Wayne Siegel
Encyclopedia
Wayne Siegel is an American composer
living in Malling, Denmark
.
From 1971 to 1974 Siegel studied composition and philosophy at the University of California, Santa Barbara
. After three years there he decided to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in Århus, Denmark, where he studied with the noted Danish composer Per Nørgård
. Remaining in Århus, in 1977 he received his degree in composition from the Royal Academy of Music in Århus.
In 1978 Siegel was awarded a three-year grant in composition from the Danish Art Council, working as a free-lance composer in the years that followed. After two years as administrative director of the West Jutland Symphony Orchestra and its affiliated chamber ensemble, the Esbjerg Ensemble, he was in 1986 appointed director of the newly founded national electronic music center, DIEM (The Danish Institute of Electroacoustic Music) in Århus. In 1994 he chaired the 19th International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) in Århus. From 1996 to 1998 he served as chairman of the two music committees of the Danish State Arts Foundation. In 2003 DIEM became part of the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, and Siegel was appointed professor of electronic music.
Siegel's works show the influence of minimalism
(particularly the pulse-based work of Steve Reich
), as well as folk
, blues
, and rock music
.
His works have been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet
, Evelyn Glennie
, Harry Sparnaay
, Singcircle, and the Safri Duo
.
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...
living in Malling, Denmark
Malling, Denmark
Malling is a village in Denmark, located about south of Aarhus. It has a population of 3,538 .-Geography:Malling is situated only from the ocean, and a lot of the surroundings are hills, swatches of farmland interspersed with forests and meadows. The railway travels through malling and has been...
.
From 1971 to 1974 Siegel studied composition and philosophy at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
. After three years there he decided to complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in Århus, Denmark, where he studied with the noted Danish composer Per Nørgård
Per Nørgård
Per Nørgård is a Danish composer.-Biography:Nørgård studied with Vagn Holmboe at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, and subsequently with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. To begin with, he was strongly influenced by the Nordic styles of Jean Sibelius, Carl Nielsen and Vagn Holmboe...
. Remaining in Århus, in 1977 he received his degree in composition from the Royal Academy of Music in Århus.
In 1978 Siegel was awarded a three-year grant in composition from the Danish Art Council, working as a free-lance composer in the years that followed. After two years as administrative director of the West Jutland Symphony Orchestra and its affiliated chamber ensemble, the Esbjerg Ensemble, he was in 1986 appointed director of the newly founded national electronic music center, DIEM (The Danish Institute of Electroacoustic Music) in Århus. In 1994 he chaired the 19th International Computer Music Conference (ICMC) in Århus. From 1996 to 1998 he served as chairman of the two music committees of the Danish State Arts Foundation. In 2003 DIEM became part of the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, and Siegel was appointed professor of electronic music.
Siegel's works show the influence of minimalism
Minimalist music
Minimal music is a style of music associated with the work of American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School....
(particularly the pulse-based work of Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
), as well as folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
.
His works have been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, Evelyn Glennie
Evelyn Glennie
Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, DBE is a Scottish virtuoso percussionist. She was the first full-time solo percussionist in 20th-century western society.-Early life:Glennie was born and raised in Aberdeenshire...
, Harry Sparnaay
Harry Sparnaay
Harry Sparnaay is a noted Dutch bass clarinetist, composer, and teacher. He is the most well-known player of new music for the bass clarinet and has won the following: First Prize Gaudeamus Contest , Swedish Record Prize , Bulgarian Composers Union Award , Inaugural Sounds Australian Award ,...
, Singcircle, and the Safri Duo
Safri Duo
Safri Duo is a Danish percussion duo composed of Uffe Savery and Morten Friis . Initially classically oriented, by 1999 they were discovered by a label executive working on classical music. After being signed, a track mixing both tribal sound and modern electronica was set to be released in 2000...
.