FIU RESEARCH TAKES CENTER STAGE AT 2023 AMERICAN LISZT SOCIETY FESTIVAL CONFERENCE

The annual 2023 American Liszt Society (ALS) Festival Conference, held from May 18 - May 21, at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, FL, was a testament to the exceptional programming and research prominence of FIU's esteemed music faculty.

Co-hosted and meticulously programmed by FIU Professor of Keyboard Studies Dr. José López, who also serves as the president of the South Florida Chapter of the ALS, the festival featured a series of captivating performances, presentations, and collaborations by acclaimed musicians and distinguished scholars from around the world.

The festival's theme "Liszt and Schubert" commemorated the 200th anniversary of the creation/publication of the "Wanderer" Fantasy, D. 760 (1822-23) and its influence on Liszt's compositional development, especially the use of thematic/rhythmic transformation as a unifying force

Equally central to the festival was the exploration of Schubert's songs in piano transcriptions and the influence of Schubert's Czech contemporaries on the development of the quintessential short character piano piece during the Romantic era

Attendees were treated to enlightening lectures and presentations by esteemed scholars Jay Rosenblatt, Mark DeZwaan, Ben and Elizabeth Arnold who delved into various facets of Liszt and Schubert's musical genius. The complete Schöne Müllerin cycle (1823) from Schubert's Lieder production was presented as well as a remarkable rendition of the complete Soirées de Vienne and Années de Pèlerinage Book I ("Suisse").

Robert Dundas, tenor and Associate Professor of Vocal Studies, presented a lecture unveiling unknown lieder of German author and composer, Peter Gast, who remains largely unknown to many audiences. His research of Nietzsche’s St. Peter shed light on the many guises in which Liszt’s sensitivity to the written word appeared in his compositions.

FIU Distinguished University Professor, Dr Orlando Jacinto Garcia was commissioned by both the South Florida and James Madison Chapters of the ALS to write a piano work for this year's festival and brilliantly performed by Jose Lopez, which incorporated subtle musical references to Liszt, Wagner, and Garcia’s own mentor, the late Morton Feldman, and was brilliantly performed by José López

López further showcased his musicianship with a captivating collaboration with soprano Sonya Baker from James Madison University, premiering the rare and exquisite songs of 19thcentury Afro-Cuban composer José Manuel Jiménez. Jiménez, who studied with Ignaz Moscheles in Leipzig, and who had the privilege of performing for both Liszt and Wagner, left an indelible mark on Cuba’s musical history, and merits greater dissemination worldwide.

FIU Artist-in-Residence and piano powerhouse Kemal Gekic showcased his virtuosity by delving into the rarely heard Liszt two-handed version of Schubert's Divertissement a la Hongroise, originally composed for four hands. His interpretation of Liszt's monumental Sonata in B minor demonstrated his profound musicality and technical brilliance.

Through innovative research, captivating performances, and scholarly engagement, FIU faculty and the American Liszt Society underscored the importance of research, collaboration, and the preservation of musical heritage. Together, they continue to shape the future of classical music scholarship, ensuring the lasting impact of Liszt's profound contributions to the world of music.

Green Library’s music collection —like the university itself—is young and growing, having been made richer by many donors.

The music resources available to the School of Music and to the greater university continue to expand. They include archival collections, full-text databases, online scores, sound and video recordings; reference works, article indexes, discographies, bibliographies; websites of scholarly societies, and more.

The Julian and Judy Kreeger Collection is an archive of over 27,000 classical music recordings which includes albums, tapes, videos, books and sheet music. It is believed to be one of the largest private collections of classical piano music.

The Collection features many early and rare Sovietera vinyl recordings of distinguished pianists including Emil Gilels, Svatoslav Ritcher, Vladamir Sofronitsky, Maria Grinberg, Yakov Fliere, Mark Taimanov, Maria Yudina, Lazar Berman, as well as a 1903 (78 rpm) recording by Camille Saint-Saens performing on the piano.

The Díaz-Ayala Cuban and Latin American Popular Music Collection is the most comprehensive of its kind in the world.

Originally valued at over a million dollars, it comprises approximately 150,000 items that span the history of popular Cuban and other Latin musics. The collection features 45,000 LPs; 15,000 78 rpms; 4,500 cassettes containing interviews with composers and musicians, radio programs, music, and other materials; 5,000 pieces of sheet music; 3,000 books; and thousands of CDs, photographs, videocassettes, and paper files. Among the collection's rarest items are early recordings made in prerevolutionary Cuba.

The collection, donated to FIU in 2001, was started in the 1950s by Cristóbal Díaz-Ayala and restarted all over again in Puerto Rico in the 1960s.

The Celia Cruz Music Score Collection is a historic donation made by The Celia Cruz Foundation in 2021 that benefits FIU CasaCuba, FIU Libraries, and our very own School of Music.

It is a cultural treasure that includes 230 longand short-form musical scores belonging to the legendary Cuban singer and "Queen of Salsa", who died in 2003.

One of the few women to succeed in the male-dominated world of salsa music, she was a dazzling performer of many genres of Afro-Caribbean music for over five decades and recorded more than 50 albums.

It will be part of the Díaz Ayala Cuban and Latin American Popular Music Collection- the most extensive publicly available collection of Cuban music in the United States.

Our faculty and students will use the collection for educational purposes in classrooms and curricula focused on the analysis and study of music composition, jazz ensemble, instrumental music, vocal performance and music business courses

Initial finds of the collection include:

Notes from Cruz in the margins of the scores written for her

A handwritten transcription signed by Cruz A piece handwritten by Bebo Valdés, Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader

Arrangements by other renowned artists like Tito Puente, Sonny Bravo, Charlie Palmieri, and Joe Loco

The gift benefits the Next Horizon campaign, which advances student success and research excellence at FIU.

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