Some composers are celebrated in their lifetimes. Others must wait for history to catch up. A composer faces a plethora of challenges throughout their career, from testing an edgy yet dubious idea or missing a crucial post-concert networking opportunity to simply submitting compositions on time. The odds of slipping into obscurity are extremely high. Add to that the misfortune of being dead—when luck is no longer on your side and your fate rests in the hands of others—and you might as well forget about it.
Julius Eastman’s story is one such case: a composer who faded into obscurity in the early 1980s due to adverse life circumstances that were compounded by his identity as a Black gay man working in contemporary music. Fortunately, his work has resurfaced and gained greater recognition in recent decades. Thanks to the efforts of Mary Jane Leach, who gathered and preserved his scores—left on the street during his eviction from his flat in New York City in the early ’80s—we can still perform his works, now available via G. Schirmer. There’s been a broader acceptance of Eastman into the canon, marked by key milestones: from the first recorded release of his music, “Unjust Malaise,” and the publication of Leach and Renee Levine-Packer’s edited volume “Gay Guerrilla: Julius Eastman and His Music” to a major three-day retrospective at the London Contemporary Music Festival, performances by stars like Devonté Hynes, and his music’s appearance at the BBC Proms in 2021 and 2024.
Among those championing Eastman’s music is British Afro-Caribbean vocalist, movement artist and composer Elaine Mitchener, who believes there is still more to be done to secure his legacy. Her new dance and sonic performance, “Moving Eastman,” created with choreographer and director Dam Van Huynh, premieres in London at the Barbican in early April. The piece draws inspiration from the intersecting layers of Eastman’s life. Like him, Mitchener channels a significant part of her creative energy into the overtly political nature of her art. Take, for instance, her 2018 project “Sweet Tooth,” or her performance of Peter Maxwell Davies’ “Eight Songs for a Mad King” at Wigmore Hall in 2023.
Last week, Mitchener and I spoke on Zoom about her first encounter with Eastman’s music, his unwavering commitment to art activism, that salty incident with John Cage, and the first steps in decolonizing contemporary and classical music canons.
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