September 28th, 2023

This centennial concert, thrown by Hitchcock Institute for Studies in American Music, est. 1971, highlights and benefits collaborations between students, faculty, and the New York City arts community through Hitchcock’s rich scholarly legacy in American music scholarship and praxis.

After brief opening remarks by former HISAM directors Carol J. Oja and Allan Lott, the first half of the program featured a program of American choral works historical and modern curated by Malcolm J. Merriweather to align with Hitchcock’s personal interests, acquaintances, and scholarly affinities. Works included compositions and arrangements by William Billings, Charles Ives, Margaret Bonds, Valerie Capers, Leonard Bernstein, and Gregg Smith.

A brief intermission included a silent auction of HISAM publications and swag including a robust offering of prints from both the monograph series and back issues of the ISAM Newsletter and American Music Review.

The concert’s second half transported the audience into the world of avant-garde jazz and experimental theater, featuring selections from Cecil Taylor’s musical adaptation of Adrienne Kennedy’s play A Rat’s Mass in 1976. A project conceived and facilitated by Michelle Yom, this segment highlights the bold artistic endeavors that emerged at the intersection of music, drama, and social commentary during a time of creative upheaval. Just as H. Wiley Hitchcock championed the amalgamation of disciplines, this performance resonates with his enduring legacy, inviting attendees to engage with the fusion of art forms and delve into the complexity of American music and culture.