ALL THE WRONG NOTES: CHARLES IVES at 150

October 20 - November 12, 2024
Cornell University

In four concerts, ALL THE WRONG NOTES: CHARLES IVES AT 150 celebrated the 150th anniversary of Charles Ives. Described variously as “gibberish,” “impossible,” like “awfully indigestible food,” Ives’ works draw directly from European techniques, suffusing them with the spirit and sounds of early 20th-century America. His musical agenda might best be summed up by the Connecticut minister who insisted on programming Ives over the protests of his congregation, blithely retorting: “After all, God gets awfully tired of hearing the same thing over and over again.” 

Night 2:
Ives Violin Sonatas

Excerpt from Night 4:
Jasmine Morris Double Bind

  • I: Songs and First Piano Sonata

    Oct. 20, 2024

    Performances by Gilbert Kalish, Xak Bjerken, and Rachel Schutz

  • II: Complete Violin Sonatas

    Oct. 25, 2024

    K.J. McDonald‍ and Ariel Mo

  • III: Music for quarter-tone pianos

    Oct. 31, 2024

    Thomas Feng and Jack Yarbrough; with music by Ives, Tui St. George Tucker, and Georg Friedrich Haas

  • IV: Music for piano PLUS

    Nov. 12, 2024

    Trio Gaia, Xak Bjerken, Isaac Dorio, Federico Ercoli, Grant Houston, and Ariel Mo, with music by Ives, Rzewski, and a new work by Jasmine Morris.

This event was made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Cornell Department of Music, Ensemble X, Cornell Council for the Arts, Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards, and the Society for the Humanities.