Feldman@100 celebrates 100 years of a visionary composer

The Department of Music will commemorate the centennial birthday of Morton Feldman, one of America’s most influential postwar composers and a pivotal figure in UB’s musical history, with a series of concerts and lectures Jan. 12-13 on the North Campus.

Free and open to the public, Feldman@100 will take place in Lippes Concert Hall in Slee Hall and in the Experimental Intermedia Space in B1 Slee.

Nearly four decades after his passing, Feldman’s work continues to shape contemporary musical thought. As a longtime UB professor of composition and the Edgard Varèse Professor of Music, he played a central role in establishing Buffalo as an international center for new music beginning in the 1960s.

Eric Huebner, chair of the Department of Music, explains that Feldman’s innovative approach to sound, form and time — along with his enduring engagement with modern visual art — have inspired generations of composers and scholars worldwide.

“Feldman’s significance is felt not only in his music but in his numerous writings and public lectures, many of which are published, with numerous lectures being viewable on YouTube,” Huebner says. “His work, like the work of other significant postwar figures, has inspired subsequent generations of composers to rethink what’s possible in music.”

During Feldman@100, audiences will experience a wide array of Feldman’s work, including several of his most significant late compositions, such as “Piano and String Quartet” (1985), “Piano Trio” (1980), and “Bass Clarinet and Percussion” (1981). Featured guest artists include JACK Quartet, the Horszowski Trio, and pianist and UB alumna Amy Williams, as well as UB music faculty and the UB Choir.

“There is much to learn and to ponder in Feldman’s music,” Huebner says, “and we are so excited to be presenting a cross section of his later work — with a couple of earlier important works as well — combined with the music of composers he loved: Anton Webern, Schubert, Iannis Xenakis and Barbara Monk Feldman, whom he married not long before his death.”

The celebration will include a series of pre-concert talks designed to enrich audience understanding. On Jan. 12, noted scholar, composer and author Ray Fields will present research he obtained in the UB Archives on Feldman’s work, including insights drawn from his scholarship and archival work at UB. On Jan. 13, Jan Williams, UB emeritus professor and longtime collaborator of Feldman, will join composer and pianist Amy Williams for a special conversation, accompanied by rare archival images and video from Feldman’s later years.

The lineup for Feldman@100 also reflects the university’s ongoing commitment to innovation and emerging artists.

“Five current UB PhD composers will have newly commissioned works premiered by the internationally acclaimed JACK Quartet, widely recognized as a leading American string quartet specializing in contemporary music,” Huebner says.

Additional student performances will take place throughout the series, including an appearance by Chi Yen Huang performing Schubert’s “Fantasie in F minor” and student-led performances of Feldman’s “Durations IV” and “Durations V,” as well as “Rothko Chapel” during the final concert of the festival on Jan. 13.

For a complete list of events, schedules and information, visit the Feldman@100 website.