From 'The New Yorker' to BGSU: Award-winning author and critic Alex Ross to unveil the magic of music in Hansen Musical Arts Series

University series brings world-class arts programming to the heart of the community to showcase the transformative power of music and culture.

As the 2024 Spring semester begins, Bowling Green State University is gearing up to host an extraordinary event in the Hansen Musical Arts Series featuring renowned author and music critic Alex Ross.

This keynote presentation invites music enthusiasts from the learning community and beyond to hear from the multi-award winner Ross as he presents a talk titled "American Classical Music Criticism: A Premature Autopsy." The free event is at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, in the Bryan Recital Hall of the Moore Musical Arts Center.

Since 1996, Ross has been a discerning critic for The New Yorker, delving into the world of classical music with a breadth that spans from the Metropolitan Opera to the avant-garde. His insightful writings extend beyond music, touching on literature, history, visual arts, film and ecology. 

A recipient of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Guardian First Book Award, Ross' debut work, "The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century," was a captivating Pulitzer Prize finalist and traces the cultural history of music since 1900. His literary repertoire includes the essay collection "Listen to This" and the compelling third book, "Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music."

In recognition of his contributions, Ross has been honored with the George Peabody Medal, an Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship, colloquially known as a "Genius Grant." 

As part of his residency at BGSU, Ross will engage with both students and community members, fostering a unique connection between the artist and the diverse audience.

The Hansen Musical Arts Series, established in 1996 through the Dorothy E. and DuWayne H. Hansen Musical Arts Series Fund, continues to play a pivotal role in bringing outstanding representatives of the musical arts to campus. Dorothy Hansen is an alumna of the College of Musical Arts, while DuWayne Hansen is a former chair of the Department of Music Education.

The series goes beyond the University's walls, reaching out to the broader community and ensuring that world-class arts events are accessible to everyone and is a testament to the University's commitment to enriching lives through the transformative power of music and culture.