A Toast to 32 Years

Faculty holds concert for retired professor | By Christian Hernandez |“It has been my mission in the last few years to create a body of musical compositions that unambiguously celebrate the gay experience—happy, sad, horrible, or bizarre.”  -- Del TrediciThe Department of Music is sending off Distinguished Professor of Music David Del Tredici with an act of appreciation. In celebration of Del Tredici’s accomplishments during his tenure at City College, a concert will take place in room 95 of Shepard Hall at 2pm on September 18.Having retired in August of 2016, Del Tredici reached a milestone by teaching at CCNY for 32 years. “[Del Tredici] brought to his teaching a kindness and devotion that left an indelible impression on his students,” says Suzanne Pittson, the Chair to the Department of Music. “[He is] one of the most important American composers of his generation.”The concert on the 18 will feature two of Del Tredici’s compositions: Gotham Glory (2004) and Bullycide (2013). Bullycide, a response to the suicide of gay men as a result of bullying, will receive it’s New York premiere at the concert.In a program note for Bullycide, Del Tredici spoke about how his composition was born. “Bullycide. I thought the term perfectly encapsulated this new phenomenon: a teenager’s suicide due to bullying,” he said. “With such stimulation, I could feel a new piece stirring and I set to composing, finding it unnecessary this time to wait for inspiration from a poet’s text.”The concert, on September 18 at 2PM in Room 95 of Shepard Hall,  is open to the public and free of charge, but seating is limited. It's encouraged to RSVP at music@ccny.cuny.edu.