I have been invited by the University of St Andrews (Scotland) to give a virtual talk on the relationship between Gerald Finzi and their former Master of Music, Cedric Thorpe Davie.
Pending the location opening by this time, I will be doing research at the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism at Birkbeck, University of London. This is for my project, “Englishness and Jewishness: Gerald Finzi and the English Musical Renaissance,” supported by a grant from the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry at Brandeis University.
For my project, “Englishness and Jewishness: Gerald Finzi and the English Musical Renaissance,” funded by a summer research & travel grant from the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry at Brandeis University.
For my project “Englishness and Jewishness: Gerald Finzi and the English Musical Renaissance,” sponsored by a grant from the Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry at Brandeis University.
I have been invited by the Voice Department at the School of Music at Tennessee Tech University for a two-day residency on my speciality, “Gerald Finzi and the Art of English Song.” The residency will consist of a lecture, lecture recital, workshop, and masterclass.
I have written a chapter in this upcoming peer-reviewed collection, to be published on February 15, 2021.
From Amazon:
“Christian Sacred Music in the Americas explores the richness of Christian musical traditions and reflects the distinctive critical perspectives of the Society for Christian Scholarship in Music. This volume, edited by Andrew Shenton and Joanna Smolko, is a follow-up to SCSM’s Exploring Christian Song and offers a cross-section of the most current and outstanding scholarship from an international array of writers.
The essays survey a broad geographical area and demonstrate the enormous diversity of music-making and scholarship within that area. Contributors utilize interdisciplinary methodologies including media studies, cultural studies, theological studies, and different analytical and ethnographical approaches to music. While there are some studies that focus on a single country, musical figure, or region, this is the first collection to represent the vast range of sacred music in the Americas and the different approaches to studying them in context.”
https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Sacred-Americas-Andrew-Shenton/dp/1538148730/
REVIEWS:
“Admirable in its geographic reach and in its range of historical and ethnographic approaches, this volume offers a stimulating and welcome set of case studies that shed new light on areas of Christian sacred music that have not yet received the attention they deserve.”
-- Stephen E. Crist, professor of music history, Emory University
“Christian Sacred Music in the Americas is a brilliantly interdisciplinary collection. The chapters coalesce to form a kaleidoscopic view—one that illuminates not only aspects of worship and spirituality but also of resistance, resilience, and reconciliation.”
-- Eftychia Papanikolaou, associate professor of musicology, Bowling Green State University
“Refreshingly, this insightful volume expands the geographical frame from the typical focus on North America to “the Americas,” weaving Central and South American perspectives into its rich tapestry of voices. It is an excellent addition to any sacred music or American music course.”
-- Monique Ingalls, associate professor of music; affiliated faculty, religion, Baylor University
My paper "The Primacy of Prime: Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil and the Theology of the First Hour" has been accepted for the 2021 British Forum for Ethnomusicology and Royal Musical Association Research Students’ Conference, hosted by the Faculty of Music at the University of Cambridge, UK.
FROM MUSICA SACRA WEBSTE
“Due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), and in light of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s request for New Yorkers to avoid densely populated areas, Musica Sacra has made the difficult decision to POSTPONE our upcoming concert “Under the Arches,” scheduled for March 18, 2020. The concert will be RESCHEDULED for Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 7:30 PM and will take place at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
We apologize for this inconvenience, but feel it is in the best interest for the health and well-being of our patrons and artists.
All current tickets purchased for our March 18 concert will be honored on October 20. If you are unable to attend this rescheduled date, Musica Sacra will gladly offer an exchange for a concert at a future date.”
Zen will be providing the program notes for the following concert:
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Kent Tritle, conductor
J. S. BACH Komm, Jesu, Komm
BRAHMS Schaffe in mir, Gott
BRUCKNER Os Justi
RHEINBERGER Cantus Missae
Rheinberger’s stunning Mass for Double Choir in E-Flat Major, ‘Cantus Missae,’ frames this a cappella concert. Sublime motets of Brahms and Bruckner plus Bach’s Komm, Jesu, Komm complete this evening of soaring and uplifting music.
7 PM―Pre-concert recital by the Newark Boys Chorus School
Tickets $45-$75 | Seniors $30 | Students $20
(Taken from the Musica Sacra website; link to purchase tickets below)
https://musicasacrany.com/
Musica Sacra is the longest continuously-performing professional chorus in New York City.
Zen will provide the program-booklet essay for the following concert:
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
Kent Tritle, conductor
Amy Justman, soprano
Kirsten Sollek, contralto
Joshua Blue, tenor
Adam Lau, bass
Our annual performance of Messiah is as dynamic as ever with a stellar cast of soloists and the Musica Sacra Orchestra, complete with baroque bows and a focus on period performance practices. Don’t miss our triumphant Hallelujah and Worthy is the Lamb at Carnegie Hall.
Tickets $20-$100
$15 Student & Senior tickets (Parquet Y-CC & Balcony) for Messiah available at box office window 7 days prior to performance
(Info courtesy of the Musica Sacra New York website, and photo courtesy of Carnegie Hall. Tickets can be purchased on the Musica Sacra New York website)
Zen will attend the American Musicology Society’s Annual Meeting in Boston, Oct 31 to Nov 3.
Zen will write the program notes for the following concert:
‘Music for a Gothic Space’
Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC
Musica Sacra
Kent Tritle, conductor
MACHAUT Messe de Nostre Dame
Motets of Josquin des Prez
Gregorian Chant
Enchanting music for a Gothic space! Machaut’s late medieval Messe de Nostre Dame, hauntingly beautiful motets of Josquin des Prez and the meditative sounds of Gregorian Chant resound ethereally in the world’s largest Gothic cathedral (concert info courtesy of the Musica Sacra website)
Zen Kuriyama has been invited to give a talk on the relationship between Gerald Finzi and Cedric Thorpe Davie at the Music Centre at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) at 1430 on 9 October 2019. Title of the talk is ‘“Dear Ceddie”: Discovering Gerald Finzi through his correspondence with St Andrews’ Master of Music, Cedric Thorpe Davie.’ Free and open to the public.
On Sunday, September 8, Zen begins his tenure as the new Choir Director at The Congregational Church of Weston, UCC. Located just down the road from Brandeis University, all are welcome and invited to join the choir!
Zen will attend the 2019 Historical Notation Bootcamp, to be held the week of August 5–9 at Cornell University’s Department of Music and Carl A. Kroch Library, with the generous support of Yale University and Cornell University. The four-and-a-half-day seminar offers a practical and theoretical overview of medieval musical notations, from neumes to early print sources. Participants will acquire the basic skills needed to work with historical musical sources, make sense of source-based analyses, and sing from original notation.
