Dr. Tyshawn Sorey (‘04), jazz drummer and the only William Paterson alum to win a Pulitzer Prize, will be performing at the Shea Center for Performing Arts on Sunday, October 26 at 3pm. He will be accompanied by Aaron Diehl on piano and Harish Raghavan on bass.
The concert, controversially slated to be held in the Recital Hall in Room 101 instead of the usual Auditorium unless pre-show ticket sales increase, will follow a “Sittin’ In Meet-the-Artist” session at 2pm, an interview and tradition for headlining guests of shows within the Jazz Room Series.
Tickets which can be purchased online here are $22 or $25 for members of the public, seniors 65 and older, and the William Paterson community; on the day of the event, students can get in for free upon presenting their student ID.
The Beacon reached out to Sorey to learn what it feels like for him, as a former student, to headline a ticketed concert at his alma mater.
“To come back and perform on campus is like giving back to a community that gave me the courage to become who I am now. It was a place where my cohort of students in jazz studies continuously exchanged incredible, forward-thinking ideas and insights on what the future of music could be. The freedom to look at the bigger picture of music spoke to who I was and still am as a musician. So, my hope is to inspire the students in the program with our music (and in the [interview]) and to remind them that while grounding oneself in the tradition of this music is paramount, don’t stop there. Be the best you can be while remaining true to yourself as an artist and to the maximum extent of integrity. I’m thankful for the time I had there,” writes Sorey.
Per the William Paterson “Honors and Awards” webpage, “William Paterson jazz studies graduate Tyshawn Sorey ‘04 won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in music for his musical composition “Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith).” A renowned multi-instrumentalist, composer, ensemble leader, and conductor who is known for his prowess both in improvisational and experimental music, Sorey has performed around the world with his own ensembles and has released 13 critically acclaimed recordings.”
The Beacon plans to follow up with more updates on the final location of the concert.
