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Oral History of American Music

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Oral History of American Music

Libby Van Cleve, Director
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Oral History of American Music (OHAM) at Yale University is the preeminent project in the field of music dedicated to the collection and preservation of oral and video memoirs in the voices of the creative musicians of our time. Please visit our website for a complete list of interviews in the OHAM archive, and contact us you're interested in accessing transcripts for academic purposes!

05/23/2024

American composer Aaron Jay Kernis is among the most esteemed musical figures of his generation, his accolades including a Pulitzer Prize, Grammy Award, and Guggenheim Fellowship. Kernis composes in a musical language of “rich lyric splendor, vivid poetic imagery, and fierce instrumental brilliance,” and has written commissions for notable artists including Renee Fleming, Joshua Bell, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Among his many major works include “Dream of the Morning Sky,” “Musica Celestis,” and “Musica Instrumentalis.”

In addition to his work as a composer, Aaron Jay Kernis also teaches composition at the Yale School of Music. Listen to a recent graduate composition seminar at Yale given by Aaron Jay Kernis as part of OHAM’s “Major Figures in American Music” Collection here: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3714048

05/16/2024

Viet Cuong is a Vietnamese-American composer whose work has been performed by ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Eighth Blackbird, and the “President’s Own” Marine Band. Cuong’s music is described as “exploring the unexpected and whimsical…and sounds feel enchanting or oddly satisfying.” Notable works include “Extra(ordinarily) Fancy,” a concerto for two oboes, “Re(new)al,” a percussion quartet concerto, and “Sandbox” for percussion quartet.

Viet Cuong recently presented at the Yale School of Music composer’s seminar, the recording of which is now available in OHAM’s “Major Figures in American Music” Collection. Listen to the full seminar here: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3678430

05/09/2024

Congratulations to Tyshawn Sorey for his Pulitzer Prize win with Adagio (for Wadada Leo Smith)!

Tyshawn Sorey is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist, his work encompassing genres including classical, improvisational, and jazz. Among Sorey’s many accolades include a 2017 MacArthur Fellowship, a 2018 United States Artists Fellowship, and a 2024 Pulitzer Prize. Some of Sorey’s major works include “Monochromatic Light (Afterlife), which was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music, and “For George Lewis.”

OHAM is delighted to have had the opportunity to interview Tyshawn Sorey as part of our “Major Figures in American Music” collection—you can listen to the full conversation at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3708558

05/02/2024

Recently at OHAM, we conducted our annual interviews of all the first-year Yale School of Music composition students! Pictured are OHAM director Libby van Cleve and student interviewer Will Stevens interviewing the composers about their work, inspirations, and paths that have led them to where they are today. Check out those conversations in our "Yale Student Composers Interviews" Collection, alongside interviews from previous years at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/resources/5478

Composers Pictured:
Brittany Benson
Lily Koslow
Zihan Wu
Kacper Madejek
Diallo Banks

04/29/2024

These past few weeks have been big ones for OHAM’s documentation of gospel history! We had the opportunity to interview several major figures in gospel music, including Richard Smallwood, Lady Tremaine Hawkins, and Bebe Winans. OHAM was also very fortunate to acquire a set of interviews with “Father of Gospel Music” Thomas Dorsey, from past OHAM interviewee and gospel conductor-educator Barbara Baker.

OHAM’s new interviews with Richard Smallwood, Lady Tremaine Hawkins, and Bebe Winans will be available soon to stream. Check out the new Thomas Dorsey interviews at the link below, as well as our other available interviews in OHAM’s “Music and the Black Church” Collection, also linked below.

