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I Hear America:
Gunther Schuller
at 80
November 2005
Renowned as a composer, conductor, historian, publisher, hornist, and educator, Gunther Schuller is a key witness to American musical culture. In his pioneering study Early Jazz, his rediscovery of ragtime, his championing of the American symphonists; in his transcriptions of Ellington, and his recording of Babbitt; during his presidency of New England Conservatory, and his leadership of the Tanglewood Music Center, Gunther Schuller heard America. As he turns 80, we have an opportunity to understand more fully the significance of Schuller's work. He wrote America and he read America--in a manner as diverse and expressive as the United States itself.
--festival director Bruce Brubaker
Download a PDF of Bruce Brubaker's program notes.
Monday, November 14
Tonight's concert is an all-Schuller program, performed by the Ariel String Quartet, Ken Schaphorst conducting NEC jazz students, John Heiss conducting the NEC Contemporary Ensemble, Frank Epstein conducting the NEC Percussion Ensemble.
Fanfare for 12 trumpets, Conversations for jazz quartet and string quartet, Perpetuum mobile for four muted horns and bassoon, Jumpin' in the Future, Schuller's transcriptions of Duke Ellington's Daybreak Express, Cottontail, and Richard Rodgers's Blue Moon, the Boston premiere of Grand Concerto for Percussion and Keyboards. Schuller's Grand Concerto for Percussion and Keyboards is the second in a series of works commissioned by Bradford and Dorothea Royer Endicott for the NEC Percussion Ensemble.
8pm
NEC’s Jordan Hall
Free
Tuesday, November 15
"Towards an American Repertory" discussed by a panel including Gunther Schuller and James Levine, moderated by Richard Dyer.
5pm
Williams Hall
Free
Tonight's concert introduces the New New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble, a revival of the Grammy Award-winning ensemble introduced by Gunther Schuller during his NEC presidency. Original ensemble member Bruce Creditor '75, '77 M.M. leads a group of NEC students in works by Scott Joplin, Zez Confrey, Rob Carriker, James Reese Europe, and Gunther Schuller. NEC alums Bo Winiker '77 DP and Bob Couture '80 join the Ensemble in works by Jelly Roll Morton.
8pm
NEC’s Jordan Hall
Free
Wednesday, November 16
As part of Harvard's "Learning from Performers" series, Robert Levin moderates a conversation between Gunther Schuller and composition students from Harvard and NEC.
3pm
Sanders Theatre
Harvard University
Free
Tonight's concert is an all-Schuller program, performed by Don Palma conducting NEC students, Ran Blake, Prudence Steiner, Hankus Netsky and the Jewish Music Ensemble, and more than a dozen NEC Contemporary Improvisation student soloists, Charles Peltz conducting the NEC Wind Ensemble with Angelia Cho, violin, and cellist Song-Ie Do.
Chimeric Images for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, and piano; Fantasy for solo cello; improvisations on Schuller's "Magic Row"; and Song and Dance
8pm
NEC’s Jordan Hall
Free
NEC's Schuller festival serves as a crash course leading into Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts (November 19 and 22) on which James Levine will conduct Schuller's Spectra along with works by Mozart and Debussy. BSO ticket holders will hear a pre-concert lecture on Spectra by NEC faculty member Helen Greenwald.