Sylff News

George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, composed in 1924, celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. As a masterpiece that fuses classical music with jazz, it has been featured in many films, concerts, and even at the Olympic Games.

The piece has also become an iconic symbol of New York City and was recently showcased on local news channel Pix11. Interviewed in the story were David Ludwig, SSC chair and dean and director of the Music Division at the Juilliard School, and 2024 Sylff fellow Anoush Pogossian, who spoke about the composition’s opening clarinet solo.

Pogossian performed the piece with the Juilliard Orchestra at a concert on November 18 at Alice Tully Hall in New York’s Lincoln Center. The Juilliard Orchestra is the university’s largest and most visible student performing ensemble comprising nearly 400 students in the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

The concert, performed before a thrilled audience as well as being streamed live, also featured Alan Hovhaness’s Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain”; Joan Tower’s Chamber Dance; and Samuel Barber’s Symphony No. 1.

Another 2024 Sylff fellow, flutist Phoebe Rawn, performed with Julliard’s AXIOM at a concert on November 25, also at Alice Tully Hall. AXIOM is dedicated to performing the masterworks of the twentieth- and twenty-first-century repertoire. She was featured in Charles Ives’s Central Park in the Dark and Augusta Read Thomas’s Solstice Ritual (Homage to Varèse and Ravel) for 14 Virtuosi.

Many of Juilliard’s performances throughout the year can be viewed free of charge, both online and in person, and the school invites those interested to check its Performance Calendar to enjoy the rich musical experiences Juilliard offers.