The news seemed so odd – what relevance does Bob Dylan have now? Is his work literature? Which work, or works, merit this prize? If the prize is in recognition of a body of work, where is the corpus? The collection? What does Dylan mean to those interested in what was, at least in the past,…Continue Reading Bob Dylan Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature
Collection Spotlight: Maria Ascarra papers
Maria Ascarra was an actress who performed in multiple productions around the United States. The principal material in this collection was collected during her prime performing years in New York City and elsewhere. The collection includes clippings, correspondence, ephemera, documents, programs, publicity, published works, scripts and 3 dimensional objects (primarily theatre props) relating to theatre,…Continue Reading Collection Spotlight: Maria Ascarra papers
Get in formation: a Lemonade syllabus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okGJ-Fto36Q Many of us have been on an emotional rollercoaster since Beyoncé gifted us with her visual album Lemonade on April 23. Putting aside our concern for Bey and Jay’s marriage, the album itself is aurally and visually stunning and has received high critical acclaim. Lemonade premiered on HBO, and being especially proud of the part they played in its…Continue Reading Get in formation: a Lemonade syllabus
David Bowie as art critic
Following the announcement of David Bowie’s death in January, a number of memorials have been published praising and critiquing the singer’s other contributions in the arts. Indeed, he was not just a cultural icon involved in music, fashion, film, and theater; in the 1990s, he also wrote about contemporary art….Continue Reading David Bowie as art critic
Ed Bland: American urban classical composer
Several years ago when I was brainstorming for a doctoral performance project, I knew that I wanted to deal with something that had to deal with African-American composers. This was because through all my studies I found that black composers were seldom represented in the classroom and on the performance stage. After some initial research…Continue Reading Ed Bland: American urban classical composer
Pictorial: Meadows singers learn from masters Jake Heggie, Joyce DiDonato, and Frederica von Stade
On November 3, Mezzo sopranos Joyce DiDonato and Frederica von Stade and composer Jake Heggie took time between performances of Heggie’s opera Great Scott to give a master class for singers in the Division of Music in the Meadows School of the Arts. Five students performed art songs and opera arias for the artists…Continue Reading Pictorial: Meadows singers learn from masters Jake Heggie, Joyce DiDonato, and Frederica von Stade
Pierre Boulez (1925-2016): A personal remembrance
Composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, one of the most influential musical figures of the second half of the twentieth century, passed away on Tuesday, January 5. Since then, multiple news organizations have published lengthy assessments of Boulez and the manner in which he shaped and challenged notions of established concert repertoire as a stalwart advocate…Continue Reading Pierre Boulez (1925-2016): A personal remembrance
Robert Craft (1923-2015): An improbable life
American conductor and musicologist Robert Craft passed away on November 10 at the age of 92. Craft was best known as the advisor and close friend of Igor Stravinsky from 1948 until Stravinsky’s death in 1971; at times, he even lived in the Stravinsky home. But Craft was also a tastemaker in American classical music during…Continue Reading Robert Craft (1923-2015): An improbable life
Great Scott and great voices at SMU
For the second time in less than five years, the Dallas Opera is producing the world premiere of an opera by composer Jake Heggie with the libretto by Terrence McNally. Great Scott opened Friday, October 30th and will continue its run at the Margo and Bill Winspear Opera House through November 15th….Continue Reading Great Scott and great voices at SMU