The Music of Stuart Saunders Smith:
Continuing the Transcendentalist Tradition/
Transcendentalism and Experimentalism
Wright State University Department of Music
February 2 & 3, 2013
Colloquium and Roundtable on Stuart Saunders Smith and the Transcendentalist Tradition: Paper Session 1
Keynote Speaker: Prof. Kendall Kennison
Sat., Feb. 2, 3-7 p.m., MUS 259 (CAC)
Concert 1: The Music of Stuart Saunders Smith
Sat., Feb. 2, 8 p.m., Schuster Hall
Guest Artists, featuring Dr. Lisa Cella, flute
Colloquium and Roundtable on Stuart Saunders Smith and the Transcendentalist Tradition: Paper Session 2
Sun., Feb. 3, 9-11 a.m., MUS 259 (CAC)
Concert 2: The Authors: A Marimba Opera
Sun., Feb. 3, 11:30 a.m., Schuster Hall
Guest Artist Lee Hinkle
Meet the Composer Discussion with Stuart Saunders Smith
Sun. Feb. 3, 1:15 p.m., Recital Hall
Concert 3: The Music of Stuart Saunders Smith
Sun., Feb. 3, 2 p.m., Schuster Hall
WSU Percussion Studio, Gerald Noble, director
Contact Information |
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Dr. Franklin Cox |
The Music of Stuart Saunders Smith:
Continuing the Transcendentalist Tradition/
Transcendentalism and Experimentalism
The 2013 American Innovators conference will focus on the music of Professor Stuart Saunders Smith. It will at the same time explore the heritage of the transcendentalist and experimental traditions in music.
Stuart Saunders Smith has carved an unusual niche in modern American music. Although he is usually associated with the experimental tradition, many elements of his music, such as its often direct and powerful expressivity, do not fit neatly into the Cageian ethics of experimentation without concern for ends. Literary allusions and influences from a wide range of sources serve as a guiding thread throughout his music, and Smith, himself a poet, has often spoken of the expressive and experiential aims of his music. On the other hand, many aspects of his compositional outlook––such as his modular approach to form, his welcoming of chance interactions in performance, and his allowance of broad latitude to the performer in determining many details and even the form of the work presented––place it close to the experimental tradition.
One central idea to be explored in this conference is the possibility that transcendentalism can be viewed as among the strongest influences on Smith's music, and a powerful influence on the American experimental tradition as well. Two of the leading figures in the American experimental tradition, Charles Ives and John Cage, were both grounded deeply in the transcendental tradition, and both have had an important impact on Stuart S. Smith's music.
Keynote Speaker Professor Kendall Kennison (Goucher College) will provide an overview of Smith's music in an opening roundtable, and will also discuss the influence of Quakerism on Smith's music. The Colloquium will include two paper sessions, one round-table discussion, and a Meet the Composer discussion for the general public. The paper presentations will cover a wide range of topics centering on and evoked by Smith's music.
Three concerts of Professor Smith's music will be performed both by guest artists, including featured flautist Dr. Lisa Cella (University of Maryland, Baltimore County), and by the WSU Percussion Studio directed by Gerald Noble. These concerts will provide a overview of Smith's compositional world and a rich domain of exploration for listeners.
