Friday, May 20th at 7:30 pm

Classical and jazz music might seem to live on opposite sides of the musical world. Surprisingly, at times, these genres intersect and share with one another. Borrowing from genres, an acceptable practice by many, can create innovative new music that delivers. Join us on Friday, May 20^th at 7:30 pm for an evening of contemporary classical compositions that are influenced by jazz music. Guest musicians, saxophonist Kenneth Radnofsky and pianist Yoshiko Hiramatsu Kline, will be joined by CCM faculty members Tsuyoshi Honjo on saxophone and Peter Evans on live electronics and bass clarinet.

Over several decades, countless jazz interpretations by many historical classical composers, such as Maurice Ravel, Igor Stravinsky, and George Gershwin, served as great examples of how these genres intersect and influence beautifully. An example of this is Stravinsky’s composition the Ebony Concerto, which was written for clarinetist Woody Herman in 1945. It is a “stylistic exploration of what Stravinsky could do with a jazz band.” Today’s classical and jazz musicians equipped with knowledge of various genres are not hesitant to integrate them together, and to experiment further as suggested by Sun Ra and Anthony Braxton.  Braxton’s music is the blurring of boundaries between great improvisation and composition, demonstrating that there is no real difference between them.

In addition to contemporary classical music influenced by jazz, you’ll learn the background stories of the music and its composers—about their philosophies and performance practices.

$25 for adults and free for students 18 and under.

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