The College of Performing Arts Launches New Series of Conversations with Artists and Musicians
Anyone in the music industry is intimately familiar with the work of Robert Hurwitz, and even if you’re not an industry professional, chances are that you know many of the performers and composers whose music he helped popularize during his tenure as the President of Nonesuch Records. Hurwitz signed or worked with artists that have come to define the sounds of the last several decades including Philip Glass, Björk, John Adams, John Zorn, Pat Metheny, and many others.
As the Aaron Copland Fellow at the College of Performing Arts, Hurwitz is now launching In Our Time: Conversations with Robert Hurwitz, where he will discuss a variety of topics with artists whose creative lives and work have left an indelible mark in music, arts, and culture.
“In Our Time is a series of conversations about what it means being an artist in this moment,” explains Hurwitz. “The ‘moment’ has evolved since I first began planning the series: it was at first the pandemic moment; then it became the economic catastrophe and jobless moment; then it became the George Floyd/Black Lives Matter/racial injustice moment; then it became the fire/hurricane/global warming moment; and now it’s the election/Supreme Court and democracy under fire moment – and many moments in between. All of these moments are still with us, they keep piling on.”
The series kicks off on Thursday, October 8, with Hurwitz in conversation with legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso. Future sessions will include conversations with Julia Bullock, Laurie Anderson, and Cécile McLorin Salvant, who attended the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music.
“Part of the conversations will be about practical considerations,” shared Hurwitz. “What it means for a musician accustomed to constantly performing for audiences suddenly going for months without being in front of the public. What it means being away from fellow musicians who are such an important part of their life. What it means in terms of the daily rhythm of life; what it means economically. And what it might mean in terms of current and future creative work.”
The series is presented in partnership with UCLA, and everyone from the New School community can RSVP here.