yañez and turntablist DJ Radar of Phoenix, who have performed their original compositions at Carnegie Hall, to write a work for Charanga Carolina and turntables.  The rehearsal, led by UNC professor and Charanga director, David García, will feature DJ Radar on turntables and Yañez on piano. Afterward, the composers and musicians will explain their work and take questions and feedback from the audience. The rehearsal is part of the Process Series, a project of UNC’s Office of the Executive Director for the Arts directed by Joseph Megel.

  • Festival on the Hill: DJ/VJ Dance Party
    Thursday, 9:30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
    Gerrard Hall
    Free and open to the public

    Wear your dancing shoes! Student, local and visiting DJs will perform from the balconies in this historic building while VJs, or video jockeys, project videos on screens around dancers on the main floor. The Bathysphere, a project described in the program’s exhibition information, runs during the party, allowing participants the chance to interact with motion capture technology during the evening.


  • Festival on the Hill: Charanga Carolina Performance with DJ Radar and Raúl Yañez
    Friday, 8:00 to 10:00 p.m.
    Gerrard Hall
    Free and open to the public

    Following Thursday’s rehearsal, Charanga Carolina performs with DJ Radar on turntables and composer Raúl Yañez on the piano. Charanga Carolina is UNC’s student ensemble that plays Cuban and salsa music under the direction of David García, assistant professor of music at Carolina. Expect dancing during this lively performance.

Festival on the Hill events are free and open to the public, and festival registration is not required to attend.