Allen Shawn
Encyclopedia
Allen Shawn is an American
composer
, pianist
, educator, and author
who lives in Vermont
.
, a collection of piano music, and his Piano Concerto performed by Ursula Oppens
with the Albany Symphony Orchestra
under the direction of David Alan Miller
.
Shawn composed And in the air these sounds . . . for baritone and orchestra to celebrate John Steinbeck
's 100th birthday. The piece was premiered by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra
in spring 2003.
composer Arnold Schoenberg
titled Arnold Schoenberg's Journey.
He is also the author of Wish I Could Be There: Notes from a Phobic Life, which examines his experiences with anxiety
and panic disorder
, as well as his relationship with his autistic twin
sister Mary. Most recently, he has published Twin: A Memoir, also about Mary and his relationship with her. He discussed Twin with Terry Gross on WHYY's Fresh Air on January 03, 2011.
editor William Shawn
and the brother of the actor and playwright Wallace Shawn
. He received a bachelor's degree from Harvard University
and studied in France with Nadia Boulanger
.
He teaches composition and music history at Bennington College
and was formerly married to novelist Jamaica Kincaid
, with whom he has a son, Harold, and a daughter, Annie.
He is currently married to Yoshiko Sato--a pianist also working at Bennington College--with whom he has a three year old son.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, educator, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
who lives in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
His music
Among Shawn's available recordings are several of chamber musicChamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, a collection of piano music, and his Piano Concerto performed by Ursula Oppens
Ursula Oppens
Ursula Oppens is an American classical pianist.-Biography:After earning her master's degree from the Juilliard School of Music, Oppens won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1968. This win led to her New York City debut at Carnegie Hall in 1969...
with the Albany Symphony Orchestra
Albany Symphony Orchestra
The Albany Symphony Orchestra is a professional symphony orchestra based in Albany, New York. The upcoming season will mark the orchestra's 78th....
under the direction of David Alan Miller
David Alan Miller
David Alan Miller is a prominent American classical music symphony orchestra conductor, and for the past several years, the conductor of the Albany Symphony Orchestra.-Early career and education:...
.
Shawn composed And in the air these sounds . . . for baritone and orchestra to celebrate John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
's 100th birthday. The piece was premiered by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra
Vermont Symphony Orchestra
The Vermont Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in, and supported in part by, the U.S. state of Vermont. It is a 501 corporation. It is one of the few, and the oldest, state-supported symphony orchestras in the United States....
in spring 2003.
As author
Shawn is the author of a book about twentieth-century AustrianAustrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
composer Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
titled Arnold Schoenberg's Journey.
He is also the author of Wish I Could Be There: Notes from a Phobic Life, which examines his experiences with anxiety
Anxiety
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,...
and panic disorder
Panic disorder
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by recurring severe panic attacks. It may also include significant behavioral change lasting at least a month and of ongoing worry about the implications or concern about having other attacks. The latter are called anticipatory attacks...
, as well as his relationship with his autistic twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
sister Mary. Most recently, he has published Twin: A Memoir, also about Mary and his relationship with her. He discussed Twin with Terry Gross on WHYY's Fresh Air on January 03, 2011.
Personal history
Shawn is the son of The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
editor William Shawn
William Shawn
William Shawn was an American magazine editor who edited The New Yorker from 1952 until 1987.-Education and Early Life:...
and the brother of the actor and playwright Wallace Shawn
Wallace Shawn
Wallace Michael Shawn , sometimes credited as Wally Shawn, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, author, voice artist, and intellectual. His best-known film roles include Wally Shawn in My Dinner with Andre , Vizzini in The Princess Bride , and debate teacher Mr...
. He received a bachelor's degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and studied in France with Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
.
He teaches composition and music history at Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
and was formerly married to novelist Jamaica Kincaid
Jamaica Kincaid
Jamaica Kincaid is a Caribbean novelist, gardener, and gardening writer. She was born in the city of St. John's on the island of Antigua in the nation of Antigua and Barbuda...
, with whom he has a son, Harold, and a daughter, Annie.
He is currently married to Yoshiko Sato--a pianist also working at Bennington College--with whom he has a three year old son.
External links
- Allen Shawn biography
- Terry Gross Fresh Air interview with Allen Shawn, NPR.org, 20 February 2007.
- Allen Shawn at the Internet Off Broadway DatabaseLortel ArchivesThe Lortel Archives, or the Internet Off-Broadway Database is an online database that catalogues theatre productions shown off-Broadway.The archives are named in honor of actress and theatrical producer Lucille Lortel.-See also:...
- Allen Shawn Biography at Chaspen Foundation for the Arts
- Resume at Bennington College