Sofia Gubaidulina, pictured with Martha Feldman, receiving an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2011.
The Department of Music is deeply saddened by the passing of acclaimed Russian composer Sofia Gubaidulina. Gubaidulina's rich legacy as the leading post-Soviet composer, forging her own path despite disapproval from Soviet officials and censors, has left an indelible mark on the musical world.
As we remember Gubaidulina's many artistic achievements, we look back to her associations with UChicago and visits to its campus in the years 2009-2016, when she received an honorary doctorate, a Koussevitzky Foundation commission that was performed by Contempo (the Contemporary Chamber Players, the Grossman Ensemble's predecessor) as part of its 50th anniversary season, and an all-Gubaidulina concert played by Contempo at the Harris Theater of Music and Dance.
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters
Sofia Gubaidulina's Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters represented a momentous milestone for the University. It was the only time in its history that an honorary doctorate has been given to an artist in any field, with the partial exception of Frederick Stock, who was granted one in 1925 for his service as conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Composer Shulamit Ran, then Artistic Director of Contempo and Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professor in Music and the College, now Emerita, presented Gubaidulina with her degree.
Ran says of her music: “Sofia Gubaidulina was a towering figure in the music of our time. A true giant, not bound by era, she left the world a massive legacy. Her music is profoundly spiritual, personal, revelatory, engrossing. I listen to it, and I lose myself in it: time seems to stop. It is music to take with you to a desert island, because it will replenish you endlessly.”
The festivities surrounding Gubaidulina's honorary doctorate included a concert in Fulton Recital Hall, as well as interactions with UChicago faculty and composition students. These events were highly significant for the Music Department and laid the groundwork for Gubaidulina's return to campus several years later for the performance of the Koussevitzky commission, which produced Pilgrims: For Violin, Double Bass, Piano and Two Percussionists, dedicated to the memory of Serge and Natalie Koussevitzky, and to Shulamit Ran and Contempo.
Koussevitzky Commission
Contempo announced in June of 2009 that Sofia Gubaidulina was the recipient of a prestigious Koussevitzky Music Foundation commission award.
In an interview with UChicago News, Martha Feldman celebrated this achievement:
"The commissioning of a work by one of the world's most lauded living composers puts the Music Department and the University of Chicago at the forefront of innovative music patronage. With it, we resume a program of commissioning at a world-class level of artistic distinction, innovation and public visibility. Gubaidulina is regarded by many as the leading post-Soviet composer, so it is especially exciting to be able to reinitiate this University commissioning program with a new Gubaidulina work."
The commission came to fruition in a concert at the Logan Center Performance Hall.
Contempo Plays All-Gubaidulina Concert
On February 15, 2012, Contempo celebrated the creative vision of Gubaidulina with a concert entirely dedicated to her music at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park.
The performance featured Gubaidulina's works The Garden of Joy and Sorrow, In Croce, and Perception.
The concert received high praise — read a review of it in the Chicago Classical Review, and learn more about the program in this UChicago News Article.
