Bassoonist and composer Clifton Joseph Guidry III will join the School of Performing Arts for a November residency that includes two lectures and a solo recital. All events are free and open to all; please note that online ticket reservations will end one hour before each performance start time.

The multi-day virtual residency will center around Blackness, radical self-love, mental health awareness, and the connection of music to all these movements. Everyone, regardless of experience or degree focus, is welcomed and encouraged to attend the lectures and concert. 

The first lecture/masterclass, to be held Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 11 a.m., will focus on the innate potential of the bassoon for 21st century composition, including an overview of many contemporary techniques. Guidry will explore the techniques from the perspective of the player as well as of the notater. While the lecture is also a masterclass designed for bassoonists and composers, anyone who is interested is encouraged to attend. Click here to register.

The second lecture, on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 4 p.m., will cover Guidry’s process and their ongoing work of decolonizing the bassoon within their artistic practice. While the bassoon is known for its role as an orchestral instrument, central to Guidry’s artistic practice is an exploration of the bassoon beyond Eurocentric confines. Non-musicians and musicians of all backgrounds should feel welcome to join each this talk. Click here to register.

“Burn the Box,” a solo recital on Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m., will feature a pre-recorded streamed performance, followed by a live Q&A with Guidry. The program will include three of their own compositions: “2:19,” “How to Breathe While Dying,” and the world premiere of a new work. Also included are compositions by Jessie Cox, Olivia Shortt, and Edgar Guzman. All of these works are influenced and informed by the central tenets of Guidry’s practice: radical self-love, compassion, laughter, and the importance of amplifying Black and Indigenous art-makers and noise-makers. This event will contain mature language. Click here to register.

Guidry’s album “Darkness is a Myth” was released August 2020. Read “Composer Clifton Joseph Guidry III to explore musical connections with Blackness, compassion, and self-love” for more information about this artist.

This event is presented by the Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts, with co-sponsorship from the Office of Inclusion and Diversity, the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology, and the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Susan Sanders at least 10 business days prior to the event.