Rediscovering Lucia Dlugoszewski: A Legacy Reawakened

In the vast, shifting landscape of contemporary classical music, certain figures loom large while others fade from view, their contributions obscured by time, institutional neglect, or the structural biases of artistic canonization. One such figure is Lucia Dlugoszewski, a composer, performer, writer, and poet whose work once resonated through the avant-garde circles of mid-century New York but whose name remains largely absent from the dominant narratives of twentieth-century music history. That absence, however, is beginning to change.

In the decades since her death, Dlugoszewski’s legacy has been shaped by limited access to her work—only a handful of published scores, few recorded pieces, and perhaps a shadow cast by her significant association with the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, which itself has sadly faded from prominence in historical accounts.

With her extensive archives now newly available through the Erick Hawkins and Lucia Dlugoszewski Papers at the Library of Congress, interest in her work is steadily growing among performers and scholars. Additionally, Kevin Lewis’s 2011 dissertation, “The Miracle of Unintelligibility” provided a crucial foundation for understanding her music, and Amy C. Beal’s 2022 book, Terrible Freedom: The Life and Work of Lucia Dlugoszewski, has further catalyzed this renewed engagement, offering a deeply researched exploration of her career and artistic philosophy.

Since 2023, Dustin Hurt has immersed himself in the world of Dlugoszewski and her longtime associate Erick Hawkins. Building on his previous work reviving the legacy of Julius Eastman, Hurt, who is the founder and director of Bowerbird, has made dozens of trips to the Library of Congress and conducted research at numerous other archives. He has engaged in dialogue with an international network of performers, curators, and scholars and conducted interviews with those who knew Dlugoszewski personally.

During this time, Hurt has developed a close working relationship with Katherine Duke of the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, whose deep institutional and personal knowledge of both Erick Hawkins and Lucia Dlugoszewski has been indispensable. Her insights and materials have significantly expanded the understanding of Dlugoszewski’s work, offering access to materials and insights that had long remained out of reach.

A central focus of Hurt’s research has been to establish the most comprehensive understanding of Dlugoszewski’s oeuvre, particularly in relation to her completed and performable works. His work includes uncovering, assembling, and documenting hundreds of unpublished compositions, identifying gaps in existing records, and refining a definitive list of her compositions. This effort extends beyond cataloging; it involves studying Dlugoszewski’s compositional notebooks, concert documentation, and ephemera, as well as undertaking the necessary archival research and practical considerations needed to bring these works to the stage once more.

Closely related to his work on Dlugoszewski’s repertoire, Hurt has been dedicated to studying her invented percussion instruments. With Katherine Duke’s assistance and in collaboration with percussionist Andy Thierauf, he has gathered and documented more than 200 of Dlugoszewski’s extant instruments. This research aims to not only preserve their unique construction and sonic possibilities but also to enable the creation of replicas for future performances.

Dlugoszewski’s compositions, once described as magic acts of impossible sound, will soon ring out in concert halls again. As a culmination of this chapter of rediscovery, Bowerbird, in collaboration with FringeArts, is presenting a two-concert survey of Dlugoszewski’s music that showcases the breadth of her artistic vision. A central part of these programs is a rare performance by the Erick Hawkins Dance Company, under the artistic direction of Katherine Duke, featuring Erick Hawkins’ original choreography performed live to Dlugoszewski’s music.

The concerts will highlight two of Dlugoszewski’s groundbreaking innovations—her timbre piano technique and her orchestra of invented percussion instruments. The timbre piano, a radical expansion of the grand piano’s sonic possibilities, will be explored in multiple works by Italian pianist Agnese Toniutti. Her invented percussion instruments, originally developed with sculptor Ralph Dorazio and reconstructed by Dustin Donahue, will also play a central role in the performances. The programs will feature performances by Network for New Music, Arcana New Music Ensemble, Either/Or, and Peter Evans, among others.

The phrase “Pure Lucia” comes directly from Dlugoszewski’s own writings, appearing throughout her notebooks as a kind of artistic mantra—an affirmation of staying true to her vision, pushing boundaries, and resisting external pressures. The same phrase was echoed by those who knew her personally; when recalling moments that defined her character, they would often say, “That was Pure Lucia.” This project adopts that name as a tribute to the authenticity, innovation, and uncompromising artistry that shaped her life and music.