Penn prof Sorey, who as a composer is a respected musical nonconformist, won the 2024 Pulitzer in Music for “Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith),” his brooding, contemplative concerto for alto sax and orchestra. Sorey, a finalist for the award last year, blurs the lines between jazz and classical music, a breath of fresh air for a genre often perceived as buttoned-up — and a campus that’s been awash in controversy. Read More »
It’s been close to six years since the Flyers unleashed Gritty into the world, and we thought we had seen every possible creative tribute to the beastly orange mascot. But then, in June, Northern Liberties composer Melissa Dunphy, who has seen her modern classical music performed at such esteemed venues as Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall, debuted this dramatic five-minute choral work with words adapted from Helen Gym’s 2018 City Council resolution honoring our orange id. “I would die for Gritty,” Dunphy tells us. Catch a live performance of the song at melissadunphy.com. Read More »