Where the Music Comes From: The Vocal Music of Wisconsin Composer Lee Hoiby

Born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1926, composer and pianist Lee Hoiby is best known for his vocal works. A composition student of Gian Carlo Menotti, Hoiby has been described as a “modern Romantic” who rejected 20th-century compositional trends such as atonality and minimalism, instead favoring lyrical, expressive, tonal writing. Some of his most well-known operas include The Scarf, The Tempest, and his setting of Tennessee Williams’s play Summer and Smoke. His art songs—many of which were premiered and championed by soprano Leontyne Price—include settings of American poets such as Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Dorothy Parker. This presentation will explore Hoiby’s art songs, operas, and “musical monologues,” examine his compositional influences, and celebrate his enduring legacy as a beloved composer of vocal music.

Presented by Rachel Wood, Associate Professor, Music as part of the Fall Fairhaven Lecture Series "Standing the Test of Time."

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