Department of Music

The McIntire Department of Music is pleased to present a colloquium and concert by composer, multi-instrumentalist, and MacArthur Fellow Tyshawn Sorey.  The concert will take place on Friday, February 28th at 8 pm at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church at 717 Rugby Road.  The colloquium will be held at 2pm on the 28th in Old Cabell Hall.  Both events are free and open to the public.  The Tyshawn Sorey Residency at the University of Virginia is supported by The Gassmann Fund for Innovation, the UVA Arts Council | Enriching the Arts on Grounds, and the Miller Arts Scholars.

Newark-born multi-instrumentalist and composer Tyshawn Sorey (b. 1980) is celebrated for his incomparable virtuosity, and extraordinary ability to blend composition and improvisation in his work.  Sorey, a composer, drummer, percussionist, trombonist, and conductor, has roots in both classical and jazz musics, defying easy classification into any one genre.  A 2017 recipient of the MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’, Sorey’s work has also been recognized by The Jerome Foundation, The Shifting Foundation, Van Lier Fellowship, and he has received commissions from The Spektral Quartet, Ojai Music Festival, and International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE).  He has performed nationally and internationally with his own ensembles, as well as artists such as John Zorn, Vijay Iyer, Roscoe Mitchell, Muhal Richard Abrams, Wadada Leo Smith, Marilyn Crispell, George Lewis, Claire Chase, Steve Coleman, Steve Lehman, Robyn Schulkowsky, Evan Parker, Anthony Braxton, and Myra Melford, among many others.  Sorey, who received his Doctor of Musical Arts in composition from Columbia University, is on the faculty at Wesleyan.  His work has been reviewed in numerous publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Down Beat, The Wire and the Village Voice.

Tyshawn Sorey Residency Schedule:

Quotes about Tyshawn Sorey:

“He plays not only with gale-force physicality, but also a sense of scale and equipoise.” – NY Times

 “A composer of radical and seemingly boundless ideas.” – Wall Street Journal

 “Among the most formidable denizens of the in-between zone . . . An extraordinary talent who can see across the entire musical landscape.”  –  New Yorker Magazine

Learn more about Tyshawn Sorey at https://tyshawnsorey.com.

The Tyshawn Sorey Residency at the University of Virginia is supported by The Gassmann Fund for Innovation,  The UVA Arts Council | Enriching the Arts on Grounds, and the Miller Arts Scholars

Old Cabell Hall is located on the south end of UVA's historic lawn, directly opposite the Rotunda. Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church is at 717 Rugby Road.  Call 434.924.3052 for more information

"Is It Jazz? Improvisation? Tyshawn Sorey Is Obliterating the Lines". -- Giovanni Russonello,  NYTimes

Tyshawn Sorey, A Musical Shapeshifter, Wins MacArthur 'Genius' Prize" == Anastasia Tsioulcas, NPR

All artists and programs are subject to change.