Thomas Dorsey interviews: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3755988
Music and the Black Church Collection: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/resources/12801

04/24/2024

This past weekend at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music's tribute to Richard Smallwood, OHAM had the incredible opportunity to interview gospel legends Lady Tremaine Hawkins, Bebe Winans, and Richard Smallwood! Below are comments from OHAM Director, Libby Van Cleve about the experience:

"We just had an amazing time in New Haven! The concert tribute to Richard Smallwood featured gospels legends and other extraordinary musicians. Oral History of American Music interviewed three: Lady Tramaine Hawkins (seen here touring Yale University Library with Michael Morand), Bebe Winans (seen on stage, backed up by Smallwood's group, Vision, and a 100-voice choir from the community), and Richard Smallwood himself (seen here with Ambre Dromgoole, star interviewer.). The interviews will soon be available for all to stream. I am so very grateful to have had the opportunity to be involved in this powerful event with these inspiring artists."
-Libby Van Cleve

04/18/2024

OHAM is incredibly excited to announce our recent acquisition of two sets of interviews with Thomas Dorsey, an American musician and composer frequently referred to as the “Father of Gospel Music.” Dorsey, born in 1899, was the son of a minister, and began his musical career specializing in the blues, before returning to his religious roots to pioneer the gospel genre. Over his decades-long career, Dorsey composed over 3,000 songs, with numerous notable works including “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and “Peace in the Valley.”

These interviews were acquired from Barbara Baker, noted gospel conductor and educator, and include an interview with Thomas Dorsey conducted by Baker, as well as a live recording and interview from a radio broadcast. These recordings are all now available as part of OHAM’s “Major Figures in American Music” Collection! Check them out at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3755988

04/12/2024

OHAM is delighted to have recently had the opportunity to interview Fernando Buide, Spanish composer and performer. A Yale alumnus, Buide received his Doctor of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music, and has recently been composer in residence at the Royal Academy of Spain at Roma. Buide’s output ranges from solo instrumental music to symphonic work, and has had his works performed by major orchestras such as the Minnesota Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

You can hear Buide discuss his life and career in his interview with OHAM, available at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3681524

04/02/2024

OHAM is so incredibly excited to announce our agreement with New Music USA to conserve the in-depth NewMusicBox interviews created by Frank J. Oteri and his team. NewMusicBox was originally created in 1999 by the American Music Center as a first-of-its-kind multimedia web publication, and has been a program of New Music USA since 2011. This collection provides a window into the world of new music through artist-authored content including in-depth articles, analysis, interviews, industry news, commentary, how-to’s, snapshots of music cities, and more.

Video excerpts from the full NewMusicBox interviews will remain hosted on New Music USA’s website, newmusicusa.org/newmusicbox. In addition, OHAM’s role as a dedicated archival repository will ensure long-term preservation and access to the full unedited interviews. OHAM will digitize the materials using international standards to protect against file obsolescence and corruption. As OHAM processes these interviews, they will become available via Archives at Yale. This exciting agreement will allow the 250+ interviews in NewMusicBox to be accessible to researchers and the public for free. Currently, 108 of these interviews are available, with the remaining to be added by 2025. Among major figures included in NewMusicBox are Philip Glass, Elliott Carter, Henry Threadgill, and Marin Alsop. You can explore these interviews and more at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/resources/11627

More on this exciting news here: https://newmusicusa.org/newsroom/new-music-usa-yale-library-nmbx/

03/29/2024

Tom Johnson is an American minimalist composer, with some of his best-known works including “An Hour for Piano,” “Rational Melodies,” and “Narayana’s Cows.” Johnson is also known for exploring different fields and medium in his work, including working with visual media, text, and mathematic principles.

OHAM is delighted to have had the opportunity to interview Tom Johnson as part of our “Major Figures in American Music” collection—you can listen to the full conversation at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3678428

03/05/2024

Don't miss Yale School of Music's upcoming New Music New Haven concert on Thursday 2/7, featuring works by guest composer David Sanford and student composers!

OHAM's Major Figures in American Music collection features two interviews with David Sanford, available at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3183963

Yesterday, we also conducted our annual interviews of first-year YSM composers. Check out previous interviews, available in our Yale Student Composer Interviews collection: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/resources/5478

03/02/2024

Pictured: OHAM director Libby Van Cleve, composer Jack Vees, and superstar banjo player and singer Abigail Washburn. OHAM interviewed Abigail Washburn ahead of her March 2nd concert at Yale, hosted by the Yale Schwarzman Center.

