Graduate Center Launches “Concerts & Conversations” Music Series This Fall

Featuring John Corigliano, Howard Fishman, Greil Marcus, Ursula Oppens, Charles Neidich, Tobias Picker, Joan Morris & William Bolcolm, Robert White

In Fall 2009, Elebash Presents at the Graduate Center will launch a new series of music programs, Concerts & Conversations, featuring enlightening discussions and world-class performances to enrich both the mind and spirit. The first three events in the series will focus on the lyrics of Bob Dylan, contemporary New York composers, and the songs of World War II.

The series will gather luminaries of the music world -- acclaimed musicians, internationally celebrated composers, distinguished music critics, and eminent musicologists -- in the acoustically rich Elebash Recital Hall for six events over the course of the academic year. The recital hall is located on the first floor of the Graduate Center at 365 Fifth Avenue (between 34th & 35th Streets). All programs will begin promptly at 7:00 pm. Tickets, which cost $25 each, may be purchased online at www.gc.cuny.edu/concertsandconversations For further information, please call (212) 817-8215.

Elebash Presents is a new music presentation initiative made possible by the generous support of the Baisley Powell Elebash Fund and showcases the Graduate Center’s highly regarded doctoral program in music. Another, ongoing, music series offered this fall by Elebash Presents is Music in Midtown, which features free lunchtime chamber concerts.

Following are the first three Concerts & Conversations, to take place in Fall 2009:

Thursday, September 17:

Bob Dylan: American Poet
The Musical Settings Inspired by Dylan's Lyrics
7:00–9:00 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
Featuring John Corigliano, Academy Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and Graduate Center distinguished professor; Howard Fishman, acclaimed composer, guitarist, and band leader; and Greil Marcus, noted cultural historian and music critic in conversation about the diverse musical settings of Bob Dylan's lyrics and the blurring of boundaries between classical, jazz, and popular music. The second half of the program will feature a performance of excerpts from Corigliano's "Mr. Tambourine Man" song cycle, performed by soprano Amy Burton, and highlights from Fishman's "Bob Dylan and the Band's 'Basement Tapes' Project."

Wednesday, November 11:

Ursula Oppens and Contemporary New York Composers
A Performance and Discussion
7:00–9:00 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
Ursula Oppens, celebrated pianist and distinguished professor of music at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center, performs works by New York composers John Corigliano, Joan Tower, Tania Leon, and Elliott Carter, and a world premiere by Tobias Picker. Before the performance, several of these eminent composers will join Oppens for a conversation about composition and performance, and what it means to create and play music in New York today. Ms. Oppens will be joined by fellow CUNY faculty member, clarinetist Charles Neidich.

Tuesday, December 15:

Someone Talked!
The Songs of World War II
7:00–9:00 PM, Elebash Recital Hall
Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joan Morris will be joined by her musical partner and husband, the Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning composer/pianist William Bolcom, as well as renowned tenor and Graduate Center faculty member Robert White, for their "Songs of World War II" concert, due for release on CD this fall. NPR host and jazz authority Hazen Schumacher will provide the narration. A conversation between the artists about World War II and its music will precede the performance.

The Graduate Center is devoted primarily to doctoral studies and awards most of the City University of New York’s Ph.D.s. An internationally recognized center for advanced studies and a national model for public doctoral education, the school offers more than thirty doctoral programs as well as a number of master’s programs. Many of its faculty members are among the world’s leading scholars in their respective fields, and its alumni hold major positions in industry and government, as well as in academia. The Graduate Center is also home to more than thirty interdisciplinary research centers and institutes focused on areas of compelling social, civic, cultural, and scientific concerns. Located in a landmark Fifth Avenue building, the Graduate Center has become a vital part of New York City’s intellectual and cultural life with its extensive array of public lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and theatrical events. Further information on the Graduate Center and its programs can be found at www.gc.cuny.edu.