AGENTS AND ACTORS: NETWORKS IN MUSIC HISTORY

Sixth Sibelius Academy Symposium on Music History

Paper Presentation Thursday June 2, 9am, Auditorium

The Institutionalization of ‘Uptown’: Contemporary music practice in New York City Orchestras 1 960-1975

The aim of this paper is to examine how contemporary music composition aesthetics and practices came to be defined and institutionalized as ‘uptown’ [‘midtown’] and ‘downtown’ in New York City through an analysis of orchestral programming. The geographic distinction of styles represents a pattern of separation of American contemporary music practices that started in New York City, and spread across the United States in the second half of the twentieth century. I propose that the division of contemporary music practices in NYC and the ultimate institutionalization of ‘uptown’ is inextricably linked to changing orchestral practices in New York City in the late 1960s through the 1970s.

Biography: Clarinetist Lucy Abrams-Husso is a Chicago native based in Helsinki since 2013. She received Bachelors degrees in clarinet performance and anthropology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Sibelius Academy of the Uniarts Helsinki. Formerly Co-principal and e-flat clarinet of the Oulu Symphony, Lucy is an active freelance musician in southern Finland. She has appeared as soloist with the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, Mikkeli String Orchestra and Haapavesi Chamber Orchestra. Since 2016, she has been a doctoral candidate at the Sibelius Academy. Her research focuses on Finnish and American contemporary music, and has been supported by grants from the Wihuri, Aaltonen and Finnish Cultural Foundations.

For more information on the conference, and to read about the keynotes and other presentations, please visit the conference website.