Performing Proust

Winter 2018
By Connie McAllister
Photo by Ben Doyle

The Moody Center for the Arts served as the incubator for a course that paired students and faculty with one of Houston’s innovators in musical performance, Da Camera. Making Music with the Media of the Stage: A Proust Sonata, taught by Ken Goldsmith, professor of violin, and Sarah Rothenberg, artistic and general director of Da Camera, attracted students from diverse disciplines, including business, political science, English and music.

The class explored the creative world of Marcel Proust, particularly his masterpiece “In Search of Lost Time,” together with the music, paintings and people who inspired it. The course culminated in fully staged public performances in the Moody’s Lois Chiles Studio Theater. Rothenberg, the writer and director of “A Proust Sonata,” was joined onstage by students from the Shepherd School of Music alongside professional actors and a set designed by a Tony Award-winning team. Recognizing Rice’s role as part of a greater creative community, the Moody encourages collaborations with local arts organizations in ways that provide meaningful engagement with students, broadening their experience of life on campus while offering a glimpse into the city’s dynamic cultural landscape.