Pure Lucia: The Life and Work of Lucia Dlugoszewski
A multi-year research project, two concerts and a series of conversations on composer, poet and inventor of instruments Lucia Dlugoszewski (1925–2000), in her centenary year.
On this page: Read About Research Concerts Lunch with Lucia Beyond Philadelphia Press Credits
Read
Three long-form features by Dustin Hurt, with archival photographs, scores, programs and recordings set alongside the text.
Feature · Written and annotated by Dustin HurtLucia Dlugoszewski: A Life in SoundAn illustrated biography drawn from the Library of Congress archives
Feature · Program notesNight 1: Quidditas SuchnessThe complete program and annotated notes for May 9, 2025
Feature · Program notesNight 2: Duende OthernessThe complete program and annotated notes for May 10, 2025About
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 (1925–2000), a composer, musician, writer, and choreographer 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, just as the year 2025 marks the centenary of her birth, prompting a growing wave of attention from performers, scholars, and curators alike.
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. 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.
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.
Research
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, founder and director of Bowerbird, has made dozens of trips to the Library of Congress, conducted research at numerous other archives, 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 significantly deepened his understanding of Dlugoszewski’s work.
A central focus of Hurt’s research has been to develop a comprehensive understanding of Dlugoszewski’s completed and performable compositions. This ongoing effort includes documenting unpublished scores, listening to archival recordings, researching and clarifying her notation, and working toward a broader understanding of the performance techniques integral to her timbre piano and extended percussion practice.
Closely related to this work, Hurt has been 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, to document and preserve their unique construction and sonic possibilities and to enable the creation of replicas for future performances.
Concerts
As a culmination of this chapter of rediscovery, Bowerbird, in collaboration with FringeArts, presented a two-concert survey of Dlugoszewski’s music. A central part of these programs was 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 highlighted two of Dlugoszewski’s groundbreaking innovations: her timbre piano technique, explored in multiple works by Italian pianist Agnese Toniutti, and her orchestra of invented percussion instruments, originally developed with sculptor Ralph Dorazio and reconstructed by Dustin Donahue. The programs featured Network for New Music, Arcana New Music Ensemble, Either/Or, and Peter Evans, among others.
Fri, May 9, 2025 · 7:30pmPure Lucia – Night 1: Quidditas SuchnessErick Hawkins Dance Company, Agnese Toniutti and moreFringeArtsSat, May 10, 2025 · 7:30pmPure Lucia – Night 2: Duende OthernessErick Hawkins Dance Company, Agnese Toniutti and moreFringeArtsRead the complete programs and annotated notes: Night 1 and Night 2.
Lunch with Lucia
Lunch with Lucia was a web series of conversations exploring the music and legacy of Lucia Dlugoszewski. Featuring leading performers, scholars, and collaborators in conversation with Dustin Hurt, each session delved into a different aspect of her work: her timbre piano technique, her invented percussion instruments, her compositions for brass and strings, and her deep connection to dance.
Thu, Apr 10, 2025 · 12pm ETTerrible Freedom: The Life and Work of Lucia DlugoszewskiWith Amy C. BealOnline
Thu, Apr 17, 2025 · 12pm ETOf Love: Lucia Dlugoszewski and Erick HawkinsWith Katherine DukeOnline
Mon, Apr 21, 2025 · 12pm ETSound Inside: Exploring Dlugoszewski’s Timbre PianoWith Agnese ToniuttiOnline
Wed, Apr 23, 2025 · 1pm ETDelicate Accidents: Reconstructing Dlugoszewski’s Percussion WorksWith Dustin DonahueOnline
Mon, Apr 28, 2025 · 12pm ETSpace is a Diamond: Dlugoszewski’s Radical Brass WorksWith Peter EvansOnline
Thu, May 1, 2025 · 12pm ETChasing the Morning Star: The Aesthetics of Lucia DlugoszewskiWith Louis KavourasOnlineBeyond Philadelphia
- Dustin Hurt speaks at MaerzMusik’s Dlugoszewski laboratory, Berlin (March 2024)
- Program notes for The (Effortless) Now at the Library of Congress (June 2025)
- Dustin Hurt’s pre-concert talk at the Library of Congress (video)
Press
- Fjord Review on Pure Lucia (June 2025)
- thINKingDANCE reviews Pure Lucia (May 19, 2025)
Credits and acknowledgements
Curated by Dustin Hurt. Presented by Bowerbird in collaboration with FringeArts.
This project would not have been possible without the support, generosity, and collaboration of so many.
My deepest thanks go to Katherine Duke, who has been an essential partner from the beginning. Our weekly conversations were a constant source of insight. Katherine generously shared her deep knowledge of both Lucia Dlugoszewski and Erick Hawkins, and helped connect us with people, materials, and archives that would have otherwise remained out of reach. Her support touched every part of this project.
I’m also deeply grateful to Libby Smigel and everyone at the Library of Congress for their thoughtful stewardship of the Lucia and Erick archive, and to David Plylar and the Library’s concert team for their partnership. Thanks as well to the many other public and private archives who generously shared materials and information.
To Amy C. Beal—your biography of Lucia was a constant companion and guide. And to Kevin Lewis, whose early scholarship helped illuminate Lucia’s work with percussion instruments—thank you. Renata Celichowska’s book on Erick Hawkins was also an important resource, particularly for its clear and comprehensive listing of his choreographic works.
To the musicians and dancers who brought this work to life: thank you for your artistry and commitment. Special thanks to Agnese Toniutti for her extraordinary work reconstructing Lucia’s early piano pieces, and to Louis Kavouras and the dancers who continue to carry forward Erick’s choreography through their movement.
To Bill Trigg and Hostler Burrows, thank you for your quiet care in preserving the physical traces of Lucia’s percussion instruments. And to Dustin Donahue, for the patient and thoughtful work of creating new, playable versions of these instruments—making it possible for this music to be heard again.
I’m also grateful to our colleagues abroad at Ensemble Musikfabrik and MaerzMusik, including Christine Chapman, Marco Blaauw, Kamila Metwaly, and Monika Żyła, as well as Michał Mendyk, Peter Paul Kainrath, Klangforum Wien, and ImpulsTanz. Your contributions have helped expand the reach and context of this work.
To the many musicians and scholars whose insights shaped this project—especially David Taylor, Rebecca Lloyd-Jones, and Kate Doyle—thank you for the writings and perspectives that informed our thinking throughout.
To the teams at Bowerbird and FringeArts—especially Andy Thierauf—thank you for all the behind-the-scenes work that brought these concerts into being.
To the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage—thank you for supporting this project through its many stages of development.
And finally, to Arin and Dorian, and to all those who offered encouragement, ideas, and support along the way: thank you.
—Dustin Hurt, curator
Support
Major support for Pure Lucia: The Music of Lucia Dlugoszewski has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from the Amphion Foundation.
