Pamela Z will perform a concert at MIT on April 19 featuring early groundbreaking works to recently premiered ensemble pieces with pianist Sarah Cahill, violinist Kate Stenberg, performative systems designer Donald Swearingen, and clarinetist Evan Ziporyn. Works will include “Presence,” “Summons,” an improvised piece for gesture-controlled MIDI instruments with Donald Swearingen, and a suite of works for solo voice and electronics. The performance will also include MIT student Sara Simpson on flute.

A pioneering composer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist for more than four decades, Pamela Z has toured to major festivals and venues worldwide. Her multilayered compositions are created using her voice, live electronic processing, sampled sound, and video. She is known for using custom music technology, activated by physical gesture, to explore deeply personal themes in abstract and evocative ways.

We are committed to making this event accessible for all community members. Please either enter your accommodation request directly on the registration page, or please contact mcdermott2022@mit.edu.

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About the Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT

The Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT was established in 1974 by Margaret McDermott (1912–2018) in honor of her husband, Eugene McDermott (1899–1973), a cofounder of Texas Instruments and long-time friend and benefactor of MIT. The award is presented by the Council for the Arts at MIT.

The McDermott Award is bestowed upon individuals whose artistic trajectory and body of work have achieved the highest distinction in their field and who indicate that they will remain leaders for years to come. It recognizes innovative talents in any arts discipline and offers its recipient a $100,000 cash prize and a campus residency. The McDermott Award reflects MIT’s commitment to risk taking, problem solving, and connecting creative minds across disciplines.

About the Council for the Arts at MIT

The Council for the Arts at MIT is a volunteer group of alumni and friends who support the arts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Appointed by the president of MIT to three-year terms, council members continually fulfill their mission to foster the arts at MIT and to act as a catalyst for the development of a broadly based, highly participatory program in the arts. Since the award was established in 1974, it has been bestowed upon 38 individuals who work in the performing, visual, and media arts, as well as authors, art historians, and patrons of the arts.