A Celebration of Stefan Wolpe’s Music — April 6, 2003

The C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University will present a day-long celebration of the Stefan Wolpe Centennial on Sunday, April 6, 2003

The Conference, titled "STEFAN WOLPE: THREE LANDS, ONE LANGUAGE," will be held in Hillwood Commons on the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, 720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville, New York.

Stefan Wolpe was born in Berlin and matured in the artistic and political ferment of the Weimar Republic. During his five decades of musical creations, he encountered and transformed all of the revolutionary movements from the Bauhaus School, Dadaism, Socialism, Jazz, Middle Eastern music, and Abstract Expressionism. An inspiring teacher and founder of the C.W. Post Music Department in 1957, he nurtured many of today1s most noted composers. One of Wolpe’s former students, pianist and C.W. Post adjunct faculty member David Holzman (a 2003 Grammy Award nominee for "Best Instrumental Soloist Performance" for his CD Wolpe: Compositions for Piano (1920-1952), an all-Wolpe collection) is the organizer of the April 6 Wolpe celebration.

All events take place at the Hillwood Commons Recital Hall on the C.W. Post Campus. Festival Ticket: $45, includes all three events. Individual Concerts, $20 each, half price for students and senior citizens. Tickets are available on-line at tillescenter.org, by calling TillesCharge at 516-299-3100 or by visiting the Tilles Center Box Office on the C.W. Post Campus. TillesCharge and Box Office are open Monday to Saturday 1:00-6:00 p.m. Tickets are not refundable or exchangeable. For information, contact C.W. Post Department of Music at 516-299-2974 or lisa.meyer@liu.edu.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

BERLIN AND THE HOT ‘20’s, 11:00* a.m.

In all the arts, traditional concepts such as time, color, taste and form were being challenged by a revolutionary new generation. A panel discussion and concert will introduce us to this world of decadence, violence and color.

Panelists: Jerelyn Hanrahan, artist; Marion Kant, cultural historian; Matthew Greenbaum, composer; David Holzman, pianist

Performers: Barbara Fusco, soprano; Patricia Spencer, flute; Stephanie Watt, piano; David Holzman, piano

Program to include Wolpe’s legendary Sonata, Bartok’s Out of Doors, Varese’s Density 21.5, jazz-inspired works of Wolpe, Hindemith and Stravinsky, and Gershwin Songs.

Lunch Break

JOSEF MARX AND STEFAN WOLPE: A FRIENDSHIP IN MUSIC, 3:00* p.m.

Josef Marx, oboist, and a major influence on New York’s music scene, was a member of C.W. Post1s Music Department from 1965 to 1978.

Panelists: Patricia Spencer, flutist; Raoul Pleskow, composer; Barbara Speer, pianist; Ronald Thomas, composer

Performers: Susan Barrett, oboe; Anne Chamberlain, piano; Barbara Speer, piano; Patricia Spencer, flute; Harris Becker, guitar, Frank Cassara, percussion; David Miller, bassoon

Program to include works by Wolpe, Nemiroff, Pleskow, Rovics, Sollberger, and Wuorinen

Dinner Break

STEFAN WOLPE: FOUR DECADES OF MASTERPIECES, 7:30* p.m.

Performers: Patricia Spencer, flute; Frank Cassara, percussion; David Holzman, piano; Carolyn Merritt and Lester Tome, dancers, Long Island University Chamber Singers

Program to include Wolpe’s Piece in Two Parts for Flute and Piano, his keyboard magnum opus, Battle Piece, his evocative Palestinian Notebook, his jazzy Music For A Dancer — presented with two dancers as choreographed by Joellen Meglin— and two choral works, Anthem (written for the C.W. Post Chorus) and Two Chinese Epitaphs. The audience is invited to a post-concert reception at the Top of the Commons.

SPONSORSHIP

Funding for these programs has been provided by Long Island University and by the C.W. Post School of Visual and Performing Arts and Institute for Arts & Culture. The Institute administers the Rose Tilles Lectures, "Encounters with the Arts," which bridge the professional and academic exploration of the arts at Long Island University.

*Daylight Savings Time

For more information, call the C.W. Post Office of Public Relations at (516) 299-2333.