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.
Ethnomusicologists preserve and document the Indigenous culture of the very land on which the Washington State University Pullman campus resides. » More ...
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)
This two-CD set was produced by Loran Olsen, WSU professor emeritus of music and Native American studies.
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 …