Ten years after the death of , the Department of Music is honoring the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and beloved Cornell professor with a series of concerts that highlight both his legacy and the creativity he sparked in generations of students.
Stucky, whose portrait hangs in the atrium of Klarman Hall beside one of Toni Morrison, shaped Cornell鈥檚 musical community for more than three decades. The four events honoring him this semester 鈥 spanning intimate recitals, premieres and a large Reunion鈥憌eekend concert 鈥 reflect the breadth of his influence.
They are organized by his former colleague, pianist and music professor , professor of music in the 麻豆视频 and 麻豆视频, who founded Ensemble X with Stucky nearly 30 years ago.
鈥淧eople may not realize how much Steve gave to Cornell and to our arts community,鈥 Bjerken said. 鈥淗is touch as a teacher was so gentle, but incredibly effective. His students have gone on to compose in every imaginable style.鈥
As a composer, Stucky broke new ground by blending modern complexity with sophisticated orchestration, maintaining a long association with the Los Angeles Philharmonic that helped bring modern repertoire to wider audiences. He was awarded the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his 鈥淪econd Concerto for Orchestra,鈥 a work Bjerken said blends references to composers from the past with innovations that tailored the piece to specific members of the LA Philharmonic.
This semester鈥檚 celebration began Jan. 23 at the A.D. White House with 鈥淭heir Swan Songs: Schubert and Stucky,鈥 featuring Stucky鈥檚 final song for voice and piano, 鈥淥ut of the Cradle, Endlessly Rocking.鈥 Commissioned two years before Stucky鈥檚 death and rarely performed, the piece was inspired by Walt Whitman鈥檚 reflections on childhood and memory. The concert paired that piece with songs Franz Schubert wrote in the latter part of his life. Baritone Brian V. Sengdala, a doctoral student in the Department of Performing and Media Arts, performed with Bjerken on piano.
On Feb. 22 at 3 p.m., Ensemble X will present the first of two celebrating legendary composer Nadia Boulanger. The program includes works by Lili Boulanger, Philip Glass, Elliott Carter, Walter Piston and Marc Blitzstein, as well as by , assistant professor of music (A&S), and Stucky. The event marks the East Coast premiere of Stucky鈥檚 final, unpublished work, written in the last weeks of his life and performed by the Cayuga Vocal Ensemble, directed by Sean Linfors. The concert takes place in Barnes Hall.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a history of composers writing in C major at the end of their lives as a kind of acceptance and resignation,鈥 Bjerken said of the piece. He tracked down the score through Stucky鈥檚 publisher, since it has never been formally released.
During , Cornell will premiere a piano quintet by Joseph Phibbs, who studied under Stucky at Cornell and wrote the new work in his honor. 鈥淵ou can feel Steve鈥檚 influence in the background of Joe鈥檚 music,鈥 Bjerken said.
The last event takes place June 6 at 4 p.m. in Sage Chapel: a reunion concert featuring works by Stucky and eight of his former doctoral students, many now prominent composers. Performers include the original members of Ensemble X 鈥揃jerken; clarinetist Richard Faria, professor of music at Ithaca College; violinist Ellen Jewett; and cellist Elizabeth Simkin, professor emerita of music at Ithaca College 鈥 joined by collaborators including , senior lecturer in music (A&S); Rachel Schutz; and Guillaume Pirard, music director of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra.
The program ranges from singer鈥憇ongwriter pieces to complex contemporary chamber works, underscoring the aesthetic diversity Stucky championed.
A few movements from one of Fitz Rogers鈥 pieces, 鈥淏reaking,鈥 will be on that program, as well as a piece by composer Sally Lamb, MFA 鈥95, DMA 鈥98, and Anna Weesner, DMA 鈥95.
鈥淪teve introduced me to music that was and remains profoundly important to me, composers I would not have found on my own back then,鈥 said Weesner, the Weiss Professor of Music at the University of Pennsylvania.
Said Lamb: 鈥淪teve鈥檚 ongoing encouragement helped me gain confidence as a composer, caring less about what others thought of my music, what I 鈥榮hould鈥 be writing, and focusing on my own goals as an artist. He also modeled being supportive of other composers and their work rather than competing with them.鈥
Until his death, Bjerken said, Stucky remained a champion of new music, contacting orchestra directors or friends to recommend works from new composers.
鈥淪teve changed my life both in how he exposed me to so much great new music, but also in how he modeled a selfless colleague and friend,鈥 Bjerken said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 responsible for commissioning some of what we now consider the great pieces of the last 30 to 40 years.鈥
Along with these music department events, the Sidney Cox Library of Music and Dance in Lincoln Hall is hosting an exhibit, featuring music by current and former Cornell students and faculty, including Stucky鈥檚 鈥淪ilent Spring鈥 (2011) and 鈥淗igh Water Rising for Wind Ensemble鈥 (2018), by Lamb. That exhibit opens Feb. 20.
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