Eric Ewazen
Encyclopedia
Eric Ewazen is an American composer and teacher. Ewazen studied composition under Samuel Adler
, Milton Babbitt
, Gunther Schuller
, Joseph Schwantner
, Warren Benson
, and Eugene Kurtz
at the Eastman School of Music
and The Juilliard School (where he received numerous composition awards, prizes, and fellowships). He has been on the faculty of The Juilliard School
since 1980, and has been a lecturer for the New York Philharmonic's Musical Encounters Series. He has also served on the faculties of the Hebrew Arts School and the Lincoln Center Institute. He served as Vice President of the League of Composers - International Society of Contemporary Music from 1982–1989, and was also composer-in-residence for the Orchestra of St. Luke's
.
s and orchestra
s around the world, such as the Cleveland Orchestra
, and at festivals such as Woodstock, Tanglewood, Aspen, Caramoor, Tidewater, and the Music Academy of the West, among others. In recent years, he has increasingly written for brass instruments. Many of these works are performed regularly.
His works have been commissioned and performed by organizations such as the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, Greenwich Symphony, Fairfield Chamber Orchestra, American Brass Quintet
, Borealis Wind Quintet, Bellevue Philharmonic, Detroit Chamber Winds, Western Piedmont Symphony, School for Strings, L'Amore di Musica, New York State Council on the Arts
, the Philip-Morris Companies, Jerome Foundation, University of Arizona, University of Oklahoma
, Music Academy of the West, and by soloists such as Julius Baker
, Mindy Kaufman, Philip Smith, Joseph Alessi, and Eugene Becker (of the New York Philharmonic
), Toni Lipton and Scott Brubaker (of the Metropolitan Opera), Olegna Fuschi, Rebecca Scott, James Houlik, Linda Strommen, and Leon Russianoff, among others. The third movement of his Symphony in Brass is used as the theme music for National Public Radio's political coverage.
on Summit Records
); "Sonata for Viola and Piano" (Eugene Becker on Clique Trak), "Symphony in Brass" (Summit Brass on Summit Records
); "The Tiger" (William White on Hyperion Records), "The Diamond World" (Ahn Trio
), and Well-Tempered Productions has released an all-Ewazen disc of "Frost Fire", "...to cast a shadow again", "Quintet for Trumpet and Strings", "The Palace of Nine Perfections" (Oklahoma University Percussion Ensemble), and "Sonata for Horn & Piano" featuring the American Brass Quintet, Chamber Ensemble of St. Luke's and Grammy winner William Sharp. In the fall of 1996, the principal chairs of the New York Philharmonic recorded a disc of Mr. Ewazen's music for Cala Records. There are three discs dedicated to his music on the Albany Records label: "Sejong Plays Ewazen" with the International Sejong Soloists, "Orchestral Music and Concertos" with the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra conducted by Paul Polivnick, and "Bass Hits," a collection of concert pieces for bass trombone and various ensembles.
, Seesaw, and Eric Ewazen Publishing.
Samuel Adler (composer)
Samuel Hans Adler is an American composer and conductor.-Biography:Adler was born to a Jewish family in Mannheim, Germany, the son of Hugo Chaim Adler, a cantor and composer, and Selma Adler. The family fled to the United States in 1939, where Hugo became the cantor of Temple Emanuel in...
, Milton Babbitt
Milton Babbitt
Milton Byron Babbitt was an American composer, music theorist, and teacher. He is particularly noted for his serial and electronic music.-Biography:...
, Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller
Gunther Schuller is an American composer, conductor, horn player, author, historian, and jazz musician.- Biography and works :...
, Joseph Schwantner
Joseph Schwantner
Joseph C. Schwantner is a Pulitzer Prize winning American composer and educator and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was awarded the 1970 Charles Ives Prize....
, Warren Benson
Warren Benson
Warren Benson was an American composer. His compositions consist mostly of music for wind instruments and percussion...
, and Eugene Kurtz
Eugene Kurtz
Eugene Allen Kurtz was an American composer of contemporary classical music.He received an M.A. in music from the Eastman School of Music in 1949. His instructors included Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, and Max Deutsch...
at the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
and The Juilliard School (where he received numerous composition awards, prizes, and fellowships). He has been on the faculty of The Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
since 1980, and has been a lecturer for the New York Philharmonic's Musical Encounters Series. He has also served on the faculties of the Hebrew Arts School and the Lincoln Center Institute. He served as Vice President of the League of Composers - International Society of Contemporary Music from 1982–1989, and was also composer-in-residence for the Orchestra of St. Luke's
Orchestra of St. Luke's
The Orchestra of St. Luke's is an American chamber orchestra based in New York City.It was founded in the summer of 1979 at the Caramoor International Music Festival in Katonah, New York....
.
Music
Ewazen's compositions have been performed by numerous ensembleMusical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
s and orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
s around the world, such as the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
, and at festivals such as Woodstock, Tanglewood, Aspen, Caramoor, Tidewater, and the Music Academy of the West, among others. In recent years, he has increasingly written for brass instruments. Many of these works are performed regularly.
