Department of Music

The University of Virginia Arts Administration Program in the McIntire Department of Art and the UVA McIntire Department of Music are co-hosting an Artist Residency as well as the Impulse Festival of Improvisation that feature Wadada Leo Smith and the Golden Quintet.  Events include four concerts, a student jam session, an art opening, as well as a series of lectures, workshops and demonstrations. Members of the Golden Quintet perform in two concerts.  All events in the residency and festival are free except for the final concert on Saturday night. Wadada Leo Smith and the Golden Quintet present the culminating concert in Impulse Festival of Improvisation, America's National Parks, on Saturday January 26, 8pm in Old Cabell Hall.  This is a multi-media event, with video artist Jesse Gilbert contributing live video.  Tickets for America's National Parks $15 for the general public/ $13 for UVA faculty and staff/ $10 for students and free for UVA students in advance. Tickets are available at the UVA Arts Box Office by visiting artsboxoffice.virginia.edu, calling 434.924.3376 or at the door.The Impulse Festival features contemporary improvisational ensembles and soloists, as well as traditional musical styles that improvise as a key element of performance.

The Impulse Festival begins with ORIGINS (concert #1) that juxtaposes diverse genres relying on improvisation: European baroque, (UVA Baroque Orchestra), American jazz (UVA Jazz Small Group with special guest vocalist Stephanie Nakasian), and Hindustani classical music (Swaraprabha Hindustani Classical Indian Vocal Ensemble with Nirmal Bajekal - voice, and Mayuzsh Abhyankar - tabla). 

MEDITATIONS (concert #2), features three guest artists who draw on diverse musical styles from around the world: guitarist Ayman Fanous; violinist Stephen Nachmanovitch; and will include a solo performance by Golden Quintet member, pianist Anthony Davis.

CONVERSATIONS (concert #3) explores the interaction between improvising musicians.  The three distinct improvising ensembles, UVA New Music Ensemble, AZUL, and EcoSono Ensemble engaged in everything from improvising on compositions to completely free improvisations, with no preconceptions or roadmap. Conversations does not include any of the Golden Quintet musicians. 

Iconic composer and trumpeter WADADA LEO SMITH and his Golden Quintet’s spectacular finale, AMERICA's NATIONAL PARKS, (concert #4) is a multimedia piece that interweaves stunning visual imagery from our National Parks with live performance. Wadada Leo Smith is Downbeat Magazine's 2017 critics poll winner for jazz artist, trumpeter and album of the year.

Mr Smith's scores, which are works of art in and of themselves. will also be exhibited at The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center in Charlottesville, where there will be a reception for Mr. Smith on Friday, January 26th at 5:30 pm.

The Impulse Festival's organizer, Chapman Stick player Greg Howard (UVA Performance Faculty), wanted to bring together these diverse musicians to show how improvisation is big part of so much of music we are familiar with, and also, how it can be a launching pad for completely new forms of expression. "People tend to think musical improvisation requires some kind of special talent, but as humans we are all improvisors. We meet the unexpected head on, we react as best we can, because we must!  It's no different with music.  When a player is really improvising, they are composing in the moment.  It's unpredictable, and that can make it exciting for the performer and the audience. It's a very pure form of expression."

Old Cabell Hall is located on the south end of UVA's historic lawn, directly opposite the Rotunda.  (map) Parking is available in the central grounds parking garage on Emmet Street, in the C1 parking lot off McCormick Rd, and in the parking lots at the UVA Corner.  Handicap parking is available in the small parking lot adjacent to Bryan Hall.

The Impulse Festival is sponsored by the following UVA entities: Arts Administration program, Arts Council, College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ Collective Response: Moving Forward committee, McIntire Department of Art, McIntire Department of Music, Office of the Provost & the Vice Provost for the Arts, Office of the Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity, President’s Commission on Slavery and the University, University Programs Council, and WTJU Radio.  Generous support was given by The Acquavella Family, Charlottesville Jazz Society, Gassmann Fund for Innovation in Music, Hampton Inn and Suites, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center.

All programs are subject to change.

To purchase tickets for the final concert, please call the Arts Box Office at 434.924.3376.  For more information please call the McIntire Department of Music at 434.924.3052