Deborah Justice, the Carole and Alvin I. Schragis Faculty Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Music Histories, in collaboration with a working group that includes faculty from Colgate University and Hamilton College, has announced the lineup for the fall 2014 “Re-Sounding History Concert and Lecture-Demonstration Series.” The fall series, sponsored by the Syracuse University Humanities Center and the Central New York Humanities Corridor, will allow participants to experience the value that archives and libraries hold for active musicians. Featured performers will demonstrate the connections between scholarship and musicianship through lecture-demonstrations and concerts featuring banjos, Appalachian fiddles and Italian mandolins.
“I am very proud of the lineup I have developed for this year’s series,” says Justice, an ethnomusicologist who joined Syracuse University in 2013. “My colleagues have been very supportive and we hope to raise awareness of the value of sonic collections by showcasing well-known performers who draw heavily upon historical archival materials in their performance practices.”
The “Re-Sounding History Concert and Lecture-Demonstration Series” kicked off with its inaugural series in spring 2014. Justice, who serves as principal investigator on the project, says she hopes this project will encourage critical interdisciplinary dialogue between faculty and partner institutions and build bridges between the institutions involved and the local communities.
Deborah Justice
“This coordinated project has huge potential. I am confident that not only will it transform collegiality into a sustained relationship, it will also increase institutional enthusiasm and support for sound archives and excite students about connecting scholarship and practice. We want to get the message out that libraries and archives are like sonic treasure troves,” says Justice.
The combination of explanation and live performance will illustrate the value of archival resources in informing current, vibrant, historically informed music-making. The programs also give faculty, staff, students and community members an excellent chance to enter into sustained dialogue, both with each other and with the visiting artists.
The lineup for this year’s series is as follows:
Re-Sounding Banjos, David Deacon
Syracuse University, 107 Hall of Languages
Sept. 9, 7 p.m.
Hamilton College, 201 Schambach
Sept. 19, noon
Re-Sounding Fiddles, Todd Clewell and The Keystone Rebels
Syracuse University, 132 Lyman
Oct. 9, 7 p.m.
Hamilton College, 201 Schambach
Oct. 10, noon
Re-Sounding Italian Mandolins, The Rigatoni Brothers
Syracuse University, 107 Hall of Languages
Nov. 7, 7 p.m.
Colgate University, Location: TBD
Nov. 7, Time: TBD
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Justice at drjustic@syr.edu or 315.443.4321.
