DANBURY, CONN. — Renowned female composers Joan Tower and Laura Kaminsky will discuss their compositional philosophies at a “Meet the Composer” event at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, in Ives Concert Hall in White Hall on the Western Connecticut State University Midtown campus.

At 8 p.m., also in Ives Concert Hall, the Manhattan String Quartet will perform a tribute to composers such as Tower and Kaminsky with a program of works by American women composers. In celebration of Tower’s 70th birthday, the MSQ will perform her composition, “Incandescent.” Tickets will be $25 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, non-WCSU students, and WestConn faculty and staff. WestConn students with valid I.D. will be admitted free.

Tower’s music is noted for a number of defining qualities, including driving rhythms and colorful orchestrations influenced by a childhood spent in South America; approachability for listeners and players alike, and her own performances as a pianist. She has written multiple works paying homage to composers such as Beethoven, Stravinsky and Copland. Tower was the first composer chosen for a Ford Made in America consortium commission, “Made in America.” The resulting top-selling recording won three 2008 Grammy awards, including Best Classical Contemporary Composition.

Kaminsky is the curator of music programs at New York City’s renowned Symphony Space, known nationally for its Selected Shorts program, Wall-to-Wall annual marathon concerts and Bloomsday celebration. She served as dean of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College from mid-2004 to mid-2008. Kaminsky also is co-founder and artistic director of Musicians Accord, a new music collective based in New York and dedicated to 20th and 21st century chamber music. Her music is published by Subito Music Corporation and recorded on the CRI and Mode labels.

For more information, call (203) 837-8350. For tickets, call (203) 837-8499 or visit www.wcsu.edu/tickets.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.