Nancy Laird Chance is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 pianist and composer. She studied at Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr College

Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....

 from 1949–50 and Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

 from 1959-67 with Vladimir Ussachevsky

Vladimir Ussachevsky

Vladimir Kirilovitch Ussachevsky was a composer, particularly known for his work in electronic music.-Biography:...

, Otto Luening

Otto Luening

Otto Clarence Luening was a German-American composer and conductor, and an early pioneer of tape music and electronic music....

 and Chou Wen-chung

Chou Wen-chung

Chou Wen-chung , Shandong, China) is a Chinese American composer of contemporary classical music. He emigrated in 1946 to the United States where he lives.-Life:...

.

After completing her studies, Chance worked as a piano teacher, composer and arts administrator. She received the ASCAP/Nissim prize for orchestral composition in 1981 for Liturgy and in 1984 for Odysseus. She also received two awards from the NEA, and fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and Sundance Film for composition in 1988.

Works

Selected works include:

• Liturgy, for orchestra, 1979
• Odysseus, suite for orchestra, 1983
• Planasthai, for orchestra, 1991
• Darksong, for chamber ensemble, 1972
• Edensong, for chamber ensemble, 1973
• Daysongs, for chamber ensemble, 1974
• Ritual Sounds, for chamber ensemble, 1975
• Ceremonial, for chamber ensemble, 1976
• Declamation and Song, for chamber ensemble, 1977
• Duos II, oboe, English horn, 1978
• Duos III, violin, violincello, 1980
• Exultation and Lament, sax, timpany, 1980
• Solemnities, 1981
• Woodwind Quintet, 1983
• Rhapsodia, 1984
• String Quartet, no.1, 1984–5
• Elegy, string orchestra, 1986
• Heat and Silence, 1989
• Domine, Dominus, motet, double chorus unaccompanied, 1964
• Odysseus, chorus and orchestra, 1981–3
• In Paradisium, 1986–7, chorus and chamber ensemble, 1987
• Pie Jesu, Libera me, Hosanna and Benedictus, chorus and chamber ensemble, 1990
• 3 Rilke Songs, Soprano, flute, English horn, violincello, 1966
• Duos I, Soprano, flute, 1975
• Say the Good Words, violin, synth, 1989
• Last Images, film, 1988

Her music has been recorded and issued on CD by Opus One.