This lecture recital will explore the interactions of music, citizenship and human rights. What impact can music have on human rights, and how can human rights injustices influence music? How does citizenship impact the music that composers write? How can musicians be better citizens through their craft? South African pianist Justin Krawitz will explore these questions, drawing on collaborations with composers such as Bruce Adolphe, Hendrik Hofmeyr, and Pulitzer Prizewinner Karel Husa, who passed away just this past December. This event will include a preview of Adolphe’s new work Amandla Awethu (Power to the People), which tells the story of the liberation from Apartheid. The work will be premiered in its entirety during the 25th anniversary of democracy in South Africa in 2019.
Justin Krawitz
South African-born pianist Justin Krawitz is known for his highly considered artistic collaborations that give rise to authoritative performances of new and little-known repertoire. Following his performance of Karel Husa’s First Piano Sonata, the Pulitzer prize-winning composer wrote, “the level of his artistry and commitment is extraordinary.” His work with South African composer Hendrik Hofmeyr culminated in the world premiere of a new piano sonata inside Cape Town Central Train Station as part of the public arts festival Infecting the City. His diverse performance experience has included recitals at venues such as the UNESCO heritage site Chateau Kroměříž, participation in outreach concerts at a Wisconsin prison, and work as a recording artist for Czech Radio.
A passionate educator, Krawitz is Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Northern Colorado. He receives regular invitations to give master classes and pedagogical workshops at music schools from Raleigh to Reykjavik. Keynote addresses in 2016 took him to Portugal and Slovenia, and 2017 has seen keynotes in the U.S. and the Netherlands. Krawitz is a board member of the International Martinů Circle and the Vice President for Conferences of the Colorado State Music Teachers Association. He was a Paul Collins Fellow at UW-Madison from 2006-2009, a Donald Gordon Creative Arts Fellow at the University of Cape Town in 2011, and a URC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the South African College of Music from 2012-2014.
