Rosendal Chamber Music Festival 2024

Rachel Beckles Willson

Biography

Rachel Beckles Willson is Professor of Intercultural Performing Arts at the Academy of Creative and Performing Arts, Leiden University and Codarts University of the Arts, Rotterdam. An award-winning researcher, her books cover a wide range of musical topics ranging from Cold War Hungary to historical and contemporary Palestine (Ligeti, Kurtág and Hungarian Music during the Cold War (Cambridge 2007) and Orientalism and Musical Mission (Cambridge 2013)). Her newest book is The Oud: An Illustrated History (Interlink 2023).

Rachel’s original training was as a concert pianist (including the Liszt Academy, Budapest, 1992-1995), and while active she performed and broadcasted widely, working with leading figures in contemporary music from György Kurtág to Jane Manning and Apartment House. As an oud player she has been active in world music, while as an activist with young asylum-seekers she has co-produced a CD of their original songs (www.todayisgood.org). Now primarily active as a composer, her interests are focused on experimental forms of audio-visual storytelling and sound installations.

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Festival Performances Year 2024

Lecture on Hungarian Music (in English)
Rachel Beckles Willson