Music professor Linda Burman-Hall to receive Gail Rich Award

ucsc music professor Linda Burman-Hall
UC Santa Cruz music professor Linda Burman-Hall  (Photo by Scott Rappaport)

UC Santa Cruz professor of music Linda Burman-Hall will be one of six community members honored at the 17th annual Gail Rich Awards, Wednesday, January 23 at the Rio Theater in Santa Cruz.

Created in honor of a local arts advocate and former UCSC staff member who exemplified the community’s deep commitment to the arts, the Gail Rich Awards each year spotlight the creative residents of Santa Cruz who best represent the area’s abundant cultural heritage.

The Gail Rich Awards are produced annually by the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County and the Cultural Council Associates. Recipients are selected by the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

The 2013 awardees in addition to Burman-Hall include vocalist Tammi Brown, artist Futzie Nutzle, scenic designer Skip Epperson, graphic artist Jimbo Phillips, and musician Papa Pinon.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. and admission is free.

Burman-Hall is perhaps best known locally as director of the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival.

A cultural musicologist, she performs and teaches world music and ethnomusicology, with an emphasis on the gamelan traditions of Indonesia.

Burman-Hall has performed throughout the United States as well as in Canada, The Netherlands, Germany, and Indonesia.

In early music, she has specialized in solo and ensemble music for 17th and 18th century keyboards (harpsichord, organ, and fortepiano), and appeared with groups such as Philharmonia Baroque, Chanticleer, American Baroque Ensemble, Musica Pacifica, and Lux Musica.

In contemporary music, Burman-Hall has performed with artists as diverse as Steve Reich and Meredith Monk, and has commissioned, premiered, and recorded new music by contemporary Indonesian composers.

Her recordings can be found on the Musical Heritage, Centaur, Helicon, and Wildboar labels.

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The 17th annual Gail Rich Awards take place on Wednesday, January 23, at the Rio Theater in Santa Cruz. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. and admission is free. For more information, go to the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County web site.