His works have been commissioned and performed by organizations such as the St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, Greenwich Symphony, Fairfield Chamber Orchestra, American Brass Quintet
American Brass Quintet
When the American Brass Quintet gave its first public performance on December 11, 1960, brass chamber music was still relatively unknown to concert audiences...
, Borealis Wind Quintet, Bellevue Philharmonic, Detroit Chamber Winds, Western Piedmont Symphony, School for Strings, L'Amore di Musica, New York State Council on the Arts
New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell , with backing from Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and began its work in 1961...
, the Philip-Morris Companies, Jerome Foundation, University of Arizona, University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, Music Academy of the West, and by soloists such as Julius Baker
Julius Baker
Julius Baker was one of the foremost American orchestral flute players.He was well known as a teacher and served as a faculty member at the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, and Carnegie Mellon University...
, Mindy Kaufman, Philip Smith, Joseph Alessi, and Eugene Becker (of the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
), Toni Lipton and Scott Brubaker (of the Metropolitan Opera), Olegna Fuschi, Rebecca Scott, James Houlik, Linda Strommen, and Leon Russianoff, among others. The third movement of his Symphony in Brass is used as the theme music for National Public Radio's political coverage.
Recordings
Among his recorded works are the "Ballad for Clarinet, Harp & String Orchestra" (John Russo); "Colchester Fantasy" (American Brass QuintetAmerican Brass Quintet
When the American Brass Quintet gave its first public performance on December 11, 1960, brass chamber music was still relatively unknown to concert audiences...
on Summit Records
Summit Records
Summit Records, Inc. is an internationally distributed record label that evolved out of the dynamic large brass ensemble, Summit Brass in the late 1980s...
); "Sonata for Viola and Piano" (Eugene Becker on Clique Trak), "Symphony in Brass" (Summit Brass on Summit Records
Summit Records
Summit Records, Inc. is an internationally distributed record label that evolved out of the dynamic large brass ensemble, Summit Brass in the late 1980s...
); "The Tiger" (William White on Hyperion Records), "The Diamond World" (Ahn Trio
Ahn Trio
The Ahn Trio is a classical piano trio comprised of three sisters: Angella , Lucia and Maria . Lucia and Maria are twins. Born in Seoul, Korea, they moved to New York City in 1981 and began their training at the Juilliard School. The sisters decided to form a trio while they were earning their...
), and Well-Tempered Productions has released an all-Ewazen disc of "Frost Fire", "...to cast a shadow again", "Quintet for Trumpet and Strings", "The Palace of Nine Perfections" (Oklahoma University Percussion Ensemble), and "Sonata for Horn & Piano" featuring the American Brass Quintet, Chamber Ensemble of St. Luke's and Grammy winner William Sharp. In the fall of 1996, the principal chairs of the New York Philharmonic recorded a disc of Mr. Ewazen's music for Cala Records. There are three discs dedicated to his music on the Albany Records label: "Sejong Plays Ewazen" with the International Sejong Soloists, "Orchestral Music and Concertos" with the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra conducted by Paul Polivnick, and "Bass Hits," a collection of concert pieces for bass trombone and various ensembles.
Publishers
Ewazen's music is published by Brass Ring Editions, Triplo Press, Encore Music, Southern Music, Boosey & HawkesBoosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and wind musical instruments....
, Seesaw, and Eric Ewazen Publishing.
Partial list of works
For a more complete list of works see List of compositions by Eric Ewazen.For orchestra or wind ensemble
- Chamber Symphony (1986)
- Legacy (2000)
- Flight (2001)
- A Hymn for the Lost and the Living (2001)
- Celtic Hymns and Dances (1990)
- Celebration of a Cherished Life (2002)
- Sinfonia for String Orchestra (2001)
- Overture to the School for Strings (2000)
- Celestial Dancers (2007)
Concerti
- Shadowcatcher - Concerto for Brass Quintet and Wind Ensemble (1996) [arr. for orchestra/piano]
- Concerto for Flute and Chamber Orchestra (1989)
- Down a River of Time - Oboe and String Orchestra (1999)
- Ballade for Clarinet, Harp, and String Orchestra (1987)
- Concerto for Trumpet and String Orchestra (1990)
- Danzante - Trumpet and Wind Ensemble (2004)
- Concerto for Tenor Trombone and Wind Ensemble (2001)
- Visions of Light - Tenor Trombone and Wind Ensemble (2003)
- Concerto for Bass Trombone or Tuba and Orchestra (1997)
- Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble (2003)
- Concerto for Marimba and String Orchestra (1999)
- Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra (1997)
- Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble (2002)
- Cascadian Concerto for Wind Quintet and Orchestra (2003)
- Concerto for Tenor Saxophone and Orchestra (1992)
- Concerto for Horn and String Orchestra (2002)
- Concerto for Oboe and Wind Ensemble (2010)
Sonatas
- Sonata for Horn and Piano (1992)
- Sonata for Trombone and Piano (1993)
- Sonata for Trumpet and Piano (1995)
External links
- The Music of Eric Ewazen Eric Ewazen's Website - Contains complete list of works
- Eric Ewazen interview by Bruce Duffie