Join the acclaimed composers-performers Nathalie Joachim and George Lewis as they reflect on Jack Whitten’s deep engagement with jazz as a method for artistic expression. They will consider the role of improvisation in his practice, the meaning of music for Whitten, and what they see in the artist’s work as composers and musicians.
This event is part of Whitten Talks: Artists on Artists, a series of conversations on the occasion of the exhibition _Jack Whitten: The Messenger_ in which contemporary artists reflect on Whitten’s pathbreaking exploration of race, technology, jazz, love, and war from the 1960s through to his legacy today. Please join us for what will be illuminating conversations revealing what only artists see.
Nathalie Joachim is a Grammy-nominated performer and composer committed to storytelling as a form of human connection and cultural awareness. She is regularly commissioned to write for orchestra, instrumental and vocal ensembles, dance, and interdisciplinary theater. Joachim is an assistant professor of composition at Princeton University and a 2024–25 MoMA Scholar in Residence.
George Lewis is an acclaimed American composer, musicologist, and trombonist. He is the Edwin H. Case Professor of American Music and Area Chair in Composition at Columbia University and the artistic director of the International Contemporary Ensemble. His scholarship considers the history and criticism of experimental music, computer music, interactive media, and improvisation, and their entanglement with the dynamics of race, gender, and decolonization.
This program is organized by the Department of Research Programs and the Jack Whitten: The Messenger curatorial team.