Notes on a Revolution
The music, in words, of the late George Rochberg.
The Beatbox Goes On
Beatboxer Adam Matta EAS’96
Rising Star
Amrita Sen W’92
From the Band Busters to Bebop, Bye Bye Birdie, and Beyond
Elliot Lawrence C’44
Life, Birth, Death, and Song
Denise Gordon C’82
Digging Routes
Nick Spitzer C’72’s sonic gumbo is unlike anything else on radio.
The Death and Rebirth of Rasputin
A long-dormant opera by Penn music professor Jay Reise rises again in Russia.
He’s With the Band
Window, Jan|Feb 2009
Beyond Tango
A young scholar rediscovers Astor Piazzolla.
Two Firsts in a Festival
The Philadelphia Orchestra premieres two works by Jennifer Higdon.
A Passage to Indie
Siddhartha Khosla C’98
The Music of Writing
Roseanne Cash at the Writers House
Biscuits Rising
The Disco Biscuits—Penn’s own jam band of the 1990s—have a new sound (some call it Bisco), a different (and non-alumnus) drummer, and a growing fan-base (“this whole, like, people-following-us-around-the-country, circus type of thing”). Their headlining performance at this summer’s Jam on the River at Penn’s Landing may have been their most memorable ever—even if it was shut down after only 30 minutes.
Sing a Song of the PUC
How being a roadie prepares you for life.
The Wife, the Lady, and the Book of Dames
When an English professor set out to create an animated opera based on “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” she decided to bring in some very un-Chaucerian characters. That’s when the real fun began.
Oldies School
From Penny Loafer to Swing Doll.
Retiring Ringmaster
Acclaimed composer Osvaldo Golijov Gr’91 doesn’t mind being famous, but he’d rather talk about music than himself—or better yet, write it.
Keeping Big Band Jazz Alive
Big-band “orchestrator” Emily Tabin W’78
The Legend Grows
Grammys recognize Legend in the making
Potent Premieres
A tale of two premieres
Expect to Hear Music
Penn’s music department, known for top-quality scholarship and world-class composers, has gotten over its long case of performance anxiety.
The Seamier Side of Sharing
Facing the music on downloading?
Half-notes from the Underground
Carlos Carrillo at Carnegie Hall
Making a Legend
John Legend C’99 has come a long way since his days with the Penn a cappella group Counterparts (when he was John Stephens). As his first solo album hits the stores, lots of people are betting he can go much farther.