CMC Sessions
Take a deep dive into jazz, Chinese-American, Latin, old-time, gypsy jazz, and genre-crossing styles with CMC faculty from the Cultural Traditions Department. The sessions offer engaging discussions, inspiring demonstrations, and musical tips in a creative format. Participants are invited to interact with the faculty through a Q & A. CMC Sessions are free and open to all levels of music students.
Meet these talented and inspiring faculty at the CMC Sessions:
- February 9 Maestro and Nola Curtis, The Impact of Black Culture on Ensemble Singing
- February 23 Jon Jang, Traditions in Transformation: The Musical Language of Jon Jang
- March 9 Charlie Gurke, Clave for Improvisers
- March 23 Miguel Govea, Community Arts and Education
- April 13 Omar Ledezma Jr., The Music of Rubén Blades
- April 27 Erik Pearson, Banjo History and Styles
- May 11 Scott Feichter, Gypsy Jazz Legacy: Past and Present
- May 25 Allison Lovejoy, Genre-crossing: From Classical to Blues to Rock
Traditions in Transformation: The Musical Languae of Jon Jang with Jon Jang
February 23, 2021, 6:00pm (PST)
Free
Join composer-pianist Jon Jang’s reflection about his unique life and music. Jon will open the presentation by honoring Paul Robeson, who was an early influence and the first artist to explore heterogeneity in music. Jon, who earned a B.Mus. degree in Piano Performance at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music during the mid 1970s, will reflect on his maverick outlier years as an undergraduate student who did not confine his music studies to 18th & 19th Western European classical music.
In the second part of the presentation, Jon will discuss his modern harmonization of Chinese folk songs in his works for “jazz” ensembles. Jon will conclude his presentation by talking about his “classical music” works informed by Chinese traditional music such as Island: The Immigrant Suite No. 2 for the Kronos Quartet and Cantonese Opera singer and the Chinese American Symphony commissioned and performed by the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra and the Oakland East Bay Symphony.
This event will be conducted online via video conferencing. RSVP to receive the link to join, emailed prior to the start of the discussion.
People who are interested in this workshop can dive deeper by exploring private lessons and the jazz program.