Bruce Levingston Pianist

University Museum Brings Visual Art And Musical Composition ...

OXFORD, Miss. – Words and music between a world-class pianist and a renowned artist come together in a lively discussion in January.

The University of Mississippi Museum presents “An Evening with Bruce Levingston and Robert Storr” at 7 p.m. Jan. 19 at Nutt Auditorium. Storr plans to lecture on developments in modern art, including the works of Eugene Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Jackson Pollack, Sol LeWitt and Chuck Close, while Levingston responds with performances of compositions from Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, John Cage and Phillip Glass. A question-and-answer session follows.

Tickets are $15 for general admission, $10 for museum members and $5 for students with ID. They can be purchased at the UM Box Office in the Ole Miss Student Union, by going to or by calling 662-915-7411. A reception sponsored by the Friends of the Museum is set for 5:45-6:45 p.m. at the museum and offers an opportunity for museum members to meet the artists.

Storr, an artist and one of the country’s most influential art historians, is dean of the Yale School of Art, as well as a professor of painting/printmaking. He is consulting curator of modern and contemporary art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and commissioner of the 2007 Venice Biennale, the first American invited to assume that position. Storr is described as a “vital link between the museum world and academia and a gifted writer.”

Levingston, a native of Cleveland, Miss., uses his talents on the piano to combine music, art and philanthropy. He has lived in New York City for more than 20 years. In 2001, he founded Premiere Commission, a nonprofit organization to finance and promote the work of living composers.

“I think that although this is not a typical museum endeavor, it’s the type of event we feel we should be doing and would like to do more often,” said William Pittman Andrews, director of the University Museum and Historic Houses. “We’re trying to expand the museum experience beyond the walls of the institution.”

The idea for the event came about after Bruce Levingston visited the museum earlier this year.

“He asked what he could do to help people recognize the importance of our collections, so he conceptualized this whole evening,” Andrews said. “He is a very good friend to the museum and is passionate about the world of art. He is interested in facilitating a broader experience for museum patrons. Levingston invited Storr to Mississippi on the premise that it would be a great opportunity to experience the culture of the American South and share their combined passion.

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