The Summer Research Laboratory on Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia (SRL) opens on June 10 and continues through August 2. During this time, researchers visit Urbana-Champaign, enjoy convenient housing on the Illinois campus, and use the unparalleled research collections and databases offered by our University Library. A list of SRL programs can be found at https://reeec.illinois.edu/programming-and-events/summer-research-laboratory/lab-programs/. A list of 2019 SRL Associates can be found at https://reeec.illinois.edu/programming-and-events/summer-research-laboratory/associates-list/
On June 30, 1968, the American Wind Symphony Orchestra (AWSO) premiered Krzysztof Penderecki’s Pittsburgh Overture on a large silver barge—the Point-Counterpoint— afloat at Point State Park the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In keeping with the music director’s commitment to disseminating innovative music for wind ensemble in an imaginative and intimate way, Penderecki’s commission brought the Polish musical avant-garde to the United States during an unlikely time in history. Relying on previously-unexamined archival materials including sketches, correspondences, and photographs, Emily traces the commission, planning, and compositional processes which made this waterway premiere possible in the context of the AWSO’s 1968 Festival of Poland. Further, Emily also considers the democratizing environment of the premiere event in 1960s industrial Pittsburgh, as well as the larger implications of this musical collaboration in the context of the Cold War.
In his presentation, Dr. Strahilov will examine two cases which question the normative canon of the masquerade, by transforming some of its elements into sign-vehicles of ethnic or gender selfrepresentation. The first example traces the consolidation of a whole Romani mummer group, while the other highlights the strategic redefinition of the tradition in queer terms by LGBTI activism. His lecture will argue that they both criticize, on a performative level, the exclusive concept of the nation and its supposedly homogeneous culture. In the light of Critical Heritage Studies, the presentation will discuss arising contestations of masquerade, seen as a continuous process where multiple social and political tensions arise.
For K-16 Educators, check out our online materials – we are constantly adding new resources!
Fall 2019 – Select Courses in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
RECENT REEEC EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