02/29/2024

Recently, NPR featured a story on John Cage's Organ² / ASLSP (As Slow as Possible), a performance that began in 2001, and is scheduled to take 639 years to complete. The interview (with transcript) is available at the following link: https://www.npr.org/2024/02/05/1229306608/a-piece-titled-as-slow-as-possible-has-been-in-performance-for-21-years-so-far

OHAM's collections feature many interviews with John Cage! Explore these archival recordings (transcripts available) at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3183611

02/03/2024

Leonard Bernstein on meeting Aaron Copland and bonding over Copland's Piano Variations at Aaron Copland’s 37th birthday party in NYC. This quote is excerpted from an interview with Bernstein from OHAM's 'Aaron Copland Oral History' Collection, where friends and family of Copland share their stories and memories of the great American composer. You can find Bernstein's interview, among others, at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/2949621

01/20/2024

We at OHAM join in mourning the loss of Peter Schickele, a prolific compositional mind both in his own name, as well as through his renowned parodist alter ego, P.D.Q. Bach. Schickele composed over 100 symphonic, chamber, choral, and solo instrumental works, in addition to writing for film scores and Broadway musicals. Some of his best known works as P.D.Q. Bach include “Iphigenia in Brooklyn,” “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 Sportscast,” and “The Short Tempered Clavier.”

OHAM is very fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview Peter Schickele on several occasions. These interviews are available at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3183966.

01/17/2024

OHAM joins the music world in mourning the loss of Phill Niblock. The New York-based composer and filmmaker was known for his boundary-pushing experimental works, particularly in his work with drones and microtones.

OHAM was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview Niblock this past summer, available at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3598637

12/30/2023

The staff at OHAM join in mourning the loss of Willie Ruff, legendary jazz musician, inspirational educator and longtime Yale professor, and a friend of OHAM in many ways.

Ruff was a prodigious French hornist and bassist, playing in the Mitchell-Ruff duo with pianist Dwike Mitchell, throughout their 70-year collaboration playing with other jazz greats like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong. Beyond the concert hall, Ruff also made a great impact as an educator and academic, especially with his founding of the Ellington Fellowship at Yale, which was established in 1972 to recognize the importance of the jazz tradition.

Willie Ruff has also been a profound contributor and supporter of OHAM. Ruff features in interviews across several collections, including the Paul Hindemith Collection (who Ruff studied with as a student at Yale), Major Figures in American Music, and Duke Ellington Oral History. Furthermore, Ruff generously donated his own interviews with notable figures such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, John Hammond, and Earl Hines to the OHAM collections.

Willie Ruff's contributions to OHAM can be found in OHAM's online repository, available at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/agents/people/38544

12/03/2023

Rubber Soul, The Beatles’s 6th studio album, was released today 57 years ago on December 3rd, 1966. Of the fourteen tracks that make up Rubber Soul, all but two were composed by the iconic Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo. Yale was extremely fortunate to be able to host Sir Paul McCartney this past February at an event hosted by the Yale Schwarzman Center, where McCartney recounted his life experiences and shared his expertise on the craft of songwriting.

The full transcript of this interview is now available as part of OHAM’s "Major Figures in American Music" Collection, accessible at the following link:
https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3570056

Photo by Dan Renzetti.

11/30/2023

This past February, Yale was extremely fortunate to receive Sir Paul McCartney, icon of musical performance and composition, in an interview hosted by the Yale Schwarzman Center. During this event, McCartney recounted his life experiences and shared his expertise on the craft of songwriting, in conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, moderated by Langdon Hammer of Yale’s English department.

The full transcript of this interview is now available as part of OHAM’s "Major Figures in American Music" Collection, accessible at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3570056

Photos by Mary McCartney and Dan Renzetti

11/27/2023

56 years ago today, November 27th, 1967, The Beatles released their Magical Mystery Tour album, fully committing to the psychedelic, experimental sounds they had begun to explore in their previous album the earlier that year, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Magical Mystery Tour album, which was created alongside a film sharing the same name, was originally conceived by Sir Paul McCartney, who visited Yale in back in February of this year. During this interview, hosted by the Yale Schwarzman Center , McCartney recounted his life experiences and shared his expertise on the craft of songwriting.

