American trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist and composer Wadada Leo Smith, a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Music, will receive the UCLA Medal, the campus’s highest honor, on Nov. 8 during a ceremony and concert at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block will present the award.
Smith is one of the most original and influential artists of his time. Transcending the bounds of genre or idiom, he distinctly defines his music, tirelessly inventive in both sound and approach, as “Creative Music.”
The UCLA Medal was established in 1979 as the University’s highest honor. It’s reserved for individuals who have made truly extraordinary contributions to their professions, to higher education, to our society, and to the people of UCLA.
The UCLA Medal Ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8 in the Evelyn and Mo Ostin Music Center Ensemble Room at UCLA. It will be followed immediately by a concert highlighted by Smith’s String Quartet No. 9, movement 3 (“Angela Davis”), and one movement from his String Quartet No. 11 with the RedKoral Quartet. In addition, an excerpt from his Four Symphonies will feature Smith on trumpet, with UCLA professor Nina Sun Eidsheim on vocals and California Institute of the Arts professor Vicky Ray on piano. The ceremony and performance are free and open to the public, but advance reservations are required.
Self-parking is available in Parking Structure 2.
Questions: (310) 206-9593 | drosales@schoolofmusic.ucla.edu
We look forward to seeing you there!