Award-winning musician, producer, and composer Wendel Patrick (Kevin Gift) was the Spring 2019 Artist-In-Residence in Music. 

The alter-ego of classical and jazz pianist Kevin Gift, Wendel Patrick is rapidly making a name for himself as a producer to be recognized. His five albums Sound:, Forthcoming, JDWP, Passage, and Travel were produced without the use of sampling, with Patrick playing every note of every instrument. What is perhaps most astounding to listeners is that there are no actual instruments...he crafts all the instruments, and every note, electronically.  

Equally at home performing with his band, behind tow turntables, or playing a Mozart Concerto on stage with an orchestra, Wendel Patrick has toured Europe on several occasions and performed throughout the world with renown spoken word artist Ursula Rucker (The Roots, 4 Hero). In 2011, he co-founded the Baltimore Boom Bap Society with Erik Spangler (DJ Dubble8). The group’s performance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra of Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale was named “Best Mesmerizing Performance of 2016” by Baltimore Magazine.  

Patrick’s music has also been heard on NPR and the BBC, most notably on “Out of the Blocks,” the national Edward R Murrow award-winning radio documentary program he co-produces with Aaron Henkin. Patrick is a winner of the 2015 Baker Artist Award’s Mary Sawyers Baker grand prize. In addition, Wendel Patrick works with Young Audiences of Maryland to bring a host of programs to schools in the Baltimore area.  

Patrick earned his M.M. in Piano Performance from Northwestern University School of Music. He has served as a guest lecturer at The Australian Institute of Music and held teaching appointments at Loyola University in Baltimore and The Peabody Music Conservatory. 

In addition, Patrick presented Out of the Blocks: The Images of Baltimore Seen and Heard, an exhibition of photographs and video at the Ralph Arnold Gallery. Exhibited photographs are from the award-winning "Out of the Blocks" audio documentary series. The premise of the series is a simple one. One city block, everybody's story. In adition to photographing each of every episode's subjects, photographer and musician Wendel Patrick composes and records an original musical score for each episode. One block at a time, Patrick and series co-creator and radio producer Aaron Henkin share the stories of Baltimore in ways that have never been heard before.

 

 

At Loyola Patrick taught Hip Hop Music Production: History and Practice, a semester-long exploration of the history of Hip Hop, as seen through the lens of some of the genre’s most influential producers. The course combined both lecture and hands-on lab work, where students studied Hip Hop production by using the music production software program Ableton Live, and experimenting with production hardware such as samplers, turntables, and effect producers. The Department of Fine and Performing Arts will be transformed a music program conference room on the 11th floor of the Mundelein Center into a production studio for Patrick and his students, with studio activity visible through its glass wall.  

Patrick also engaged students through rehearsal and performance. University Chorale, Chamber Choir, and Woman's Chorus combined to present the world premiere of a choral composition by Patrick titled From Mother With Love, composed while in residence. Special guest artist Ursula Rucker performed during this concert in the Jo Ann Rooney Hall.

In addition, Patrick presented Out of the Blocks: The Images of Baltimore Seen and Heard, an exhibition of photographs and video at the Ralph Arnold Gallery. Exhibited photographic portraits are of interivew subjects from the award-winning "Out of the Blocks" audio documentary series on National Public Radio. "Out of the Blocks" is an immersive listening experience built from a mosaic of voices and soundscapes on the streets of Baltimore. A cutom-tailored score embroiders this tapestry of stories hidden in plain sight.