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Music

Eric McElroy plays piano in a studio
Fall 2023

A composer’s journey to poetry and music

Eric McElroy is an American pianist and composer who released his debut album, Tongues of Fire, in March 2023 on Somm Recordings. He wrote the songs to accompany poems from modern poets W.S. Merwin, Gregory Leadbetter, Grevel Lindop, Alice Oswald, and Robert Graves. The poems are sung by acclaimed English tenor James Gilchrist and McElroy performs on piano.

McElroy graduated from Washington State University and then continued his postgraduate education in Vienna and Oxford University.

In this episode, Washington State Magazine editor Larry Clark talks with McElroy about the new album, his creative process, poetry, walking, and his influences at WSU and beyond.

Transcript

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Black and white photo of Sam Morris of the Nez Perce Tribe
Spring 2022

Nez Perce music today and yesterday

Listen to Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) music from the past and today, starting with early recordings in 1897 and up to contemporary songs from the Washington State University recording studio.

 

The Sam Morris Collection (Courtesy Tabitha Erdey, Cultural Resources Program Manager, Nez Perce National Historic Park and Research Center)

Book cover of A Legacy from Sam Morris and two music CDs

This two-CD set was produced by Loran Olsen, WSU professor emeritus of music and Native American studies.

Olsen worked with the Nez Perce community for several decades and set up the Nez Perce … » More …

Butch Cougar in front of music sheet
Spring 2021

Pandemic playlists

Music stimulates the parts of the brain that register pleasure, provoking memories, reducing stress, and profoundly influencing our moods. It’s both a salve and a distraction. And, during the current novel coronavirus pandemic, it offers perhaps one of the easiest and most accessible forms of self-care.

Music comforts us. It alleviates anxiety, helps us cope with emotions, and offers an outlet. It’s art, and art saves lives.

Here are some suggestions from the Cougar Nation for your listening pleasure during the pandemic.

 

Dean Karr (’88 Fine Arts)
Music video director, photographer, visual artist

Eruption by Van Halen on Van Halen (Warner Bros., 1978). … » More …

Danh Pham conducting symphony concert
Winter 2020

Videos: Danh Pham conducts

Conductor Danh Pham, an associate music professor at Washington State University, brings joy and wonder as he directs various musical pieces.

Read more about Danh Pham’s work to introduce diverse and underrepresented composers.

 
Conducting the WSU Symphony Orchestra at The Fox [Theater in Spokane], 2019

 
Conducting Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin
Washington State University Symphony Orchestra, 2016

 
Conducting the Erhu Concerto “Jinghua’s Dream” (Mvt. 4 – Winter) by Guan Naizhong
Guang Xi Symphony Orchestra

 
Conducting the Clarinet Concerto (Mvt. I – Giocoso) by Philip Sparke
Seogwipo Philharmonic Wind Orchestra

 
Conducting … » More …