Campus Stories - Music
Stanford organist draws lofty sounds from Memorial Church’s thousands of pipes
Under the skillful hands – and feet – of university organist Robert Huw Morgan, Stanford’s Memorial Church fills with remarkable music from the Fisk-Nanney organ, a Baroque-type instrument that is one of five organs in the church.
A decidedly Stanford take on Leonard Bernstein
The Department of Music and the student-run troupe Stanford Savoyards are combining forces to present a LEONARD BERNSTEIN double feature in Dinkelspiel Auditorium: the satiric operetta Candide and the opera Trouble in Tahiti. Bernstein’s Candide, drawing inspiration from Voltaire’s novella that blends comedy, tragedy and farce, has been transposed to the Farm, using projections of images drawn from the…
Stanford Library Blog: Opern-Typen: opera meets the comics
Opern-Tÿpen consists of six volumes of chromolithographic plates depicting scenes from 54 operas popular in 19th century Germany. Each opera plot has been distilled into a mere six frames, with liberally adapted accompanying text. The visual charms of Opern-Typen are evident. The plates reveal a sophisticated understanding of the effective use of line, gesture, and composition…
Stanford New Ensemble presents new classical music in new ways to new audiences
Joo-Mee Lee’s vision for the Stanford New Ensemble is as expansive as the “new classical music” genre. Lee, who teaches introductory violin and a course on professional development in music in the Department of Music, said she is taking the Stanford New Ensemble out of the music hall for concerts in untraditional venues around campus….
Happy 2016!
With the opening of the McMurtry Building, the new home for the Department of Art & Art History, we reached a milestone in the university’s ongoing commitment to building programs, curricula, and resources in the arts. The new building provides an architecturally exciting and inspiring home for the department, allowing it to expand its programmatic…
Stanford scholars spy history of capitalist culture in Bond film songs
In the lead-up to Spectre, the latest film in the decades-long James Bond spy thriller franchise opening this week, much of the recent buzz has centered on another long-running 007 tradition – the title song. Amidst all the speculation about who would sing the new Bond song, Stanford scholars Adrian Daub and Charles Kronengold wrote…
Sounds of the sea
Every fall Chris Chafe, professor of music and director of the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), takes students from Music 220A out on the high seas to record sound. In October 2015, 30 students chewed a bit of ginger and headed out for the day to dangle their self-built hydrophones over…
Recording produced at Bing Concert Hall makes first step toward Grammy nomination
The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences announced that the recording of Joseph Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass (Nelsonmesse) and Symphony No. 102 performed by the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Stanford Chamber Strings and Stanford Chamber Chorale in Bing Concert Hall has qualified for the first-round ballot in four Grammy categories: Best Choral Performance, Best Chamber Music/Small…
From Stanford’s Braun Music Hall to the Big Apple
“Surreal and wonderful” is how Stanford alumnus LOUIS LAGALANTE described presenting the opening number from his original musical Mirror Image at the New York Musical Theater Festival this summer. Mirror Image, with music and lyrics by Lagalante, premiered at Stanford in March 2015 as Lagalante’s senior capstone project in music composition. The story follows three…
Imagining the Universe – Photo Gallery
In 2014-2015 we let our imaginations soar to the cosmos. An interdisciplinary consortium drawing on departments and programs from across the university presented a program that sought to deepen our understanding of the universe, and to appreciate what we can learn about ourselves from the way we depict our cosmos. Through exhibitions, performances, public conversations, and courses,…
The art of music: String quartet captivates visitors to the Anderson Collection
As part of an effort to engage visitors in fresh and unique gallery experiences, the Anderson Collection at Stanford University treated museum visitors to a special performance by the St. Lawrence String Quartet. Music lofted through the gallery as the quartet performed a mix of classic and contemporary arrangements to a packed crowd of onlookers….
Spark! Grants: A Year in Photos 2014-15
From a rock band record release to Steve Reich, from Much Ado About Nothing to original, student-written musical theater, this year’s Spark! grant supported creative diversity across Stanford campus. These student groups, individuals, undergraduates, and graduates enliven the campus with their artistic endeavors. 2014-2015 Projects: SImps Workshops The Long Way Around The Benevolent Institution Proof…
Congratulations 2014-15 graduates!
Go forward and remember the words of your Baccalaureate speaker and civil rights leader Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. who said that the world was calling out for you to realize your talents – not just for your own gain – but also to lift up those in whose shoes, but for the grace of God,…
Stanford student group reshapes music-making hierarchy
The goal was to create an opportunity for students to develop their skills and become better communicators, listeners and facilitators who will apply what they’ve learned to future personal and professional settings. These are not business school students, but they are entrepreneurial, and they are experimenting with an alternative organizational model, albeit in the music…
Stanford music scholar redefines the jazz and cabaret culture of 1920s Harlem
From 1926 to 1935, the Cotton Club was the hottest jazz hub in New York City’s vibrant Harlem neighborhood. Not only did the club launch the careers of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and Lena Horne, but it also attracted celebrity clientele like Jimmy Durante, Walter Winchell and even the Prince of Jordan. Owned and run…
Summer Plans
It’s June, which means the campus is preparing for Commencement: The fountains are being coaxed out of hibernation, student prizes are being awarded, and the now-annual Senior Arts Gala is taking place at Bing Concert Hall. This year’s gala promises a showcase of some of the most talented performing and visual artists of the Class…
