On Friday, May 22 the Music Department held it’s first ever virtual commencement ceremony. Chairperson Perry Goldstein led the ceremony, along with Deborah Heckert, Undergraduate Program Director, and Daniel Weymouth, Graduate Program Director. You can download a copy of the commencement program here.
Congratulations to all of our Winter 2019 and Spring 2020 graduates!
From left: Anahita Abbasi, Aida Shirazi and Niloufar Nourbakhsh, the founders of the Iranian Female Composers Assocation.Credit…From left: Niloufar Shiri; Qmars Kalami; Nosrat Tarighi.
Finally, a Stage for Female Composers From Iran
The founders of the Iranian Female Composers Association focus on programming, commissioning and mentorship.
The British Forum for Ethnomusicology (BFE) recently announced that Dr. Benjamin Tausig, Professor of Ethnomusicology at Stony Brook University, was awarded the 2020 Book Prize.
“We are thrilled to announce that the 2020 BFE Book Prize is awarded to Benjamin Tausig for his 2019 book Bangkok is Ringing: Sound, Protest, and Constraint (New York: OUP). The 2020 Book Prize Panel – Ioannis Tsioulakis (Chair), Britta Sweers and Jonathan Stock – noted that Benjamin’s book “is superbly written—it turns its own pages—and admirably represents the best new writing in ethnomusicology today”. The Commendation for the 2020 competition goes to Angela Impey for her 2018 book Song Walking: Women, Music, and Environmental Justice in an African Borderland (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press). The panel noted that Song Walking is “a beautifully composed book” and stated that it “addresses key issues in today’s world, including women’s rights, environmental access and the inequities of conservation practices and rhetorics.” Huge congratulations to Benjamin and Angela! And many thanks to everyone who submitted, and to our 2020 Book Prize Panel for their hard work in judging the many excellent submissions for our 2020 competition. To read more about both winners and their fantastic monographs, visit the BFE Book Prize page on our website.”
Stony Brook has launched its first-ever official podcast, “Beyond the Expected,” highlighting the expertise, discoveries and service of outstanding members of the Stony Brook University community. Brought to you by the University’s Office of Marketing and Communications, the podcast offers compelling interviews and insightful perspectives from members of the Stony Brook community and beyond.
The 30-minute show features rotating podcast hosts, beginning with inaugural host Interim President Michael A. Bernstein.
“Stony Brook University faculty, staff and students put their heart and soul into their work, which elevates our regional economy and contributes more broadly to areas such as environmental sustainability, healthcare, and social and cultural identity,” Interim President Michael A. Bernstein said. “This podcast will showcase their drive and diversity as we learn about what inspired them when young, and what they’re doing now that helps make Stony Brook the great community partner that it is today.”
Some of the featured guests and topics of discussion:
The inaugural episode features Jazz Artist-In-Residence Thomas Manuel, founding president of The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook Village, who will discuss his work with young jazz musicians and his contributions to the popular community hot spot.
The Stony Brook University Department of Music is proud to announce the appointment of two new faculty members: João Luiz Rezende Lopes, guitar and Jeremy Little , opera and voice.
Two time Latin Grammy nominee guitarist, educator, and composer João Luiz, began to play the popular music of his native Brazil professionally during his childhood and was later trained in classical guitar by his mentor Henrique Pinto. Winner of the 2006 Concert Artists Guild Competition as a member of the critically acclaimed Brasil Guitar Duo, João has performed extensively in the United States, Asia, Europe and Latin America. His versatility led him to be chosen to collaborate with Yo-Yo Ma and Carlos Prieto on a project to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Cuban composer Leo Brouwer in a landmark concert in Cuba in 2014. João is also the director of chamber music at CUNY Hunter College and the head of the guitar at SUNY Purchase.
Tenor Jeremy Little has established himself as a versatile performing artist on the United States’ most prestigious opera, concert, and recital stages, as well as a dynamic voice teacher, coach, and mentor to new generations of vocal musicians. Dr. Little has been a principal artist with The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Florentine Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Des Moines Metro Opera, Anchorage Opera, Opera Southwest, and Pensacola Opera. Following his 2007-08 season as principal artist with The Metropolitan Opera, Mr. Little was offered a coveted position with The Met Opera Chorus. He decided to try it out. Now, eleven seasons later, he has performed in over 1,500 performances at the Met, where he spends every day working alongside the greatest operatic singers, coaches, and conductors in the world. Jeremy continues to learn every day and has earned degrees from Louisiana State University (MM), The Juilliard School (AD), and, while on sabbatical from the Met, Stony Brook University (DMA).
