Julia Perry Centenary Symposium & Concert
September 27–28, 2024 - 560 Music Center
The Julia Perry Centenary Symposium and Concert, held September 27–28, 2024, at Washington University in St. Louis, was organized by Ph.D. candidates in musicology Tad Biggs and Christina Smiley. This free, public event celebrated the 100th anniversary of Black modernist composer Julia Perry (1924–1979), shining a long-overdue spotlight on her contributions to American classical music. The symposium opened with a roundtable moderated by Smiley and featuring mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford, musicologist Dr. Gayle Murchison, and scholar-performers Dr. Samantha Ege and Dr. Louise Toppin, who discussed Perry’s impact on Black musical modernism and the complexities of reviving her work. The next day, Ege, Toppin, Murchison, Dr. Ryan Dohoney, and Dr. Kendra Preston Leonard presented lectures exploring Perry’s compositional style, gender and racial dynamics, Metamodernism, Afromodernism, and her engagement with Cold War politics.
The culminating concert, held at the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall, featured a powerful program entirely of Perry’s music, performed by a distinguished ensemble of musicians. Lucia Bradford performed two of Perry’s spiritual settings and her acclaimed Stabat Mater (1951), while Baritone Thandolwethu Mamba presented two rarely heard works—Six Contrasts for Baritone and Piano (1954) and Quinary Quixotic Songs (1976). Additional selections included Prelude for Piano (1962) and Pastoral for Flute and String Sextet (1959), led by WashU conductor-in-residence Darwin Aquino and performed by musicians of Chamber Project St. Louis and WashU faculty. Co-sponsored by the WashU Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity and Chamber Project St. Louis, this free public concert offered the St. Louis community a rare opportunity to experience the music of a trailblazing composer whose work is finally receiving long-overdue recognition.
All events produced with the kind cooperation of the Julia Perry Estate in Akron, OH.
Nicole Mitchell, creative flutist/composer/poet
November 22, 2024 - 560 Music Center
Nicole Mitchell took the stage backed by a group of favorite local jazz musicians to present an evening of exciting new music. Nicole Mitchell's career as an award-winning flutist, composer, recording artist, and educator has left a lasting mark on the world of jazz and beyond. Her innovative approach to music, combined with her dedication to social justice and education, has established her as a leading figure in contemporary creative music. Nicole Mitchell Sextet: Ben Dicke, drums, Paul Steinbeck, bass, Daniel Herrera, piano, Dustin Shrum, trumpet, and Kendrick Smith, saxophones.
In partnership with New Music Circle
Co-sponsors: WashU African and African-American Studies, Center for the Humanities, Department of English, Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity, and The Center for the Literary Arts
Financial assistance for this project has been provided by the the Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council.
Zlatomir Fung, cello and Juho Pohjonen, piano with Erin Schreiber, violin - Featuring Christopher Stark's Other Pines
October 20, 2024 - 560 Music Center
Illustrious Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen was joined by Juilliard faculty member Zlatomir Fung, the youngest cellist to win 1st prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, in a recital of impressive duos by Prokofiev, Say, and Debussy. St. Louis’ own violin star Erin Schreiber joined the duo for Christopher Stark’s composition Other Pines.
48 St. Stephen featuring a World Premiere by Christopher Stark
October 28, 2023 – 560 Music Center
Award-winning duo 48 St. Stephen performed works by Bach, Walker, Messiaen, and a world premiere of Cocci di tempo by WashU composer Christopher Stark.
This commission has been made possible by the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program, with generous funding provided by The Mellon Foundation.
Roscoe Mitchell: Sound and Vision
October 13, 2023 - 560 Music Center
Pioneering composer and multi-instrumentalist Roscoe Mitchell presented works that highlight the connections between his music and his decades-long painting practice, including an excerpt of a collaborative audiovisual work with Washington University composer/electronic musician Christopher Douthitt and the Princeton Laptop Orchestra. The performance, presentation, and audience Q&A were hosted by Washington University's Paul Steinbeck, a leading scholar of Mitchell’s music.