The full transcript of this event is now available as part of OHAM’s "Major Figures in American Music" Collection, accessible at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3570056

Photo by Dan Renzetti.

11/23/2023

55 years ago today on November 22nd, 1968, The Beatles’s White Album was released to the public. Blackbird, one of the Beatles’s most iconic songs, was written and sung by Sir Paul McCartney, who visited Yale in back in February of this year. During this interview, hosted by the Yale Schwarzman Center, McCartney recounted his life experiences and shared his expertise on the craft of songwriting.

The full transcript of this event is now available as part of OHAM’s "Major Figures in American Music" Collection, accessible at the following link:
https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3570056

Photo by Dan Renzetti

11/20/2023

We at OHAM join in mourning the loss of David Del Tredici, Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer known for his exploration and establishment of Neo-Romanticism. Some of Del Tredici's best known works include his "Alice" series, based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

Del Tredici was also a friend of OHAM's founder, Vivian Perlis, and OHAM is fortunate to have several interviews with Del Tredici, available at the following link:
https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3183659

11/15/2023

Composer and pedagogue Chou Wen Chung on the balance between honoring tradition and forging new innovation. Chou was known for his synthesis of Chinese traditional music with the classical genre, and some of his notable students include Tan Dun, Chen Yi, Bright Sheng, and Zhou Long.

This excerpt is taken from OHAM's 1960 interview with Chou, available for access in full at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3184362

11/08/2023

Educator, pianist, and choir director Dr. Kay Pace on maintaining tradition while adapting to modernity. Hear more in OHAM's full interview with Dr. Pace as part of our "Music and the Black Church" Collection, available at the following link:
https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3602448

11/05/2023

OHAM is delighted to have had the opportunity to interview David Harrington, founder and violinist of the Kronos Quartet. In addition to being an internationally acclaimed performer and a Grammy award-winning recording artist, Harrington and the Kronos Quartet are most well known for their prolific work commissioning and premiering contemporary compositions, especially works that address complex political and social issues.

The full interview with David Harrington is now available as part of our "Major Figures in American Music" collection, accessible at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3666014

11/01/2023

Barbara Baker, internationally noted conductor and educator, on her experience conducting choirs and guiding performers who believed they couldn't sing. Discover more about Barbara Baker's experiences in her interview, part of OHAM's Music and the Black Church collection, linked below:

https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3602450

10/28/2023

Composer, percussionist, sound poet and radio producer Charles Amirkhanian is a practitioner of electroacoustic music and text-sound composition, his notable works including “Dutiful Ducks” and “Heavy Aspirations.” Amirkhanian’s work has been praised as: “The art of audio collage has been reinvented here... A brilliant sense of imaginary space.”

In conjunction with his pioneering work as a composer, Amirkhanian is also a tireless champion of new music, and his work as co-founder of the Other Minds Festival, a global New Music community where composers, students, and listeners discover and learn about fine innovative music by composers from all over the world. As a part of the festival, the Other Minds Archive is a partnership with the McHenry Library at UC Santa Cruz to preserve the records of numerous composers, from notable to obscure.

Listen to OHAM’s full interview with Charles Amirkhanian at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repo.../7/archival_objects/3580356

Learn more about the Other Minds Archive here: https://www.otherminds.org/other-minds-ucsc/

10/24/2023

Musician, songwriter, and choir-leader Lisa Clayton on overcoming fear of mistakes in performance. This quote is excerpted from our interview with Lisa Clayton as part of our "Music and the Black Church" Collection.

