Lecture at the North Carolina Museum of Art
With Guest Lecturer Jonathan C. Kramer, Ph.D.
Thanks to a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, Chamber Music Raleigh & Dr. Jonathan Kramer presents a new lecture at the North Carolina Museum of Art called “Multiculturalism in the World of Chamber Music”. This makes comparisons in live performances by Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba, a South Indian chamber music ensemble featuring veena player Sridharan Smriti, and the Synergy Piano Trio.
Multiculturalism is not just an abstract term but a description of our nation: a mosaic of peoples, traditions, forms of expression, and ways of being in the world, and this is our strength. The lecture examines what is meant by “chamber music,” not as a form of European-originated small, conductor-less ensembles alone, but a large spectrum of global genres that embodies the ideals of chamber music in many forms and from many places. From the flute, guitar, fiddle and pipes of the Gaelic ceilidh to West African drum circles; Indian sitar, tabla, and drone ensembles to the eclectic fusions of Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road collaborations. There are many types of “chamber” ensembles found throughout the world and throughout North Carolina. A group with guitar, bass, keyboards and drums is chamber music, a jazz combo is chamber music, and bluegrass is chamber music.
Dr. Kramer served for 35 years as Professor of Music and Arts Studies at North Carolina State University. He is a founding member of The Cello Camerata and author, with Dr. Alison Arnold, of What in the World Is Music? an undergraduate world music e-textbook.