Feb. 15, Feb. 22, and March 1 at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET
On Feb. 26, 2023, Dave Brubeck’s cantata "The Gates of Justice" will be performed at UCLA’s Royce Hall and streamed online. Written after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., In the creation of the work, Brubeck said that he "concentrated on the historic and spiritual parallels of Jews and American blacks”. In addition, he hoped, "through the juxtaposition and amalgamation of a variety of musical styles to construct a bridge upon which the universal theme of brotherhood could be communicated.”
What role can music play in building bridges of understanding, furthering social justice, and promoting healing across communities? Those living in southern California will have the opportunity to explore these questions through a series of in-person programs created around the Gates of Justice concert. This online three-part series, “Conversations on Music and Justice”, is intended to explore all of these issues while inviting a wide audience to participate in the discussion. Parts two and three are specifically designed to engage participants through informed dialogue facilitated by masterful hosts.
Session 1: Performing Brubeck’s “The Gates of Justice”
Neal Stulberg (UCLA professor of music and director of orchestral studies) and Chris Brubeck (performer, composer, educator)
Host: Garrett McQueen (interdisciplinary arts activist)
This conversation between conductor Neal Stulberg and Chris Brubeck (son of Dave Brubeck) will focus on the Feb. 26, 2023 performance of "The Gates of Justice". They will explore the background of the work, the importance of performing it today, and the opportunities for music to engage in issues of justice.
Sessions 2 and 3 present a discussion in two parts on Feb. 22 and March 1, both at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET
To the Promised Land: Facilitating Mutual Healing Through Dialogue
Garrett McQueen and Michael Laster
America’s Black and Jewish communities are filled with a diversity of thought, opinion, and lived experiences both within themselves and in relation to each other. What isn’t often highlighted are the commonalities that exist, and how those intersections can serve as the springboard for not only engaging and repairing inter-community relations, but mutual healing. Composer Michael Laster and interdisciplinary arts activist Garrett McQueen will come together to identify, through the lens of music, cross-community intersections, areas of dissonance, and strategies for both individuals and institutions to be a part of unity building between these two historically marginalized and oppressed groups.
The Music and Justice series is presented by the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience.