Dr. Reba Wissner, leading scholar of 1960s television music and author of “A Dimension of Sound: Music in the Twilight Zone,” will be speaking at Ithaca College on Feb. 17. The event, entitled “Music in the Twilight Zone: Hearing Rod Serling’s Vision,” will take place at 5 p.m. in the Whalen Center for Music’s Nabenhauer Recital Room.
Wissner’s presentation will include her scholarship and a reception, as well as a screening of an episode of “The Twilight Zone” in honor of noted Ithaca College professor and “The Twilight Zone” creator Rod Serling. Several of Serling’s many awards will also be on display.
“A Dimension of Sound: Music in the Twilight Zone” focuses on the use of music in the famous television series and offers multiple interpretations of the ways in which both stock and original music can be used in an anthology television show. Wissner’s research also analyzes how the music used in the series enhances and interacts with what viewers see onscreen.
In addition to “A Dimension of Sound: Music in the Twilight Zone,” Wissner is the author of “We Will Control All That You Hear: The Outer Limits and the Aural Imagination.” She is also the author of several articles on 17th century Venetian opera, Italian immigrant theater in New York City, and music in 1950s and 1960s television. She has presented her research at conferences throughout the United States and Europe.