Dr. Sarah Weaver
The brand new Journal of Network Music and Arts recently published its first issue. Dr. Sarah Weaver (PH.D, 2018) serves as the editor-in-chief. Dr. Weaver describes the new journal in her editorial: “JONMA is a peer-reviewed open access digital research journal published by Stony Brook University. Network Music and Arts utilize the Internet and related technologies as an artistic medium for works created for this platform. JONMA will publish research by artists, technologists, educators, and related scholars. The journal content will include articles, audio and video documentation, and reviews for books and recordings.”
Eric Lemmon, Ph.D. student in Composition, has his article featured entitled “Telematic Music vs. Networked Music: Distinguishing Between Cybernetic Aspirations and Technological Music-Making.”
Richard Kessler, Executive Dean for the College of Performing Arts at The New School announced today that artist-engineer Levy Lorenzo has been appointed Assistant Professor of Creative Technologies for the college. In this role, Lorenzo will develop and teach new programs and curricula across Mannes School of Music, the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and the School of Drama. He will also pioneer new performance opportunities that engage student musicians, composers, actors, directors, and other artists across The New School in technology-inflected work.
“I am overjoyed and humbled to join the forward-thinking community at The New School to establish new learning experiences and opportunities towards the study of creative technological practice.” said Lorenzo. “It is the logical progression in cutting-edge performing arts education to prepare the next generations of graduates to emerge as technology-empowered artists.”
The hiring of Lorenzo as Assistant Professor for Creative Technologies is another step in the further integration of Mannes, Jazz, and Drama, and aims to establish creative technologies as a core part of the curricula for all students at the College of Performing Arts. In this new role, Lorenzo will not only develop and teach new courses but will also lead the advancement of technology-infused creative practice as an area and body of work across the college and the larger New School campus. This will include project development, curation, performance, and most importantly, the development of a comprehensive yet ever-evolving curricular vision where the use of technology is a central component of the learning and development process for performing artists and makers of all kinds.
“It is a true pleasure to welcome Levy to The New School,” said Richard Kessler, Executive Dean for the College of Performing Arts. “I have been a big admirer of Levy’s work for a long time and have been deeply interested in the ways that he expands sound and theatrical worlds through technology and experimentation. We are eager to watch Levy’s work as he brings new forms of expression and performance to our students at Mannes, Jazz, and Drama.”
The early vision for creative technologies at the College of Performing Arts stands apart from the traditional view of technology within a conservatory environment, where its use is often focused towards the areas of digital notation, sound/video recording, and stage production. At the College of Performing Arts, Lorenzo brings a vision and perspective where technology is not a means to an end, but rather an integral component within the makeup of the artistic process. The scope of Creative Technology at the College of Performing Arts will include, in addition to the above areas, creative coding, handmade electronics, instrument design, interactive installation, projection/video design, and other performance-technology platforms.
As a performer/practitioner himself, Levy Lorenzo is no stranger to the integration of technology and performance. Lorenzo, whose work The New York Times described as a “potent force on the side of exuberance, pleasure and awe of virtuosity”, has a body of work that spans custom electronics design, sound engineering, instrument building, installation art, free improvisation, and classical percussion. With a primary focus on inventing new instruments, he prototypes, composes, and plays live electronics. As an electronic art consultant, he designs interactive electronics ranging from small sculptures to large-scale public art installations with artists such as Alvin Lucier, Christine Sun Kim, and Leo Villareal.
As a percussionists/electronics performer, Lorenzo co-founded the experimental theater/electronics duo Radical 2 with Dennis Sullivan and recently released a duo album Q with trumpet virtuoso/improviser Peter Evans. As a sound engineer, he specializes in the realization and performance of complete electro-acoustic concerts with non-traditional configurations. One of his main engineering engagements is Claire Chase’s Density 2036 project. Lorenzo is also a core member of the acclaimed International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), where he fulfills multiple roles as technical director, electronicist, and percussionist.
Lorenzo’s work has been featured at STEIM, Harvestworks, MoMA PS1, MIT Media Lab, Banff Centre, Pitchfork.com, Slashdot.org, Inspirefest, Kellogg, Bose, The New York Times, BBC, and Burning Man. Levy earned his Master of Electrical & Computer Engineering (MEng) from Cornell University, and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Percussion Performance from Stony Brook University. The breadth of Lorenzo’s work can be seen at www.levylorenzo.com
David Bernard, (MM 1988 Orchestral Conducting), has been awarded First Prize in the Orchestral Conducting competition of The American Prize, professional division 2019, a national competition for conductors. In making their selection from a diverse group of conductors from across the United States, the panel of judges acclaimed:
More information about the 2019 Orchestral Conducting award can be found here: http://bit.ly/
David Bernard has gained recognition for his dramatic and incisive conducting in the United Stated and in over 20 countries on four continents, serving as Music Director of the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony and the Massapequa Philharmonic, and also as conductor for the Eglevsky Ballet’s critically acclaimed production of The Nutcracker produced each December at Long Island’s Tilles Center of the Performing Arts. Mr. Bernard is Music Director of InsideOut Concerts, Inc., dedicated to helping orchestras grow their audiences through immersive events where audiences sit inside the orchestra during concerts. His InsideOut Concerts have been acclaimed by WQXR, Newsday, ClassicalWorld and the Epoch Times, bringing an unsurpassed experience and level of engagement for the audiences of all ages.