Co-sponsors: Center for the Humanities & Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity
Unheard-of Ensemble: Fire Ecologies
November 4, 2022 - 560 Music Center (Harold Blumenfeld Event)
Unheard-of performed Fire Ecologies, a fifty-five-minute unique musical and visual experience that explores American landscapes through the lens of climate change. Composer Christopher Stark and video artist Zlatko Ćosić embarked on a journey across the United States, capturing audio and video for this multimedia experience. The work incorporates field recordings of the 2020 California wildfires along with sonic and visual imagery from Chris's trip across Montana, Oregon, and California, as well as parts of Colorado. Zlatko gathered footage from the American heartland surrounding Missouri, as well as long-form explorations of nature surrounding St. Louis. Stark created a work that can be experienced both in concert halls as well as in nature, from gallery spaces to the Gowanus Canal.
Co-sponsored by Center for the Humanities
The Music Makers: 75 Years of Composition and Performance, with a tribute to Robert Wykes
April 10, 2022 – 560 Music Center
This concert celebrated 75 years of music-making at Washington University by showcasing a number of our alumni composers and performers, and paid tribute to recently deceased faculty composer Robert Wykes, well-known for his musical score heard during the film Monument to a Dream about the building of the Arch. This concert featured alumni Jonathan Heaney, Anne Nagosky, Cole Reyes, and Rhian Samuel.
A Conversation with Angélique Kidjo
February 13, 2020 – Women’s Building Formal Lounge
Three-time Grammy-winner Angélique Kidjo is a true global superstar who has recorded 13 albums and performed at top venues around the world. Kidjo discussed her career, influences, and musical journey in this conversation led by Lauren Eldridge Stewart, Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology.
Co-sponsored by the Department of African and African-American Studies and the Sheldon Arts Foundation
The Bridge #2.2
November 14, 2019 – 560 Music Center
The Bridge intends to form such a network for exchange, production, and diffusion, to build a transatlantic bridge that will be crossed on a regular basis by French and American musicians as part of collaborative projects.
Co-sponsored by the Center for the Humanities, American Culture Studies, Jazz at Holmes, and International and Area Studies
The Bridge #2.2 experimental residencies have been made possible through the Jazz & New Music, a program of FACE Foundation, in partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States
Lecture/Demonstration: 'Afro-Brazilian Music and Dance of Backlands Bahia'
September 29, 2019
In this lecture-demonstration, hosted and translated by Dr. Esther Viola Kurtz, Mestre Cláudio introduced participants to Afro-Brazilian music and dance practices of his region, the backlands of Bahia. He also discussed the significance of black popular culture to the black resistance movement in Brazil.
Jazz at Holmes: Mwata Bowden Group
March 28, 2019 & March 28, 2014 - Holmes Lounge
Multi-instrumentalist Mwata Bowden (a former president of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and his longtime collaborator Paul Steinbeck presented a program of their original compositions.
Co-sponsors: Division of Student Affairs, Office of the Provost, Student Union, Congress of the South 40, University College, and the Danforth University Center & Event Management.
In partnership with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians Artist from Chicago.
Eighth Blackbird: In conversation, moderated by Christopher Stark and LJ White
February 15, 2019 – 560 Music Center
Contemporary ensemble Eight Blackbird hailed as “…one of the smartest, most dynamic contemporary classical ensembles on the planet.” by the Chicago Tribune performed several new commissions in addition to a program of distinctive new works. A conversation moderated by WashU Music faculty Christopher Stark and LJ White preceded the concert.
Monument to the Dream, film showing with live orchestra
October 27, 2018 – The Museum at Gateway Arch National Park
This special event featured a unique showing of Monument to the Dream, the documentary film about the building of the Arch, produced by Charles Guggenheim. Marking the 50th anniversary of the film's nomination for an Oscar, a live orchestra performed its musical score by Robert Wykes in the newly renovated Gateway Arch Museum. The concert also featured musical excerpts from Wykes's score for a second Charles Guggenheim production, Time of the West. The event occurred in conjunction with the annual Arch Builders' Reunion hosted by the National Park Service.
