Alea III is the contemporary music ensemble in residence at Boston University, a group devoted to promoting, playing, and teaching music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Founded in 1978, Alea III is the third such group organized by Theodore Antoniou. The ensemble is consistent with the music it embraces---flexible in size, open to experiment and to exploration. Over the years, Alea III has offered world-premiere opportunities for dozens of contemporary composers, often under the composer's direction, and with extended program notes or comments. The group has performed more than 1.645 works by 906 composers--most of them living. Frequent international touring has enhanced the relationships of American performers with their colleagues and composers from other parts of the world. With its inspiration, several other contemporary groups have been formed, offering growing opportunity to young composers and musicians to play and comprehend contemporary music.

The Greek word alea taken from Homer, means "to wander." In Latin, it refers to "a die or dice used for playing at games of chance." Aleatoric music indicates music based upon the principles of indeterminacy as evidenced by certain random and/or statistical composition procedures. Regarding the ensemble, aleatoric is concerned with the expression of multiple musical directions, historical styles, and performance practices.

Learn About Theodore Antoniou, Founder