Nebojsa S. Macura


Neb playing a contrabass balalaika

Born in 1982 in Belgrade, Serbia, Nebojsa (Neb) Macura has resided in North America since 1990. He holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (DMA), University of British Columbia (MM), and University of Wisconsin-Madison (BM). His composition teachers include Joel Hoffman, Ellen Harrison, Stephen Chatman, Dorothy Chang, Stephen Dembski, Laura Schwendinger, Joel Naumann, and Scott Gendel.

A prolific composer specializing in instrumental chamber music and works for wind band, Neb has received performances in 22 US states and 3 Canadian provinces, as well as Bolivia, Brazil, Croatia, and Israel. His music has been featured at the SCI National and Regional Conferences, Sonic Boom Festival, Midwest Composers Symposium, CBDNA Southern Division Conference, Midwest Graduate Music Consortium, New Dischord Festival, and MusicX.

Ensembles that have performed Neb's compositions include the Denver Municipal Band, Quad City Wind Ensemble, Cuatro Puntos, CCM Chamber Players, University of South Carolina Symphonic Winds, University of Iowa Chamber Orchestra, and Turning Point Ensemble. In addition, he has participated in workshops by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Standing Wave Ensemble, and Borealis String Quartet.

Neb has a strong interest in string instruments of all shapes and sizes. Currently, he plays viola in the Middleton Community Orchestra and fretted strings in the folk bands Karavay and Blue Accordion & Friends. He has also performed with the University of Wisconsin Russian Folk Orchestra and BDAA Festival Orchestra.

contact: nebmac(at)gmail.com

Recent and Upcoming Performances

February 22, 2023 7:30pm
An Unquiet Overture
Middleton Community Orchestra
Christopher Ramaekers, conductor
Middleton Performing Arts Center
Middleton, WI

May 28, 2022 4:30pm Central Time
Long Green Weeks: A Summer Fantasy
Ascending Duo
SCI Online National Conference
live stream online

March 17, 2022 7:30pm
Polar Night
Middleton High School Symphony Orchestra
Steve Kurr, conductor
Middleton Performing Arts Center
Middleton, WI

Selected Works

[see "Compositions" below for audio and score samples]

more audio samples available here

 Book of Lamentations (2022) 15'
saxophone quartet

Best Friends ForeBEAR (2021) 11'
music for the eponymous film
alto flute, bass clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano
commissioned by Access Contemporary Music

I, Lover (2021) 5'
SATB choir, string bass, piano

Long Green Weeks: A Summer Fantasy (2021) 7'
violin, piano

Unsettled Spring (2020) 5'
flute, vibraphone

While I held the lovely thoughts concealed (2020) 8'
viola, piano

Diaspora (2019) 12'
alto flute, piano

An Unquiet Overture (2019) 4'
symphony orchestra

Upon the Silent Shore of Memory (2019) 12'
2 violins, viola, cello, string bass, piano
commissioned by Dr. Srdjan Babovic and
Dr. Dusica Babovic-Vuksanovic

Dances from Imagined Lands (2018) 12'
string orchestra

Wedding Rhapsody (2018) 5'
violin, piano
commissioned by Dr. Srdjan Babovic and
Dr. Dusica Babovic-Vuksanovic

Breakup Music (2017) 7'
violin, viola

Polar Night (2017) 5'
version 1: Russian folk instrument orchestra
version 2: symphony orchestra

Sonata for Flutes (2016) 8'
solo flute and flute choir
commissioned by the University of Victoria Flute Choir,
Suzanne Snizek, director

Vast Plains of Nostalgia (2016) 5'
chamber ensemble
commissioned by the William and Mary
Russian Music Ensemble,
Jonathan Johnston, director

Until Peace, the Storm (2015) 6'
3 trombones, bass trombone
composed for the Elysian Trombone Consort

 Symphony No. 1 (2015) 20'
wind ensemble
commissioned by a consortium of 15 ensembles
organized by
Jared Chase, Director of Wind Studies, Nazareth College

Five Etudes (2014) 10'
baritone ukulele or octave mandolin

Tempest Chochek (2014) 5'
solo tuba, wind ensemble
composed for Timothy Northcut,
Associate Professor of Tuba,
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

