Dear colleagues, students, and community members,
I’m delighted to announce that musical performance at Washington University is ramping back up this semester! Of course, study and performance in the Music Department never truly stopped during the Fall. Looking at our rich and varied schedule for the Spring, however, I can’t help but feel like saying, “We’re back!”
After a year of social distancing, many of us are hungry for the connection, immediacy, and excitement of live music. Fortunately, our students and faculty are planning a wide variety of streamed and recorded “live” performances this semester, all available on the Music Department events and social media pages. (All, too, were produced in strict adherence to Washington University’s public-health guidelines.) There is something here for everyone—whether you’d like a short musical break or an hour-long recital experience.
For example:
- Every Friday at noon, we’ll post a Musical Lunchbox—a short recital of students, ensembles, and/or faculty. We posted our first on Friday, Feb. 19, and it will be available all semester. Our inaugural Musical Lunchbox features three students: violinist Steven Ahn playing the first movement of Saint-Saëns’s Violin Concerto No. 3; vocalist Jasmine Jaggers singing “I’m Not That Girl” from Wicked; and vocalist-songwriter Lacy Wilder performing an original song titled “Pont au change.”
- Six (!) graduating seniors will present capstone recitals.
- On March 12, we’ll stream our annual concerto and aria competition.
If you crave intellectual engagement with music as a Humanities discipline, check out our series of guest lectures by renowned scholars from around the country.
This is just a sampling, and our calendar will continue to grow. Please watch our pages! With a few exceptions (the guest lectures), posted performances will remain available for your listening all semester.
I cannot adequately express how proud I am of our faculty, staff, and students. At a historically difficult time for the performing arts, they are offering high-quality, public concerts for our university and community. These streamed performances culminate countless hours of hard work and creative problem solving. Students and faculty figured out how to continue learning and collaborating in remote formats, and staff mastered the production of professional-caliber streamed events.
I of course can’t wait to return the 560 for in-person concerts as soon as it becomes possible. Until then, I look forward to experiencing online what our department has to offer!
Sincerely,
Alexander Stefaniak
Interim Chair of Music
Associate Professor of Musicology
