5/18
Louisa Shepard
Senior News Officer
lshepard@upenn.edu
Music
Evoking an ancient world
Evoking an ancient world
The medieval English epic poem “Beowulf” is brought to life in a musical performance by Benjamin Bagby and academic discussion through a partnership among the Penn Live Arts, the Libraries, and the School of Arts & Sciences.
WXPN seeks Black Americana artists for Black Opry Residency
WXPN seeks Black Americana artists for Black Opry Residency
WXPN is looking for five Black Americana artists for a week-long residency this winter. The brand-new artist development program is funded by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.
The University of Pennsylvania Libraries acquires archives of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Academy of Music
The University of Pennsylvania Libraries acquires archives of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Academy of Music
The historic partnership provides the public access to nearly 175 years of Philadelphia’s rich musical history.
Poet Wes Matthews combines writing, music, research, and service
Poet Wes Matthews combines writing, music, research, and service
College fourth-year Wes Matthews is combining writing, music, research, and service during his Penn experience. A former Youth Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, the anthropology major and religious studies minor works at the Kelly Writers House and is a Wolf Humanities Center fellow.
Listen on repeat: Exploring medieval refrain songs
Listen on repeat: Exploring medieval refrain songs
Music professor Mary Channen Caldwell brings together over 400 devotional Latin refrain songs from the Middle Ages in her new book, the first to explore the medieval refrain in song outside of vernacular contexts.
President Magill talks music interests on WXPN
President Magill talks music interests on WXPN
Penn President Liz Magill stopped by WXPN’s ‘Friday Morning Mixtape’ with Kristen Kurtis to share a 13-song playlist, what about music grabs her, and more.
‘In These Times’ explores the intricate riddles of life through art
‘In These Times’ explores the intricate riddles of life through art
Episodes 6 and 7 of the latest season of the OMNIA podcast explore how art like music and dance have been the pulse of social movements, and how individual artistic experiences impact mental health and well-being.
Singing, speech production, and the brain
Singing, speech production, and the brain
This summer, rising second-years Audrey Keener and Nicholas Eiffert worked in the lab of Penn linguist Jianjing Kuang studying vowel articulation in song, running an in-person experiment and built a corpus of classical recordings by famous singers.
A summer internship with Play On Philly
A summer internship with Play On Philly
Rising College of Arts and Sciences second-year Chaily Derecskey is a summer intern with Play On Philly, a nonprofit that provides orchestral instrument instruction to Philadelphia school children.
‘Music connects’ for Summer Institute students
‘Music connects’ for Summer Institute students
The Summer Institute for Pre-Freshmen brings new students together with experienced faculty and graduate students to discuss cultural themes in Africana studies.
Media Contact
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia’s Tyshawn Sorey wins Pulitzer Prize in music
Tyshawn Sorey of the School of Arts & Sciences has won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in music for “Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith),” a concerto for saxophone and orchestra.
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Philadelphia Tribune
Preparing the archives: Sun Ra comes to Kislak Center
Samantha Hill of Penn Libraries discusses the recent acquisition of two collections of archival materials by Sun Ra, a prolific jazz musician and forefather to the Afrofuturist movement.
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CNN
The female rappers we can’t get enough of
Jasmine Henry of the School of Arts & Sciences says that the success of Sugar Hill Records and “Rapper’s Delight,” both created by entrepreneur Sylvia Robinson, significantly contributed to mainstream acceptance of hip-hop.
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The Hill
White House unveils ‘stunning vegetarian menu’ for Modi state dinner
The South Asian a cappella group Penn Masala will perform at the state dinner for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House.
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Chilean North American Institute
American Spaces on air — Penn Glee Club
During a tour in Chile, members of the Penn Glee Club are interviewed on a podcast of the Chilean North American Institute.
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Philadelphia Sunday Sun
‘Be Holding’ dives into Black genius and joy
“Be Holding,” a poetry performance that seeks to heal grieving Black families, was directed by Brooke O’Harra and composed by Tyshawn Sorey, both of the School of Arts & Sciences.
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