Adjunct music professor Dennis Sullivan, also half of the duo Radical 2, uses his experiences to educate composition students.
When adjunct music professor appears onstage at the on March 5, he鈥檒l have alongside his laptop and percussion rig a set of eight electric toothbrushes.
The toothbrush octet will be just one of the unusual compositions premiered that night by Sullivan and Levy Lorenzo, who perform together under the name Radical 2. It鈥檚 the sort of thing more often seen in the Brooklyn venues where Radical 2 usually plays than on the Westermann stage. But according to Music Department Chair Sidney M. Boquiren, Ph.D., the concert鈥攁 part of the annual New Music series 鈥� is an important of the education offered to Adelphi composition students, even if it鈥檚 a bit under the radar.
The series began 11 years ago to spotlight faculty composers, Boquiren said, but 鈥渁s our composition program grew, we realized this was a perfect opportunity for our students to work with professional musicians who do contemporary work.鈥�
Inviting Sullivan and Levy Lorenzo鈥攈is partner in the duo鈥攃ontinues that tradition while relieving the busy faculty of having to commit to a rehearsal schedule. Radical 2 comes with its repertoire ready-made and will be spending the afternoon of March 5 workshopping with composition students.
Sullivan is 鈥渟uch a wonderful resource for our students,鈥� Boquiren said. 鈥淪tudents love him and they grow. They graduate better musicians.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 unique about Radical 2 is they鈥檙e not your typical percussion ensemble,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e very much interested in the theatricality of performance. They do works that feature not only their technical skills but their panache.鈥�
While acknowledging that the New Music concerts don鈥檛 entice the sort of audience that most PAC events attract, Boquiren said that they are still an important part of the music department鈥檚 annual programming.
鈥淩eally we鈥檙e nurturing the value of mentoring young composers,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to focus on the student side of it but there鈥檚 value, I like to think, for the ensemble as well.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a constant struggle but we persevere,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hree of our four full-time faculty are composers so it鈥檚 a natural fit. We believe in providing the opportunity to explore new voices and we accept the fact that the audiences tend to be smaller.鈥�
For further information, please contact:
Todd Wilson
Strategic Communications Director听
p 鈥� 516.237.8634
e 鈥� twilson@adelphi.edu