The full interview can be found at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3602468

10/19/2023

The staff at OHAM are deeply saddened by the passing of Carla Bley, pianist, composer, bandleader, and pioneer of the free jazz movement. Bley’s works spanned a wide variety of ensembles and mediums, from avant-garde free jazz composition to mainstream pop-rock songwriting. Most well-known of her prolific output is Bley's 1971 jazz opera, “Escalator over the Hill,” recorded over five years by over 50 performers.

OHAM is very fortunate to have had the opportunity to interview Carla Bley on two occasions in 2003 and 2012—both interviews can be found online at the following link: https://archives.yale.edu/agents/people/93226

10/16/2023

Lutenist and early music revivalist Suzanne Bloch on bringing unfamiliar music to new audiences.

OHAM's full interview with Suzanne Bloch is available at the link below as part of our "Major Figures in American Music" Collection. Have a listen to learn more about Bloch's reflections on music, recollections of relationships with her teacher Nadia Boulanger and her father, composer Ernest Bloch.

https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3184225?fbclid=IwAR2zBFiyZnWiyCnfMoNO0R_HimS60qnnr7qpPkmOo8Za4bNdXKcwMJh9aP8

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Videos

‘Whose voice is this?’ - part 10, our final edition! Can you guess? ‘Whose Voice is This?’ Is part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit which is in its final weeks at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library. Featured are many of the voices that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. For more info visit: https://library.yale.edu/event/maker-kindly-permanence

‘Whose voice is this?’ - part 9. Can you guess? ‘Whose Voice is This?’ Is part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit which is in its final weeks at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library. Featured are many of the voices that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. For more info: https://library.yale.edu/event/maker-kindly-permanence

‘Whose voice is this?’ - part 8. Can you guess? ‘Whose Voice is This?’ Is part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit which is in its final weeks at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library. Featured are many of the voices that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. For more info: https://library.yale.edu/event/maker-kindly-permanence

FINAL WEEKS of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit! ‘Whose voice is this?’ - part 7. Can you guess? ‘Whose Voice is This?’ Is part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit currently running at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library. Featured are many of the voices that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. For more info: https://library.yale.edu/event/maker-kindly-permanence

TOMORROW | 4pm | Sterling Memorial Library Lecture Hall Live Right, Die Right: The Life and Times of Gospel Songwriter, Roxie Ann Moore. Ambre Dromgoole has dedicated much of her research as a PhD student at Yale to unearthing and preserving the work of renowned gospel artist Roxie Ann Moore. This video is an example of that work and features currently as part of OHAM's 'Maker of a Kindly Permanence' exhibit. Tomorrow Ambre will be giving a free public presentation that delves into Moore's life, contributions, and the cultures that surrounded and supported her work. It's one that's not to be missed! Irving S. Gilmore Music Library Yale University Library

‘Whose voice is this?’ - part 6. Can you guess? We will give you a clue: this person is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones! ‘Whose Voice is This?’ Is part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit currently running at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library through to May 31. Featured are many of the voices that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. For more info: https://library.yale.edu/event/maker-kindly-permanence

FINAL 5 WEEKS of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit! ‘Whose voice is this?’ - part 5. Can you guess? ‘Whose Voice is This?’ Is part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit currently running at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library through to May 31. Featured are many of the voices that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. For more info: https://library.yale.edu/event/maker-kindly-permanence

Commissioned for the Oral History of American Music's 50th anniversary. Composer, performer, songwriter (and former OHAM student worker!) Tanner Porter weaves together her very own music and poetry in a song that celebrates the occasion: The Making of a Memory. Porter's song features as part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit currently running at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library through to May 31. Featured are many of the artefacts that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. For more info: https://library.yale.edu/event/maker-kindly-permanence *** Music and text by Tanner Porter Libby Van Cleve - Oboe Jack Vees - Electric Bass Megan Sesma - Harp Tanner Porter - Voice

Remembering Wayne Shorter: 𝘼 𝙒𝙖𝙮𝙣𝙚 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙗𝙮 𝙎𝙣𝙮𝙙𝙚𝙧 & 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙨 "The music I used in the piece is an interpretation of Wayne Shorter’s signature composition 'Footprints', by keyboardist Louis Durra." - Rima Snyder Based on interviews with Wayne Shorter Rima Snyder, composer Dana Karwas, video (Director Yale Center Collaborative Arts & Media) Featured originally as part of OHAM's reVox project (2020).

