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Arts
UMass Amherst to Host Max Roach Centennial Celebration Oct. 20-26
The College of Humanities and Fine Arts, Department of Music and Dance, the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies and the Fine Arts Center will host the Max Roach Centennial Celebration from Oct. 20-26.
The event series will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Roach – a drummer, composer, and bandleader whose work defined a new era in jazz; an artist-activist whose unflinching advocacy of civil rights was felt well beyond his music; and an educator who spent two decades as a member of the music and Afro-Am faculties at UMass and one of the first jazz musicians to teach full-time at the college level, joining the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies as a visiting professor in 1972.
Read more about the remarkable life of Max Roach, including his many contributions to UMass Amherst, in this profile on the website of the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
“We are proud to honor a visionary musician, activist and educator whose legacy has profoundly shaped our community here at UMass Amherst,” says Maria del Guadalupe Davidson, dean of the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. “Max Roach’s two decades of teaching and leadership helped transform our campus into a global hub for jazz education, inspiring generations of students and musicians. This centennial celebration is a tribute to his enduring impact on music, education and the pursuit of artistic excellence.”
“It is a profound honor to celebrate Max Roach and those he worked with, who, despite great challenges, reimagined public higher education,” says Jamilla Deria, director of the UMass Fine Arts Center. “Roach transformed our campus and community, introducing students to the richness of jazz and ensuring its lasting place in the academy and American culture. His legacy expanded minds, offering our students a deeper understanding of themselves and the world through his visionary work.”
Among the significant contributions Roach made during his tenure at the university include creating the Voices of New Africa House Workshop Choir, launching the award-winning literary magazine Drum – founded by and for Black students – and co-founding the Department of Music and Dance Jazz in July improvisation programs, which continue to help mentor jazz students 40 years later.
A full schedule of events for the Max Roach Centennial Celebration can be found on the HFA website.