Rochester, NY- The life and music of former Professor of Composition Warren Benson (1924-2005) will be celebrated with a special concert in Kilbourn Hall on Sunday, April 23 at 3 p.m. The concert will feature Professor of Flute Bonita Boyd, Professor of Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media Bill Dobbins, doctoral student and mezzo-soprano Yvonne Douthat, and the percussion ensemble Nexus. The concert is free and open to the public.
The concert will feature three works by Benson: Five Lyrics of Louise Bogan for flute and mezzo-soprano, Aeolian Song for flute and piano, and three pieces from Alexandria Set for piano – which was originally composed for his young grand-daughter.
Additionally, the contemporary percussion quintet Nexus, which contains two Eastman alumni, will perform Tongues – an original arrangement of a traditional Zimbabwean melody. Tongues features an African instrument called the mbira – an instrument that is traditionally associated with memories of departed ancestors and with the experience of remembering in general.
“It’s a day of reflection, but also celebration,” said Kirsten Hampton, the daughter of Warren Benson. “It’s a celebration of the spirit that he carried with him as a human being, a musician, an educator, and also as a colleague and friend to so many individuals.”
A professional percussionist by the age of 14, Benson established himself as a consummate musician at a young age and eventually became one of the country’s most respected composers and teachers. During his tenure as Professor of Composition at Eastman (1967-1993), he was honored with an Alumni Citation for Excellence, the Kilbourn professorship for distinguished teaching, and was named University Mentor. In 1994 he was appointed Professor Emeritus.
As a composer, Benson is best known for his moving song cycles and dynamic works for percussion and winds. Composer of more than 100 works, his music has been performed in more than 40 countries, and many of his works have been recorded. He was a founding member of the Percussive Arts Society, and was elected to its Hall of Fame, as well as to the National Band Association Academy of Excellence.
A Warren Benson Archive has been established at the Eastman School of Music’s Sibley Music Library, and the Benson family has endowed the creation of the Warren and Patricia Benson Forum on Creativity.
For more information about this and other Eastman concert, please visit www.esm.rochester.edu/concerts or call (585) 274-1100.
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