During Free Week 2026, the Voxman Music Hall hosted American composers Lowell Liebermann and Gabriel Kahane. The two were joined in conversation by Kenny Lee, a director of orchestral studies and assistant professor at the University of Iowa. The conversation was held at 6 p.m. in the Voxman Music Hall on Feb. 19.
Liebermann and Kahane are spirited individuals who are extremely passionate about their craft and the future of music composition in a society praying for its downfall.
Liebermann is a composer and pianist. He has composed four symphonies, has over 150 recordings to his credit, and has accomplished so much more.
Time Magazine reported, “Now brazen and glittering, now radiantly visionary…the work of a composer unafraid of grand gestures and openhearted lyricism.”
Libermann attended the Julliard School of Music from 1979 to 1987, earning his bachelor’s degree, a master’s in music, and doctorate of musical arts. He referred to his orchestral work like a story — “the soloist, the protagonist, and the orchestra, the ensemble.”
Kahane is a musician, composer, and writer. He has been making music for over two decades and one of his most iconic works, “Craigslistlieder,” turns 20 years old this March. Kahane has collaborated with popular artists such as Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens. His writing work has appeared in both The New Yorker and The New York Times. Kahane’s work focuses heavily on the human experience and the conscious and subconscious mind.
“Absolute music is sitting in parallel, not with, to the sacred and spiritual realm,” he said.
The conversation jumped around a lot, going from music to organized religion, to politics, the growing popularity of AI, and more. Overall, both Kahane and Liebermann agreed that choosing art as a career is a general form of defiance against the government and organized groups in general. They discussed advice for students to stay defiant.
“Try to quiet the noise that is coming from mass culture. Filter out the incentive structure and extract techno culture,” Kahane said.
Kahane values anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist culture and conveyed these opinions to the students in attendance.
“I don’t think imposter syndrome ever goes away when you are creating something. It may feel awful during the process, but once you are out of it, you are able to see the beauty and art you’ve created,” Liebermann said.
Kahane and Liebermann performed with the UI Symphony Orchestra on Feb. 20 at the Voxman Music Hall. They said an artist’s work is always alive, always accepting of changes.