Architecture and Music Meld in New University of Chicago Series

As one of the world’s leading institutions of higher learning, the University of Chicago is renowned for combining critical research and understanding of the past with free and open inquiry that drives new ways of thinking. The University’s campus reflects this duality with dramatic neogothic structures juxtaposed with provocative modern architecture conceived by some of the most forward-thinking designers in the world. In a new series called Sound Sites, the University of Chicago Department of Music and UChicago Presents will join past and present in music and architecture with performances by the Department’s performance faculty in some of the University’s most notable spaces.

Beginning in November, Sound Sites will feature recorded performances of classical and contemporary music in spaces including Bond Chapel, Mansueto Library, the Booth Winter Garden, the Botany Pond, and more. The first performance by pianist Clare Longendyke, director of Chamber Music and Artist-in-Residence, will feature music by Schumann and Debussy in Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, as well as works by contemporary composers Amy Williams and Emily Koh in the Penthouse of the Logan Center for the Arts.

“We are very excited to be presenting these performances,” says Professor Berthold Hoeckner, Chair of the Department of Music. “Since the pandemic has severely curtailed live concerts with audiences, we found ourselves looking for new modes and media of presentation. We are excited to explore how music and sound are shaped by space, and to showcase our amazing artists within the University’s dramatic architecture. With the help of local video artists, these programs will offer new ways for audiences to experience music.”

Later productions in 2020-21 will feature cello Artist-in-Residence Seth Parker Woods and violin Artist-in-Residence Tricia Park. Piano Program director Eugenia Jeong and Percussion director John Corkill will provide performances in 2021-22. Other composers on the series will include Nathalie Joachim, George Lewis, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, Jessie Montgomery, George Walker, University Professor Augusta Read Thomas, and more.

“The Department of Music’s Artists-in-Residence and Performance Program faculty are exemplars of the University’s broad-based, high-quality offerings in the arts,” notes director of Performance Programs Barbara Schubert. “Not only are these artists world-class performers, but they are excellent teachers and important mentors for the many student musicians on campus. They bring an interdisciplinary mindset, an inquisitive spirit, and tremendous creativity to their work in the Department. We are thrilled to be able to highlight their artistry in this new concert series.”

“The programs that these world-class artists will share really highlight the missions of UChicago Presents, the Department of Music, and the Humanities Division,” adds Amy Iwano, executive director of UChicago Presents. “They engage in new ways and bring new perspectives to some of the most beloved music of the past, and they further the future of the artform by presenting some of the most vital voices of today.”

The first installment of the Sound Sites series featuring pianist Clare Longendyke will premiere on Friday, November 13 at 7:00 pm central time, and it will be available until 11:59 pm central time on Sunday, November 15. Tickets for the stream can be purchased by visiting tickets.uchicago.edu. Details of subsequent installments will be announced at a later date.

Concert information online at chicagopresents.uchicago.edu