An eclectic mix of songs made from computers, saxophone improv and an original composition written for a Truman band are just a few of the performances set for this year’s New Horizons Music Festival on the university’s campus.

This year’s festival will welcome electronic musician Nathaniel Bartlett and duo Binary Canary, which features Truman alumni Ted Moore. Charles Gran, a music professor at Truman and the lead organizer of the event, said the guests produce electronic music, but not the kind associated with the dancefloor.

“(Binary Canary) does these sort of ‘sound events,’” Gran said. “There’s these cool sounds coming out of the computer, and there’s video and improvisation on the saxophone. It’s almost like being in a movie.”

Gran describes Bartlett, the other guest artist this year, as a percussionist that uses a computer and a specialized surround-sound speaker system to create “swirling, vortex-like” sounds.

During the past 15 years, the festival has brought a mix of unorthodox musical genres to the region, along with performances by student musicians. The first day of the festival features presentations from visiting artists about the process of creating their music. Gran said these portions have attracted students and local residents alike because it gives them an inside look at a new style of music outside the mainstream.

“This is an opportunity for people to experience other kinds of music making, to have those new experiences,” Gran said.

The first half of the festival’s concert day usually features artists that specialize in genres outside of the mainstream. Sometimes, early-performing artists come to Truman with themed material. Gran said past festivals exclusively featured brand-new musicals or asked artists to create sound accompaniments to new pieces housed in the university’s art gallery.

The second half features original compositions performed for the first time. Some of these original compositions are written by Truman professors and students, while others are created and performed by outside guests.

Many of the new pieces stay within the genre of the band performing them, but the composers who create the new songs often attempt to make new sounds and ideas with instruments that haven’t been attempted before, Gran said.

Christina Scocchera, president of music sorority Sigma Alpha Iota and a student organizer of the event, said this year’s festival received a grant from Truman’s Fund Allotment Council to hire composer Michael Ippolito to compose a new piece for Truman’s Wind Symphony I. So far, students are excited to work with Ippolito as he prepares his piece.

“If we have any questions about parts, like, ‘why did he do this’, or, ‘why did he give this certain part to the piccolo instead of the saxophone?’” Scocchera said. “It helps gives composition students and students in general a better sense of how music is written.”

Gran said the later portion of the concert has attracted local residents over the years because it features multiple styles of bands, from trumpet ensembles to string quartets, playing over the course of the night.

“It’s one different kind of group after another,” Gran said. “You get to hear all kinds of different pieces and styles all in one place.”

The New Horizons Music Festival will be held at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday in Truman State University’s Ophelia Parrish. All events are free to the public. Questions about the event can be sent to newhorizonsmusicfestival@gmail.com.