Jonathan Berger in Italy

Jonathan Berger, DMA ’82, is the Denning Family Provostial Professor in Music at Stanford University, where he teaches composition, music theory and cognition at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. An accomplished composer, Berger’s recent pieces deal with both consciousness and conscience and are described by the New York Times as “taut and hauntingly beautiful.” His chamber operas Theotokia and War Reporter explore hallucination and haunting memories, and his monodrama My Lai portrays the ethical dilemmas of an individual placed in an impossible situation. In addition to composing, Berger is an active researcher with 60 publications covering a wide range of fields, including music, science and technology.

Historically, music has played a vital role in the Italian peninsula, and during this program Jonathan will explore the origins of music in southern Italy, from neolithic to the ancient world, and the rich heritage of folk music and its relation to sacred music and opera since the 16th century.