Donald Keats
Encyclopedia
Donald Keats is an American composer, teacher, and pianist.
as an undergraduate, where he studied with Quincy Porter
and Paul Hindemith
. He completed his MA at Columbia University, where he studied with Otto Luening
and Henry Cowell
. He attended the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik
in Hamburg as a Fulbright Scholar before returning to America. Keats received his Ph.D from the University of Minnesota
, where he studied with Dominick Argento
and Paul Fetler. He also won two Guggenheim Fellowships (1964-65, 1972-73), an NEA
grant, and was a Fulbright scholar (1954-55, renewed 1955-56).
He taught at Antioch College
from 1957 to 1975, and the University of Denver's
Lamont School of Music
from 1975 to 1999. He also taught at the Aspen School of Music and was Visiting Professor at the University of Washington
from 1969 to 1970.
Piano Sonata (1971)
String Quartet #1
String Quartet #2
Keats considers his First Symphony as an important piece; both it and his Elegiac Symphony won Rockefeller Foundation-sponsored competitions, resulting in performances by the Kansas City Philharmonic and the Seattle Symphony
respectively
Principal Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
David (Carl) Johnson
Conrad Kehn
Biography
Keats attended Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
as an undergraduate, where he studied with Quincy Porter
Quincy Porter
Quincy Porter was an American composer and teacher of classical music.Born in New Haven, Connecticut, he went to Yale University where his teachers included Horatio Parker and David Stanley Smith. Porter received two awards while studying music at Yale: the Osborne Prize for Fugue, and the...
and Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
. He completed his MA at Columbia University, where he studied with 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 Henry Cowell
Henry Cowell
Henry Cowell was an American composer, music theorist, pianist, teacher, publisher, and impresario. His contribution to the world of music was summed up by Virgil Thomson, writing in the early 1950s:...
. He attended the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik
Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg
The Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg is one of the larger universities of music in Germany.It was founded 1950 as Staatliche Hochschule für Musik on the base of the former private acting school of Annemarie Marks-Rocke and Eduard Marks.Studies include various music types from church music...
in Hamburg as a Fulbright Scholar before returning to America. Keats received his Ph.D from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, where he studied with Dominick Argento
Dominick Argento
Dominick Argento is an American composer, best known as a leading composer of lyric opera and choral music...
and Paul Fetler. He also won two Guggenheim Fellowships (1964-65, 1972-73), an NEA
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
grant, and was a Fulbright scholar (1954-55, renewed 1955-56).
He taught at Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
from 1957 to 1975, and the University of Denver's
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
Lamont School of Music
Lamont School of Music
Lamont School of Music is the school of arts of the University of Denver, based in city of Denver, USA. In 1941, the school merged with the University of Denver ....
from 1975 to 1999. He also taught at the Aspen School of Music and was Visiting Professor at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
from 1969 to 1970.
Important Works
Symphony No.2: (An) Elegiac Symphony (1964)Piano Sonata (1971)
String Quartet #1
String Quartet #2
Keats considers his First Symphony as an important piece; both it and his Elegiac Symphony won Rockefeller Foundation-sponsored competitions, resulting in performances by the Kansas City Philharmonic and the Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
respectively
Principal Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
Notable Students
Steven GatesDavid (Carl) Johnson
Conrad Kehn