Oct. 21, 2009
Cal Poly Public Affairs
Professor's Book on California Mission Music Published
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Cal Poly Music Professor Craig Russell has written a book, "From Serra to Sancho: Music and Pageantry in the California Missions."
The book was released this summer by Oxford University Press. It explores the various styles and traditions of music heard during California's Mission period, and the appendix contains more than100 photos from mission manuscripts as well as a detailed catalogue with tables of contents for the preserved missions' sources. There are also several complete music editions, so that musicians can revive the music of this nearly lost era.
Russell is a noted contemporary composer who has had his works performed by the San Luis Obispo Symphony and other orchestras in venues including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Russell’s work has received extensive praise. His textures, melodies, harmonies and orchestrations evoke the many cultural influences of American life and are often described as “Coplandesque.”
A professor at Cal Poly for more than 25 years, Russell has won numerous teaching awards, including the California State University Trustee’s Outstanding Professor Award, the President’s Arts Award and the Wang Family Excellence Ward, presented by the CSU Board of Trustees.
In addition to his work rediscovering and restoring music from the Mission era in California, Russell is an expert in pop music, particularly the music of the 1960s.
Visit his Cal Poly Web site for more details.