Julliard Professor Jonathan Yaeger Hosts Willkie Wellness Speaker Series: How to Listen to Classical Music

Professor Yaeger played some favorites and discussed what it means to trust your instincts when it comes to classical music.

On January 6, Willkie’s Wellness Speaker Series continued with a classical music session hosted by Jonathan Yaeger, Professor of Music History at the Julliard School.

Professor Yaeger played a selection of well-known classical pieces and discussed the difference between emotional listening (that by which we simply enjoy music) and rational listening (our instinctual applications of historical context, musical theory, etc). With much viewer participation, the session also included some in-depth conversation on different subsections of classical music, composers, and more.

The discussion was introduced by Washington associate Samuel Eckland of the Professional Personnel Committee.

Professor Yaeger received his PhD in musicology from Indiana University, his master’s in choral conducting from the University of Cincinnati (CCM), and his BA in history from Yale University. He has presented papers at the American Musicological Society, the Medieval Academy of America, and the Leipzig Stasi Archive (BtSU), among others. Beyond classical music, his other areas of interest include the music of the Middle Ages, the medieval revival of the 19th century, and popular American music. For more information, please click here.