Composer and scholar Jan Swafford looks at the evening’s program through the lens of its period; with an eye to the art and ideas that surrounded some of Europe’s greatest musical minds. This recorded pre-performance lecture is available to view now through October 18.
This recorded pre-performance lecture is available to view now through October 18.
About the Speaker
Jan Swafford is a composer and writer. His musical works range from orchestral and chamber to film and theater music, including four pieces for orchestra, Midsummer Variations for piano quintet, They That Mourn for piano trio, and They Who Hunger for piano quartet. His music has been played around the U.S. and abroad by ensembles including the symphonies of Indianapolis, St. Louis, Harrisburg, Springfield, Jacksonville, Chattanooga, and the Dutch Radio. His degrees are from Harvard and the Yale School of Music.
As a music journalist and scholar, Swafford has written for Slate, The Guardian, Gramophone, and 19th Century Music among others. He is a longtime program note writer for the Boston Symphony, and has written program and liner notes for the symphonies of Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Detroit, and San Francisco, for Chamber Music at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, and Deutsche Grammophon. His books include the biographies Charles Ives: A Life with Music (nominated for a National Book Critics Circle award); Johannes Brahms: A Biography; Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph, and Mozart: The Reign of Love.
2022-23 Chamber Pre-Performance Lecture Series curated by George Lopez
Pianist George Lopez, Bowdoin College’s Robert Beckwith Artist in Residence, has been a dedicated and dynamic performer, educator, and lecturer for 30 years. Known in Europe, South America and the US for his “…kaleidoscopic colors and clarity of conception…” (LA Times) in the standard repertoire as well as being a champion of newly written works, Mr. Lopez is also comfortable in styles of music ranging from jazz, ragtime to more contemporary styles of improvisation. His concert seasons have included tours of New England and New York, the Bay Area, Seattle, New Orleans, Boulder, Colorado, Vermont, Massachusetts, Mexico, with concerts in France, Holland, Switzerland and Italy. He was invited to Cuba just before the embargo was lifted to give masterclasses and concerts as a member of the Aries Trio. Mr. Lopez initiated his “Music in the Museum” series at Bowdoin College that consistently sells out to audiences who enjoy his creative and engaging lecture recitals on the relationship of music to art and ideas.
He has taken up the baton and built up the all-student Bowdoin College Orchestra which performs full symphonic programs each semester. He resides in Brunswick, Maine.