WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY TO CELEBRATE WORKS OF COMPOSER PAUL HINDEMITH

A festival that celebrates German composer Paul Hindemith’s musical ideas and contributions to American culture will be held at William Paterson University in Wayne on May 1 and 2 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Shea Center for the Performing Arts.

The festival, titled “Hindemithon,” will feature an opening performance on May 1 at 3 p.m. by Frank Pavese, an adjunct professor of music and the festival’s founder and artistic director, who will present Hindemith’s monumental work for piano, “Ludus Tonalis.”

At 7:30 p.m. that evening, a concert will be held which will feature pianist Gary Kirkpatrick, a William Paterson professor of music. Kirkpatrick will be joined by violist Brett Deubner, cellist Jason Lippmann, and clarinetist Andrew Lamy, all members of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and adjunct professors of music. Also performing will be Louise Dubin, a cellist and member of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. William Paterson senior Itay Goren, a recipient of the dean’s award for creative excellence, will present a jazz rendition of Hindemith’s “Kleine Kammermusik.”

On May 2, performances will feature William Paterson faculty, students and alumni. A series of films, lectures and discussions about Hindemith’s music will also be presented throughout the day.

Hindemith, who was born in 1895, was a leading exponent of the neoclassic movement and as a young man was considered a musical radical. From the mid-1920s onward, he was regarded as one of the key modernist composers of the 20th century. He also rejected atonalism, which was a form of musical modernism associated with composer Arnold Schoenberg. By the time of Hindemith’s death in 1963, performances of his music were far less common than they had been even in the 1950s.

Admission is free. Donations to the Music Department Scholarship Fund will be accepted. For additional information, contact Frank Pavese at 973-720-3800.
# # #

For Further Information, contact:

Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966

4/15/04