 Tableaux d'hiver (2013) 11'
wind ensemble
commissioned by the
Central Connecticut State University Wind Ensemble,
Lauren Reynolds, conductor

Rondo Alla Balcanica (2013) 7'
version 1: flute, alto saxophone
composed for the Awea Duo
version 2: Eb clarinet, tenor saxophone
version 3: piccolo/flute/alto flute, marimba/vibes

In the Early Dawn (2012) 1'
oud
composed for Marina Toshich and
the Fifteen Minutes of Fame project

Summer Night (2012) 8'
wind ensemble

Two-Headed Oro (2012) 1'
clarinet
composed for Bruce Curlette and
the Fifteen Minutes of Fame project

Six-Year Interlude (2011) 8'
**Winner, Cuatro Puntos Award,
Zvi Zeitlin Memorial International Composer's Competition**
version 1: flute, viola, harp (or piano)
version 2: flute, alto flute, bass flute, piano
version 3: flute, solo viola, string quintet

Piano Concerto (2011) 27'
piano, wind ensemble

Chochek Rhapsody (2010) 9'
concert band
commissioned by the
Xavier University Symphonic Wind Ensemble,
Matthew Westgate, conductor

Colours of the Earth (2010) 10'
chamber ensemble

Mind States (2010) 15'
trombone, piano
commissioned by Timothy Anderson,
Assistant Professor of Trombone,
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

Music for a Serbian Celebration (2010) 6'
trumpet, string quartet, piano four hands
commissioned by Dr. Srdjan Babovic and
Dr. Dusica Babovic-Vuksanovic

Mr. Ravenscroft's Haunting (2009) 4'
fixed-format electronics

Second Nocturne (2009) 4'
clarinet, piano

Chamber Music No. 5 - Insomniac Dreams (2008) 9'
bass clarinet, cello

Echoes of Rascia (2008) 10'
wind ensemble or concert band
**Finalist, 2nd International Frank Ticheli
Composition Contest**

For the Impossible Dream (2007) 8'
viola, piano

Sprawl-Dystopia (2007) 10'
symphony orchestra

Reflections on Solitude (2005) 7'
chamber ensemble
**Honorable Mention, 2008 Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Student Composition Contest,
University of Cincinnati**

Compositions

Echoes of Rascia
0:00
Rascia is the Latin name for Raška, a medieval state in southeastern Europe populated by the Serbian people, and a predecessor to the modern-day Republic of Serbia. While the rich history of its liturgical chant is well documented, little is known about other types of Serbian music from the Middle Ages.

Echoes of Rascia draws upon the musical traditions, both real and imagined, of this bygone era. Except for a quote from a Serbian Orthodox (Christian) hymn, first played by the flugelhorn at the beginning of the piece, all the thematic material is original. This work is dedicated to Prof. Rodney Winther, Director of Wind Studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, in gratitude for his ongoing guidance and support.
Six-Year Interlude
0:00
In 2011, I was unexpectedly reunited with someone who had been very dear to me. Although we had promised to keep in touch after graduating from university in 2005, life got in the way until a chance encounter at our alma mater brought us back together. This composition is my reaction to that event and its impact on my life.
Chochek Rhapsody
0:00
In several countries of southeastern Europe, the term chochek refers to a type of folk dance, as well as the associated musical genre, both of which developed under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Characterized by syncopated rhythms and energetic melodies, the music is traditionally performed by an ensemble of brass instruments and drums, sometimes also including clarinets or saxophones.

While this musical heritage was the main source of inspiration, the creation of Chochek Rhapsody was also shaped by the study of wind music from the “classical” tradition of North America and western Europe, particularly the rich variety of tone colors found in the wind band.
Second Nocturne
0:00
In 2002, shortly before changing my undergraduate major from meteorology to music composition, I wrote a Nocturne for clarinet and piano. While not entirely ineffectual, the piece was constrained by my younger self’s deficiencies in technical skill and limited aesthetic outlook. The Second Nocturne, composed seven years later, is intended as a more mature response to that earlier piece.