by Siriana | Jun 15, 2017 | CURI Summer 2017
Composer. Organist. Pedagogue. Nadia Boulanger is widely regarded as one of the most influential music teacher’s of the 20th century. Her teaching position at the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau helped mold a new generation of American composers,...
by Carolyn Nuelle | Jun 17, 2016 | CURI Summer 2016
“My greatest claim to fame is that I discovered Bricktop before Cole Porter [did].” -F. Scott Fitzgerald Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith (known more commonly as “Bricktop” due to her red hair) was an American singer, dancer, and jazz-club...
by Breanna Olson | Jul 10, 2015 | CURI Summer 2015
I think we were all excited to discover just how many Americans were in Paris in 1924. From Hemingway to Fitzgerald, their well-documented stays in the city of lights provided valuable contextual information that transplants the reader into Paris during the roaring...
by Breanna Olson | Jul 7, 2015 | CURI Summer 2015
As I was researching jazz music, I saw references to Langston Hughes’ autobiography The Big Sea. 1 In it, he describes his arrival to Paris in February 1924. He details finding work and housing, discovering the jazz scene and the city, and finding love. Using his...