Steve Reich is at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, today for Reich at 75: The Music and Jewish Faith of Steve Reich, a two-day event presented by the Baylor School of Music and Center for Jewish Studies that will include lectures, a Q&A, and a concert with the composer and the Baylor Percussion Group, all of which are free and open to the public. The celebrations of the composer's 75th birthday continue throughout the year, including the world premiere performance of Reich's WTC 9/11 by Kronos Quartet later this month.
Steve Reich is at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, today for Reich at 75: The Music and Jewish Faith of Steve Reich, a two-day celebration of his life and music as seen through the lens of his faith. It is a joint presentation of the Baylor School of Music and Center for Jewish Studies.
"This event has an intentional focus on Reich's Jewish faith and how it relates to his musical and artistic output," said Todd Meehan, a professor of percussion for the Baylor School of Music. "For many in our community, this may be their only opportunity to see a composer of this stature in person. It will literally be a once in a lifetime event."
Reich will present two lectures on the Baylor campus today: "Different Trains: Music and the Holocaust" in the morning, and "Faith and Music: Steve Reich's Tehillim" this afternoon.
Tomorrow's activities include a morning talk with Reich titled "Reich at 75: The Music of Steve Reich," followed by a Q&A session. The composer will then join the Baylor Percussion Group for a performance of his percussion music that evening in Baylor's Jones Concert Hall.
"This is an incredible opportunity for our students to work with and perform for one of the best in the business," Meehan said. "The students have worked incredibly hard and have put together a tremendous evening of music. We're very fortunate to be the first university ensemble in the world to perform Reich's newest percussion work, entitled Mallet Quartet."
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit reichatbaylor.tumblr.com.
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The celebrations of the composer's upcoming 75th birthday continue throughout the year, including the world premiere performance of Reich's new work, WTC 9/11, by Kronos Quartet at Duke Performance in Durham, North Carolina, on March 19. Kronos will perform the new composition again at Costa Mesa's Orange County Performing Arts Center (April 6), the University of Maryland's Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (April 10), and at New York's Carnegie Hall (April 30). The Carnegie Hall event will include a larger celebration of Reich's works, performed by long-time artistic collaborators and friends Bang on a Can All-Stars, eighth blackbird, and So Percussion, along with Kronos Quartet.
In addition to WTC 9/11, the Kronos Quartet concert at Duke Performances offers Reich's complete works for string quartet, Different Trains and Triple Quartet, along with an arrangement of selections from his stage work The Cave. Kronos's recording of Different Trains on Nonesuch won a Grammy Award in 1990 for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. WTC 9/11 is Reich's third major commission for the Kronos Quartet.
Stay tuned to the Nonesuch Journal for additional coverage of these and other events celebrating Steve Reich at 75 in the coming weeks and months.
For more on Kronos Quartet's upcoming performances, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
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To peruse the Steve Reich Nonesuch catalog, head to the Nonesuch Store now.
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