On November 1, the Pomona College Department of Music will shine the spotlight on the music of the late Karl Kohn, a legendary faculty member whose circle included Stravinsky and Boulez, in a special tribute concert in Bridges Hall of Music.
Born in Vienna in 1926, Kohn left Austria at the outbreak of World War II and earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Harvard University. Kohn joined the Pomona College faculty in 1950 and continued to compose and perform into his late 90s, inspiring countless students and creating a lasting impact in the Southern California music community and beyond. A 2008 performance review by the LA Times’ Mark Swed declared Kohn and his wife Margaret “important champions of new music.”
Tom Flaherty, emeritus professor of music, describes Kohn as a key part of the new music scene in Los Angeles. “He had dinner with the likes of Stravinsky and Boulez and gave stunning performances of their music,” Flaherty says, including “his regular performances of Boulez’s ‘Structures’ and Stravinsky’s ‘Les Noces’ with his wife of 74 years, pianist extraordinaire Margaret Kohn,” who also taught at Pomona.
The November 1 concert will include music by Kohn, Flaherty, and Arnold Schoenberg. The program features over a dozen Pomona College faculty members as well as student performers in works that range from two pianos to organ and solo banjo to various chamber ensembles.
Each semester, the Pomona College Music Department presents over 30 performances by faculty, guest artists and students. The 2025 concert calendar is available online at pomona.edu/music-calendar. All the department’s concerts are free and open to the public.
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Tribute to Karl Kohn
3 p.m., Saturday, November 1, 2025
Bridges Hall of Music, 150 E. 4th Street, Claremont, CA
Music by Karl Kohn, Tom Flaherty, and Arnold Schoenberg
Free admission, without tickets. Doors open approximately 30 minutes prior to the performance.