Musician and film composer Jamshied Sharifi (S.B. 1983) was one of a dozen artists who created and recorded new works for "A Requiem Soundscape," a special Oct. 11 broadcast on Public Radio International's "Echoes" that commemorated the one-month anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedy. Sharifi's three-minute "Requiem" includes a chant sung by his wife and five-year-old daughter. Despite the hurried schedule--he was given only three days to produce the work--he is satisfied with the result and says he will almost certainly include the piece on his next CD, which should be finished some time next year. The only New York-based composer in the project, Sharifi was also interviewed on National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation" on Oct. 11 in conjunction with the "Echoes" broadcast. He previously composed the scores for the films "Down to Earth" (2001) and "Harriet the Spy" (1996) as well as additional music for "The Rugrats Movie" (1998).
"Isaura Oliveira is a channeler of sorts," wrote The Boston Globe's Thea Singer about the premiere of "Ancestrais (Ancestors)," Oliveira's solo work for body, voice, media and visual art. "She uses her body and her voice to transmit to modern-day audiences the startling imagery and rich traditions of the Candomble religion--the spiritual system that African slaves brought when they were transported to Brazil..." Oliveira, who teaches a course in Afro-Brazilian dance at MIT, premiered her work on campus earlier this month. "In both her movement and her singing, Oliveira is as grounded as she is ethereal," wrote Singer. "It's an admirable feat."
When Professor Marcus Thompson filled in as a last-minute violist with the Lydian String Quartet for its season opener on Oct. 6, The Boston Globe's Richard Dyer took note of the extra measure of drama in the evening's performance. Dyer wrote that Thompson is "one of the nation's most active and experienced chamber musicians, but he had never played Haydn's 'Sunrise Quintet,' and had last played Beethoven's 'Harp Quartet' 18 years ago." Calling Thompson one of the evening's heroes, Dyer added that "Thompson fit right in, thanks to his superb, nervy, interactive musicianship."
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on October 17, 2001.
