On October 20 and 21, Dr. Matthew Hill from Goshen College, USA presented two lectures at SWUST. Under the title of The Musical Narrative, Hermeneutics, and Context from Monteverdi to John Cage, the lectures are divided into two parts: Aspects of Hermeneutics; Gender and Social Context with examples from Operas by Monteverdi, Verdi, and Bizet; Beethoven's Deafness and the "Eroica"; Challenging the Idea of "Performance" in Cage's 4'33".

    The lectures were held at the academic hall of the College of Foreign Languages and Cultures. Teachers and students from different colleges poured into the hall and enjoyed much from Dr. Hill’s address. Dr. Hill also had a talk with some teachers and students who say that they benefit a lot from the communication.  

    Dr. Hill has a doctorate in piano performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under pianist Howard Karp and has also studied with the renowned Beethoven interpreter Claude Frank. Dr. Hill is now an associate professor of music at Goshen College, teaching piano, music history and humanities. He has written for Clavier, lectures and presents master classes at the Goshen College Piano Workshop and for other teacher associations. He has also been a guest presenter for the Great Lakes Chapter of the College Music Society and at  “Couleurs dans le vent: Celebrating the Music of Olivier Messiaen” held at the University of Kansas .  He has performed at the White House in Washington D.C. as accompanist for the Wausau Conservatory Choraliers Children’s Choir and has been heard on Wisconsin Public Radio. Dr. Hill is also contributing a chapter to Silence, Music, Silent Music (Ashgate 2007).