Renowned Musician Carl Atkins Presents a Global View of Music and Protest at RIT, April 29

Music will be an exciting addition to Rochester Institute of Technology’s next Caroline Werner Gannett Lecture, sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts.

Carl Atkins, professor of music at RIT will present “Protest and Music: A Global View,” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 29, in Webb Auditorium, located in the James E. Booth building. The event is free and open to the public.

Atkins specializes in world music and has conducted research on blues music and elements of social commentary.

Examples of world protest music Atkins will present include Indonesian music, traditional Japanese music—which has themes of social commentary and protest dating to the early 1800s—and more familiar folk songs of protest from the United States.

“I think all cultures have music of social commentary,” says Atkins. “The importance of protest music has been sorely overlooked, especially protest music from outside the United States.”

According to Atkins, many important social movements in the United States have been affected by the use of protest music. “Both the feminist and civil rights movements had their own ‘soundtrack’ so to speak,” he says.

“Carl was highly recommended to us as a lecturer for this series,” says Paul Grebinger, professor of anthropology at RIT and coordinator of Senior Seminar and the Gannett Lecture Series. “Music will be an exciting addition to our lectures.”

For more information call 475-2057 or visit www.rit.edu/gannettseries.


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