Revered maestro Vilem Sokol gave his love of music to all

"He was born in a log cabin in Pennsylvania, but his favorite place became the conductor's podium.

Vilem Sokol, who died Friday of cancer in Seattle at age 96, was the beloved godfather of the city's classical music and an internationally prominent conductor, professor and violist.

As longtime music director of the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra and its Marrowstone Music Festival (1960-1988), and music professor at the University of Washington (1948-1985), Mr. Sokol shaped more than four decades of young talent, inspiring generations of students and listeners."

For the full story, please see the Seattle Times.

Listen to Sokol's recordings at the UW Music Library.

UW piano prof to perform a bundle of Brahms

"For almost two decades, Craig Sheppard has been professor of piano at the University of Washington School of Music. One fine benefit of his presence here is that you get to hear some dynamite keyboard concerts for a bargain."

For the full story, please see the Seattle Times.

Juan Pampin’s meditations ‘On Space’ part of Les Percussions de Strasbourg concert

"The audience will be literally surrounded when Les Percussions de Strasbourg, Europe’s leading percussion ensemble, performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, in Meany Theater. And it isn’t just sound that will surround them. The audience will be seated on stage, with the six performers arrayed around them."

For the full story, please see http://www.washington.edu/news/articles/juan-pampin2019s-mediations-2018on-space2019-part-of-les-percussions-de-strasbourg-concert.

A battle-driven tune

"The UW Wind Ensemble played a familiar tune at their concert yesterday, but it wasn’t one most people expected to leave the screen.

Set to the theme song from “Halo,” accompanied by clips of scenes from the video game, the ensemble put on a performance to provide a sneak preview of some of its work as well as to show the performance level of a college band."

For the full story, please see the UW Daily.

Larry Starr's George Gershwin

"As readers of this blog are aware, I have for some time been proclaiming a "new Gershwin" - in, e.g., the New York Times and the Times Literary Supplement. In Classical Music in America (2005), he ranks with Ives as our most important concert composer (my view of Copland, in that book, irked some reviewers). My book-in-progress is a study of Gershwin and Rouben Mamoulian, the theatrical genius who directed Porgy and Bess. And my latest Gershwin rant takes the form of a review of Larry Starr's superb new George Gershwin (Yale University Press), in the current Times Literary Supplement. Gershwin is no longer patronized as a "pops" composer, as an inspired dilettante. "The new Gershwin is versatile, protean, universal," I write. Here's the full review:"

For the full story, please see Arts Journal.

To read Dr. Starr's new book, please see the library catalog.

Fraternity in harmony

"On a typical Tuesday or Thursday evening in the music building, the perfectly harmonious tune of “Brown Eyed Girl” can be heard drifting up the stairs from the basement. The source of the music is the forty men who make up the UW Men’s Glee Club."

For the full story, please see The Daily.

UW trombonist, DX Arts, involved in concert at Town Hall

"Stuart Dempster, a trombonist and professor emeritus of the School of Music, teams with keyboardist David Gamper and accordionist Pauline Oliveros for a special appearance at Seattle's Town Hall on Saturday, Jan. 15."

For the full story, please see UW Today.

Building from the bottom up

"The notes flow like water, each musical idea complementing the one that precedes it. Each performer listens intently to their peers, taking one simple motif and expanding upon it, evolving the composition into something even they hadn’t expected. This is the nature of improvised music: each member contributing a novel musical concept until something cohesive is achieved — all guided by a passion for creativity in music."

For the full story, please see The Daily.

Before the Performance

"For audiences, the concert experience may seem magical, with performers demonstrating effortless mastery of challenging music. In reality, performances require months—or years—of intense preparation and planning. Here, three UW School of Music professors share what’s involved before they ever set foot on the stage."

For the full story, please see A&S Perspectives.

Gender and Opera (Muhst 497 A) – New Time!

New schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays 11:30-1:20


The course covers three operas in depth: Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and Britten’s Peter Grimes. In these operas, we will discuss class, race, and homosexuality, examining the dance forms, affect, tonality, and dramaturgy. In addition, we will discuss the various forms of gender transgressions, from castrati to trouser roles, in Handel’s Giulio Cesare and Verdi and Pacini’s two versions of Il Corsaro, among others. You will have a chance to analyze operas in groups. There will be a short midterm paper and a longer final paper and presentation. Contact Judy Tsou (jstsou@uw.edu) if you have questions.

James M. BEALE January 20, 1924 - November 4, 2010

James M. BEALE January 20, 1924 ~ November 4, 2010, composer and long time professor of music at the University of Washington, has died at the age of 86.
For the full story, please see the Seattle Times or the School of Music website. Explore James Beale's compositions at the Music Library.

How badly do YOU beat up your ears?

That's right -- your ears. They're the most valuable asset you have as a musician, and yet you just might be accidentally abusing them every time you practice, perform, or rehearse!

Come meet with experts for the Department of Speech & Hearing Services for a special event devoted to your musical ears! They'll discuss ear anatomy, dangers of high decibel levels for musicians, and steps you can take to protect your hearing. They'll even test of your instrument with their equipment just so you can see exactly how damaging it can be!

Wednesday, November 10
5:30pm
Room 114

Take care of your ears -- be there!

UW to Host CBDNA 2011

The College Band Directors National Association Conference will be meeting at the University of Washington March 23-26 2011. For more information please see the CBDNA Conference website.

Husky band coordinates flash mob, practice required

"Once upon a time, these were secretive gatherings that often had political undertones. Now when people talk about flash mobs, they're often talking about a quick, not-so-impromptu dance party."

For the full story, please see the Seattle PI.

Alt-Rock Hub, Purring With Jazz

This New York Times article features the UW School of Music's Cuong Vu!

"THE atmosphere at Cafe Racer, a coffeehouse and bar in the University District here, skews distinctly postgrunge, with its scuffed floor and mismatched furniture, its thrift-store paintings on boldly colored walls. One Sunday evening this spring the place was packed mainly with teenagers and 20-somethings in T-shirts and sneakers, all listening intently to a band. Everything seemed of a piece except the music: sleek, dynamic large-group jazz, a whirl of dark-hued harmony and billowing rhythm."

For the full story, please see the New York Times.

Stuart Dempster Interview

Check out this fascinating interview of Stuart Dempster.

It's playtime for Seattle trombonist-didjeriduist Stuart Dempster

"Oh, to be 74 years old and still starting, joining and sitting in with new bands.

That's what Seattle trombonist-didjeriduist Stuart Dempster has been up to lately. Not only is he performing with a variety of players in a variety of venues, but his recording career has continued apace. And he's been garnering some unusual awards recognition, too."

For the full story, please see the Seattle Times.

UW jazz program energized by 'The Vu Effect'

"Several flights underground in the bunkerlike rehearsal room of the Music Building at the University of Washington, nine students in the modern-jazz-ensemble class spent most of the spring practicing an 11-movement composition they wrote to musically convey the birth of the universe."

For the full story, please see the Seattle Times.

UW's Erös leads final concert on June 4

"Friday, Peter Erös — the University of Washington School of Music's Morrison Endowed Professor of Conducting — will lead his final concert with the University Symphony. Erös, who came to the UW in 1989, is retiring from both his teaching and conducting posts. He was born in Budapest in 1932, migrated to the Netherlands in 1956 in the wake of the Hungarian Revolution and first came to the U.S. in 1965 when George Szell invited him to be a Kulas Foundation Fellow with the Cleveland Orchestra."

For the full story, please see the Seattle Times.