In partnership with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation and the National Park Service with assistance from Guggenheim Productions Inc.
Music and Racial Segregation in Twentieth-Century St. Louis
April 11, 2018 - Missouri History Museum
St. Louis, notorious for its history of racial segregation but also widely celebrated for its vibrant musical heritage, provides a significant test case for questions about the connections between music and segregation in urban life. The archives of both Washington University in St. Louis and the Missouri History Museum hold many materials related to this rich history. Patrick Burke, Associate Professor of Music at Washington University in St. Louis, presented the results of research he oversaw during the 2016-2017 academic year, which became an online exhibit telling the stories of five moments, spanning the years from 1923 to 1949, when St. Louis musical institutions either perpetuated practices of segregation or sought to resist them.
BE JUST! The Chamber Music of Martin Bresnick & Open Rehearsal
April 9, 2018 – 560 Music Center
In conjunction with WashU Music, Christopher Stark, and the Missouri Chamber Music Festival (MOCM) presented a concert focusing on the brilliant compositions of Martin Bresnick. Also on the program was music of Christopher Stark and Béla Bartók. This event also included an open rehearsal available to the public.
Co-sponsors: The Missouri Chamber Music Festival and KWUR, 90.3 FM
Momenta Quartet featuring a World Premiere by Christopher Stark
May 4, 2018 – 560 Music Center
Before the world premiere of Summer into Fall and the Missouri premiere of Spring Music, both from Seasonal Music by faculty composer Christopher Stark, a discussion was led by the composer about his works.
Sponsored by David and Melanie Alpers
Borgia Infami: An opera in English in two acts by Harold Blumenfeld (world premiere) & Opera Preview Panel Discussion “Borgia Infami: Real and Imagined”
September 19, 2017 (Panel) September 30 & October 1 - Edison Theatre
Reflecting on the place and importance of the Borgias in history, art, and music, panelists Craig Monson, Dolores Pesce, and William Wallace set the stage for the premiere of Borgia Infami by composer Harold Blumenfeld and librettist Charles Kondek. Blumenfeld was a respected composer who taught at WashU from 1950-1989. This production was presented in collaboration with Winter Opera St. Louis with Scott Schoonover, conductor, Lindsey Anderson, soprano, Jacob Lassetter, baritone, Andrew Potter, bass, and John Kaneklides, tenor.
Symposium and Masterclass with Ralph Towner
February 18, 2017 - Danforth University Center
The Symposium on the Music of Ralph Towner presented Mr. Towner in discussion with faculty member William Lenihan on the many facets of Towner’s musical approach and career including his extensive recording catalog. WashU has had a longstanding relationship with Ralph Towner, presenting him in discussions and performances.
Sonic Visions: Jazz and Improvised Music to Avant-Garde Films
April 9, 2016 - Brown Hall Auditorium
In this exciting, one-night event, a jazz trio performed improvised music to a selection of short experimental films from around the world. The performance featured two St. Louis musicians, saxophonist Joel Vanderheyden and bassist Paul Steinbeck, with a Chicago-born, New York-based icon, percussionist Thurman Barker. Films by Stan Brakhage, Peter Kubelka, and other legendary avant-garde filmmakers were shown on rarely-screened 35 millimeter film prints. Sonic Visions was deeply interactive, with unscripted sounds and expressive images combining to create a one-of-a-kind intermedia experience.
Jazz at Holmes: Thurman Barker Quartet
April 8, 2016 - Holmes Lounge
Jazz at Holmes presented the founding member of the AACM, percussionist Barker. Thurman Barker has performed with Chicago-based musicians Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Joseph Jarman, Muhal Richard Abrams, and later Anthony Braxton. By 1986, Barker played in Cecil Taylor’s Unit, further developing his open, exploratory style of playing. Later, Mr. Barker added the marimba and other percussion instruments to his sound, playing with Billy Bang’s The Fire From Within. He was joined by bassist and Washington University professor of music Paul Steinbeck and St. Louis-based sidemen. Barker is an associate professor of music at Bard College.