Professional musician and Harvard professor of the arts Vijay Iyer recently sat down with Fifteen Minutes to chat about his career, his teaching philosophy, and the neuroscience of music. Excerpt: Iyer: “I’ve been very fortunate to, for the last 30-something years, to have been mentored by really visionary and generous Black musicians. And prior to that…
Clayton Stephenson Wins Grand Prize of Inaugural Nina Simone Piano Competition
The Harvard Music Department is thrilled to announce that pianist and recent Harvard/NEC dual-degree graduate Clayton Stephenson ’23, won the Grand Prize of the inaugural Nina Simone Piano Competition in Cincinnati, Ohio, after a masterful final-round performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor. The 23-year-old virtuoso competed with two other talented pianists in the finals, performing…
Prof. Charrise Barron: “How Music Powers Protest”
The Harvard Gazette sat down with Professor Charrise Barron for a Q&A about her teaching, and current book project. GAZETTE: Could you talk about your current book project, which was the focus of your research leave? BARRON: My current book project is called “The Platinum Age of Gospel.” That’s 1993 to 2013. I’m naming that era…
Elson Lecture Recap: “In stutter, artist finds voice”
The Harvard Gazette featured JJJJJerome Ellis’ Elson Lecture for a recap writing, “Jerome Ellis embraces onetime ‘curse’ in works inspired by nature and Blackness.”…