The world premiere took place in Amherst, on January 28th, and of the second performance, in Cambridge two nights later, the chairman of the Pulitzer music committee, composer Gunther Schuller says, "It was just impeccable, and I think I've used that word only four times in my life".... View Article By Phil Klay By Larissa MacFarquhar By John Cassidy By Rivka Galchen.
Now a committee of composers, lyricists and officials from both countries have a started a competition of sorts to create a national anthem for the Union of Russia and Belarus -- even if such a nation does not yet exist and may never.
Besides presenting nearly 40 works they believe in, Mr. Berman and the committee, including the composers John Harbison, Robert Beaser, Kathryn Alexander and Paul Moravec, hope that the series will shed light on what it means to be an American composer.
The award, known formally as the Charles Ives Living, is conferred by a committee of five composers from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and is intended to free a promising American from devoting time to any employment besides music composition for three years.
Ms. Chen, 47, was selected by a committee that included the composers Ezra Laderman, Gunther Schuller, Francis Thorne, Joan Tower and Olly Wilson.
Better to spend your time thinking about academy members like composer Laura Karpman, a committee rep who helped bring in the 26 new music branch invitees this year.
The committee called Ms. Saariaho, 60, a composer known for combining acoustic instruments with computer-generated electronic sounds, "a modern maestro who opens our ears and causes their anvils and stirrups to fall in love".
"One of the things that Jody and I have tried to do is keep the committee rotating and anonymous," said the composer Chester Biscardi, referring to Mr. Dalton by his nickname.
This committee consisted of a musician/conductor, two composers, a stage director, librettist and myself.
Within four weeks the committee received more than 200 scores from 41 composers.
(Rules of the Pulitzer committee at the time did not allow for composers to share in a drama award.
