C15. Four Icons of American Music

This course will cover the lives and music of 4 American music icons: Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, and John Williams. We will focus on their musical influences, compositional styles, performing, teaching, conducting, and legacies. Their musical output, known domestically and internationally, spans over a century with Copland’s first composition, The Cat and Mouse, being written in 1920 and Williams’ most recent being Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in 2023.

Instructor: Mitchell Lutch is Wind Band Director at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he directs the concert band and chamber ensembles, and teaches music theory, performance, and appreciation. He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Instrumental Conducting at the University of Washington and earned his Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory (NEC). His Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education is from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Conducting appearances and research presentations include concerts and conferences throughout the United States, Quebec, London, Japan, The People’s Republic of China, the former Soviet Union, Luxembourg, Prague, and Mexico.