Recently, Dr. Paula Wilhite was the invited Friday evening keynote speaker for the 2023 Illinois Mathematical Association of Community Colleges Conference. In her presentation, “The Beauty of Mathematics in Gershwin’s Classical Jazz”, she analyzed the patterns of mathematics in George Gershwin’s jazz where he applied techniques of musical composition based on mathematical algorithms. Both “Variations on I Got Rhythm” and selections from Act III in the opera “Porgy and Bess” were examined for deviations of initial motives derived by permutations and geometric expansions. In addition, she profiled Gershwin’s life as the first American composer of jazz and his many significant contributions that continue to be famous in contemporary music. At previous conferences, Dr. Wilhite has also presented reviews of mathematical structures in the musical compositions of Debussy, Mozart, and Beethoven.
