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Dvorák and America Festival brings project to Greencastle
The DePauw University School of Music will welcome cultural historian and acclaimed author Joseph Horowitz and internationally renowned bass-baritone Kevin Deas to campus this week for its "Dvorák and America" Festival.
Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the festival will take place at various venues in Greencastle Oct. 27--Nov. 2.
Horowitz, the festival's artistic consultant, is one of the most prominent and widely published writers on topics in American music. As an orchestral administrator and adviser, he has been a pioneering force in the development of thematic programming and new concert formats and is credited with coining the term "postclassical music" as a moniker for art music of today.
He will be joined by Kevin Deas, who will perform several settings of African-American spirituals throughout the week.
The Dvorák and America festival focuses on the brief period Anton'n Dvorák served as director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York City (1892--1895), during which time he composed his best-known symphony "From the New World," as well as his best-known string quartet and concerto.
Incorporating both "Negro melodies" and the "Indianist" movement in American music, Dvorák was pivotal in a wide-reaching attempt to fashion a homegrown "New World" classical music, based in indigenous American sources.
A multitude of performance events will be offered at DPU's Green Center this week, including three concerts: Anton'n Dvorák (1841--1904) and the "Indianists' Movement": An exploration of 19th-century Native American melodies and the American Identity (7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 in Thompson); Anton'n Dvorák (1841--1904) and "Negro Melodies": An exploration of 19th-century African-American Spirituals and the American Identity (7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 in Thompson) with bass-baritone Kevin Deas; along with a gala closing concert (3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 in Kresge), featuring the DePauw Orchestra, soloist Deas, and a multi-media presentation of Dvorák's popular "New World" Symphony.
In addition to the concerts, Horowitz will also be lecturing and making classroom visits -- both on the DePauw campus, to the School of Music and College of Liberal Arts, and in the Greencastle community.
"The Harry Burleigh Show," a lecture-performance exploring the relationship and contributions of American musician Harry Burleigh to Dvorák's work, will be presented by Horowitz and Deas, for students from all over Putnam County, in two performances at Greencastle High School on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
In an effort to make this a truly interdisciplinary festival, there will be several events that intend to bring the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Music together.
At the Pulliam Center on Tuesday, Oct. 28 (11:30 a.m., Watson Forum), a discussion titled "Dvorák and the NFL" is set to draw connections between the issue of cultural appropriation within the context of Dvorák's time and the recent controversy with Washington's pro football team.
There will also be a panel on Friday, October 31 (11:30 a.m. Green Center, Room 1029), featuring faculty from the DePauw English, Literature and History departments discussing cross-curricular programming in the humanities, including discussion of Dvorák's music and the themes surrounding it.
A $10 festival pass, which may be purchased online or at the Green Center box office, is good for all concerts in the festival. Passes for seniors, children and all students are free. For ticket purchases or a detailed schedule of festival events, visit www.depauw.edu/music/events/dvorak/.