‘Whose voice is this?’ - part 4. Can you guess? We will give you a clue: this person was instrumental in bringing OHAM to life! ‘Whose Voice is This?’ Is part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit currently running at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library through to May 31. Featured are many of the voices that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. For more info: https://library.yale.edu/event/maker-kindly-permanence

‘Whose voice is this?’ - part 3. Can you guess? ‘Whose Voice is This?’ Is part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit currently running at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library through to May 31. Featured are many of the voices that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. For more info: https://library.yale.edu/event/maker-kindly-permanence

‘Whose voice is this?’ - part 2. Can you guess? ‘Whose Voice is This?’ Is part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibit currently running at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library through to May 31. Featured are many of the voices that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. For more info: https://library.yale.edu/event/maker-kindly-permanence

As part of our ‘Maker of a Kindly Permanence’ exhibition that opens this Wednesday at Sterling Memorial Library, we will be featuring many of the voices that have been central to the OHAM collections throughout its history. We will be sharing the audio of some of those voices here on our social media throughout the course of the exhibition and challenge you to see if you know “Whose Voice is This?” Here’s part 1. Can you guess? Whose voice is this?

One of our favourite quotes from this year comes from the ever-inspiring American gospel musician and composer The Kurt Carr. All part of our new collection of interviews titled Music and the Black Church. Check out the the entire 'Music and the Black Church' collection via the link below: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/resources/12801?fbclid=IwAR0agwD69AaPueZO2uZi0AAaYhry2Wq51co4bb_hD4OY2uu5CVG4-raFF74

Dr. Tony McNeill on growing his leadership skills through his participation within the church community. All part of our new collection of interviews titled Music in the Black Church. Check out the the entire 'Music in the Black Church' collection via the link below: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/resources/12801?fbclid=IwAR0E6omX6z3M10X9QGoEwk6CBwFYTDfl6INYJZOC1HCk_oH6AEPpHEw3yqI

Patrice E. Turner discusses the work of Dr. James H. Cone and its significance in outlining the important role that the Black church played throughout history. Check out the the entire 'Music in the Black Church' collection via the link below: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/resources/12801?fbclid=IwAR0orxRpTRPQ9ApQGkFJe2mBJOlmGjEAJKAiU0db2Qz0BYNUSBDIfW13dcQ

OHAM Director Libby Van Cleve introduces our newest collection of oral histories: 'Music in the Black Church.' Libby discusses how the collection was born, and its significant contribution towards documenting the work of contemporary musical leaders in the Black church. Check out the the entire 'Music in the Black Church' collection via the link below: https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/resources/12801?fbclid=IwAR2yD_EueqEohX_pXaPlnDyRQ5vGf1MwkVF2iHS5jp2-nPp6ABUQ48H3jPo

Since its earliest iterations, gospel music has been a wonderfully powerful tool for communication. Oscar Williams Jr. describes the importance of this idea within his life, as part of an interview for OHAM's brand new "Music in the Black Church" collection.

American Composer Alvin Curran discusses finding himself in Rome in the 1970's, working with Frederic Rzewski, performing with Musica Electronica Viva, and discovering a new freedom in music making. Oral History of American Music Interviewee: Alvin Curran Interviewer: Ingram Marshall Date: January 11, 2001 Location: New York City, NY Video editing: Aaron Israel Levin Check out the full interview here: https://archives.yale.edu/repositorie...

"My feeling is that, I think art is an extension of life, and life is funny. I think it doesn’t make sense to be like: “I’m only going to be serious,” because that’s not what life is like. I think the most poignant things in life are things that are at once tragic and funny." Inspiring words from American composer and performer, Pamela Z. Listen to the full OHAM interview with Pamela Z via the link below! 🎧 https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/7/archival_objects/3253568