Students who composed their own music and recruited performers will get a chance to show off their work at a Composers’ Forum 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Doudna Fine Arts Center Recital Hall.

Bradley Decker, a music composition and theory professor, said the students are the ones making the concert happen.

“It’s a lot of work, but also very rewarding,” he said.

Decker is one of the coordinators for the forum and helped the participating students organize their work.

He said the concert is a program of new works by Eastern students who are musical composers.

Most of these students have written the pieces during the current semester or previous semesters.

The concert will feature eight pieces created by five student composers.

Junior Jessica French and senior Ben Damann are studying for a bachelor’s in music in the performance-composition program; junior Michael Winslow and sophomore Dean Evinger are in the Bachelor of Arts composition program; and graduate student Courtland Walters is in the Master of Arts music program.

“The goal of taking composition lessons here at EIU is to get your work completed and performed on the Composers’ Forum,” Decker said. “These concerts happen once each term, so it’s connected with the composition curriculum. Those who have music prepared and are able to work with their groups to rehearse it in time are able to participate in the Composers’ Forum.”

Decker said the pieces vary in style and students are encouraged to write “in their own unique, musical voice.”

Eastern has hosted the Composers’ Forum every academic term for over 37 years.

Before and after the program, the featured students’ scores or their written music will be on display for people to see.

Admission is free and the concert is open to the public.

“It’s usually a very fun and eclectic event featuring the premieres of many different types of music,” Decker said.

Angelica Cataldo can be reached at 581-2812 or amcataldo@eiu.edu.