This celebration has been postponed to 2021: https://vpa.uncg.edu/music/brubeck-centennial/
Greensboro, N.C. UNC Greensboro’s College of Visual and Performing Arts announced that it will host a four-day symposium October 22-25, 2020 celebrating the legacy of one of America’s most significant musicians: Dave Brubeck (1920-2012). While Brubeck is best known as a jazz pianist and leader of one of the most successful jazz combos in history, he was also a prolific composer of works for orchestra, choir, chamber ensemble, and classical piano.
The symposium includes numerous performances and lectures given by musicians and scholars, including Dave Brubeck’s children: Chris Brubeck, composer, trombonist and bass guitarist; drummer Dan Brubeck; Darius Brubeck, pianist, composer and professor; Matt Brubeck, cellist; and Catherine Brubeck Yaghsizian. UNCG faculty, students, and invited scholars will also present.
The symposium is co-sponsored by Music for a Great Space and is being organized by UNCG Professor of Piano, Dr. John Salmon.
According to Salmon, “Dave Brubeck was one of the most creative musicians ever to walk the earth. His work as a composer has still not been absorbed by music history books. My hope for this symposium is that we will not only celebrate Dave Brubeck, but also contribute to the assessment of his legacy.”
Featured events include the opening performance by the Brubeck Family Quartet, two stagings of Brubeck’s Christmas pageant La Fiesta de la Posada, and one performance of the cantata The Gates of Justice.
John Salmon said, “The Gates of Justice, composed over half a century ago, still has resounding relevance today in its topics of racial justice and equity. Based on texts from the Union Prayer Book of Reform Judaism, Psalms, and words by Martin Luther King, Jr., The Gates of Justice has as its core the brotherhood of man.”
Registration for the symposium is $200 for all events if made before June 1; individual tickets will be available. Visit UNCGBrubeckCentennial.com for a complete listing of artists, events, and registration information.
