Gabriel Kahane Explores the Art of Composition with John J. Cali School of Music Students

Composer, singer-songwriter and theater artist Gabriel Kahane visited the John J. Cali School of Music on September 29 for an interactive masterclass exploring the relationship between music, language and storytelling.

Kahane, the John J. Cali School of Music’s 2026–27 Artist-in-Residence, led the public Jazz Composition/Arranging Masterclass in Leshowitz Recital Hall with Dr. Oscar Perez, assistant professor, and Alan Ferber, jazz studies faculty member. The session was part of a series of events held September 28–30 as part of Kahane’s ongoing residency.

Known for work that bridges classical music, contemporary songwriting and theater, Kahane approaches composition as a way to explore the human experience.

“Music is almost incidental to my practice as a human being. My primary interest is understanding the human experience,” he told attendees.

During the masterclass, Kahane discussed his unconventional path to composition, which began with his background as a jazz musician. Recalling how a college roommate persuaded him to write a musical, he joked that “composing really found me.”

Kahane also shared how his upbringing shaped his intuitive relationship with music. His mother, a psychologist, frequently sang improvised phrases around the house, creating an environment in which music and language were closely intertwined. He described his ability to recognize how a text might sound musically as a kind of “superpower.”

To demonstrate his process, Kahane presented “Neurotic and Lonely,” a work built around the verbatim text of a personal ad posted on Craigslist on February 14, 2006. The example illustrated how the rhythms of everyday language, the narrative of a text and musical phrasing can inform one another through experimentation and revision.

Kahane then invited students to consider how they might transform text into music, encouraging them to explore its narrative, prose and natural rhythms. Students also performed original compositions, receiving feedback and discussing their creative decisions with Kahane and the faculty.

The masterclass offered an engaging look at the creative process, giving students the opportunity to share their work, experiment with new approaches and learn directly from an artist whose career spans concert music, songwriting and theater.

Through the Cali School of Music’s Artist-in-Residence program, Kahane will engage with students and faculty throughout the 2026–27 academic year through performances, masterclasses, conversations, workshops and collaborative projects. The residency provides opportunities for students to learn from an established artist whose work crosses musical genres and artistic disciplines.