Pianist and composer Stephen Hough | Photo by Sim Canetty Clarke
On Tuesday, October 30, pianist Stephen Hough performs Liszt’s First Concerto with the Taiwan Philharmonic at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. KUSC’s Alan Chapman talked with him recently to discuss his conflicts writing music, unusual transcriptions, and, of course, his love of puddings.
Hit play below to listen to our Arts Alive feature on Stephen Hough.
Stephen Hough’s concert with the Taiwan Philharmonic is on Tuesday, October 30 in Costa Mesa. KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen will be there to give a preconcert lecture. Tickets and information at philharmonicsociety.org. If you’d like to follow Stephen Hough on Twitter, his handle is @houghhough. And you can find his Dream Album here.
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Alan Chapman
Alan Chapman, in addition to his weekday morning program, is also the host and producer of two weekend programs: Modern Times and A Musical Offering.
After receiving his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he earned a Ph.D. in music theory from Yale University. He is currently a member of the music theory faculty of the Colburn Conservatory. He was a longtime member of the music faculty at Occidental College and has also been a visiting professor at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. His analytical work has appeared in the Journal of Music Theory and in The New Orpheus: Essays on Kurt Weill, winner of the Deems Taylor Award for excellence in writing on music.
Well known as a pre-concert lecturer, Alan has been a regular speaker on the L.A. Philharmonic's "Upbeat Live" series since its inception in 1984. He also works closely with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Pacific Symphony. His lectures have been presented by virtually every major performing organization in southern California. He has been heard globally as programmer and host of the inflight classical channel on Delta Airlines.
Alan is also active as a composer/lyricist. His songs have been performed and recorded by many artists around the world and have been honored by ASCAP, the Johnny Mercer Foundation, and the Manhattan Association of Cabarets. His children's opera Les Moose: The Operatic Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle was commissioned by LA Opera for its 1997-98 season. Alan frequently appears in cabaret evenings with his wife, soprano Karen Benjamin. They made their Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 and performed at Lincoln Center in 2006. Their recent CD, Que Será, Será: The Songs of Livingston and Evans, features the late Ray Evans telling the stories behind such beloved songs as "Mona Lisa" and "Silver Bells."
