English professor to lecture in Ireland on Hitchcock’s use of music

Jack Sullivan will give the annual lecture for the Wexford Opera Festival in Ireland on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. Sullivan, who is a professor of English and director of American Studies at Rider University, will discuss Alfred Hitchcock's use of music in his films. On Oct. 13, Sullivan will appear on RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann), Ireland's national public-service media organization.  Sullivan wrote the first book that fully explored the essential role music played in Hitchcock’s movies. Published in 2006, Hitchcock’s Music examines how the director used music to influence the atmosphere, characterization and story lines of his movies. Sullivan’s other books include Elegant Nightmares: the English Ghost Story from LeFanu to Blackwood and New World Symphonies: How American Culture Changed European Music. He has written for Opera, The New York Times, the Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and Carnegie Hall's Stagebill. This year, Sullivan created program notes for Koanga, a rare opera from 1896 by Frederick Delius about slavery in Louisiana that uses spirituals and jazz chords. Koanga has not been staged since the 1930s. Wexford is performing it Oct. 24, 27 and 30.

The artistic director of the Wexford Festival, David Agler '70, is a graduate of  Westminster Choir College.