As a sought after guest conductor, David Bernard will be making his debut this season with the Dubuque (IA) Symphony, the Greenwich (CT) Symphony and the Danbury (CT) Symphony and has appeared as a guest conductor with the Brooklyn Symphony, the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Island Symphony Orchestra, the Litha Symphony, Manhattan School of Music, the New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble, the Putnam Symphony and the South Shore Symphony.
Noted recent performances include a Lincoln Center performance of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (“Conducting from memory, David Bernard led a transcendent performance…vivid…expertly choreographed.”, LucidCulture) and a Carnegie Hall performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (“taught and dramatic”, superconductor). David Bernard’s recordings have received enthusiastic critical praise. His release of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique was lauded by Gramophone Magazine as “…an impressively elegant, thoughtful, well balanced and sophisticated Tchaikovsky Pathétique.” Of his Beethoven Symphony No. 9 release, The Arts Desk proclaimed “Scintillating Beethoven…Edge-of-the-seat playing…it’s a winner: dramatic, witty, eloquent and boasting some startling choral work in the last movement.” His complete recorded Beethoven symphony cycle was praised by Fanfare magazine for its “intensity, spontaneity, propulsive rhythm, textural clarity, dynamic control, and well-judged phrasing”. Of his recent premiere recording of new editions of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and The Firebird, The Art Music Lounge proclaimed “this is THE preferred recording of The Rite because of its authenticity as well as the almost startling boldness of approach.”
Founded in 2009, The American Prize produces a series of national competitions, annually recognizing the best artists and ensembles in the performing arts in the United States. Structured In 4 distinct levels—Professional, Community, University and Youth—The American Prize offers competitions in Conducting, Orchestral/Band/Choral Performance, Orchestral Programming, Composition, Instrumental/Vocal Performance, Chamber Music, Opera, Musical Theater and Arts Marketing. Previous winners of The American Prize Orchestral Conducting Competition include Lawrence Golan, Kenneth Kiesler, Dirk Meyer, Jeffrey Meyer, Gemma New, Gary Sheldon, Christopher Zimmerman.
The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board are pleased to announce that Yezu Woo of State University of New York Stony Brook has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to Germany in Performing Arts/Violin. Yezu will conduct research at Hochschule für Musik und Darstel- lende Kunst Frankfurt am Main and the Isang Yun Foundation Berlin as part of her project ‘Discovering Isang Yun and his World’. She will spend a year in Frankfurt, as an academy member of Ensemble Modern and in Berlin, working at the foundation dedicated to the Korean-German composer Isang Yun.
Yezu is one of over 2,100 U.S. citizens who will conduct research, teach English, and provide expertise abroad for the 2019-2020 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as their record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.
Scholar in Music History, Theory, or Ethnomusicology
POSITION TITLE: Assistant Professor of Music (tenure-track)
QUALIFICATIONS: Scholar with an established record of, or demonstrated potential for, scholarly productivity. We have a particular interest in applicants whose research specialties intersect with one or more these areas: new approaches to music before 1600; gender, sexuality, and queer theory; critical race studies; or popular music studies. Candidates should hold a Ph.D, or have advanced ABD status, in Music History, Theory, or Ethnomusicology, and should be well-versed in both historical and theoretical domains. We look for demonstrated achievement in or potential for scholarly productivity, and a record of successful teaching experience.
EMPLOYMENT: Appointment starts late August 2020.
RANK: Assistant Professor (tenure-track). PhD required for appointment as Assistant; ABDs may be considered for lectureship.
DUTIES: Responsibilities will include undergraduate and graduate instruction, supervision of student research and writing, dissertation direction, advising, and departmental and university service.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Review of files begins October 1, 2019, but applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Applicants should complete the Academic Jobs Online application at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/14419. Electronic submission of materials is required. The application requires these materials: cover letter, CV, statement of teaching interests and philosophy, and three letters of recommendation.
STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER. APPLICATIONS FROM WOMEN, PEOPLE OF COLOR, DISABLED PERSONS, AND/OR SPECIAL DISABLED OR VIETNAM ERA VETERANS ARE ESPECIALLY WELCOME.
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