Arthur Cunningham lecture at the University of Connecticut

Composer Arthur Cunningham delivered a lecture in the fall of 1974 (2015-0002/RR131). Unfortunately there is no exact date given to Cunningham's lecture. Cunningham was a well-known composer and pianist active in New York City from the 1950s-1990s. Cunningham studied music at Fisk University, and the Julliard School of Music, and went on to earned a Master's Degree from the Columbia Teacher's College. Early in his career, Cunningham gained recognition for composing large-scale symphonic works, yet he did compose a large number of choral and instrumental pieces during this time as well. Later in his life Cunningham began to focus on jazz piano playing, and vocal teaching and coaching. Returning to classical composition near the end of his life, Cunningham's piece, Concentrics, was performed by the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta in 1989. In addition, Cunningham's compositions often combine elements of classical music and popular music genres such as jazz, rock, and gospel. Some of Cunningham's music even ventured into the atonal realm with the incorporation of tone rows in his piece Engrams.