Marti Epstein
Encyclopedia
Marti Epstein began composition studies
Composition studies
Composition Studies is the professional field of writing research and instruction, focusing especially on writing at the college level in the United States...
in 1977 while still in high school with Professor Robert Beadell
Robert Beadell
-Life:After military service as a bandsman with the United States Marines during the Second World War, Beadell enrolled in the music program at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where his clarinet teacher, Dominick DiCaprio, encouraged him to study composition...
at the University of Nebraska. She earned degrees from the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
(Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
in Composition, summa cum laude
Latin honors
Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
, 1982) and Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
(Master of Music
Master of Music
The Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...
in Composition, 1984; Doctor of Musical Arts
Doctor of Musical Arts
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree is a doctoral academic degree in music. The D.M.A. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy. The D.M.A...
in Composition, 1989). Her principal composition instructors were Charles Eakin, Joyce Mekeel, and Bernard Rands
Bernard Rands
Bernard Rands is a composer of contemporary classical music.Rands studied music and English literature at the University of Wales, Bangor, and composition with Pierre Boulez and Bruno Maderna in Darmstadt, Germany, and with Luigi Dallapiccola and Luciano Berio in Milan, Italy.He held residencies...
.
Dr. Epstein has received numerous awards and commissions. She was a fellow at the MacDowell Colony
MacDowell Colony
The MacDowell Colony is an art colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, U.S.A., founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds...
and twice a fellow in composition at the Tanglewood Music Center
Tanglewood Music Center
The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops designed to provide an intense training and networking experience...
, where she worked with Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen CBE is a British composer and conductor.-Biography:Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert, between 1963 and 1969 and also received...
and Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
. Composition prizes include a Massachusetts Cultural Council Grant, Fromm Foundation Commission, Lee Ettleson Composition Prize Bay Area Women’s Philharmonic Composition Prize, and Friends and Enemies of New Music Composition She has received commissions from ALEA III, Sequitur New Music Ensemble, the Fromm Foundation, guitarist David Tanenbaum
David Tanenbaum
David Tanenbaum is an American classical guitarist.Tanenbaum made his concert debut at the age of 16. He has since become known as an enthusiastic promoter of new music for his instrument, although his repertoire also includes much music from other periods...
, the American Dance Festival
American Dance Festival
The American Dance Festival is a six and four-week school for dance and a six-week summer festival of modern dance performances, currently held at Duke University and the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina....
the CORE Ensemble, the A*DEvantgarde Festival of Munich, tubist Samuel Pilafian, flutist Marianne Gedigian, the New England Brass Quintet, the Iowa Brass Quintet, Boston Conservatory
Boston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...
, Boston University Marsh Chapel Choir, pianist Kathleen Supove, the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association, the Foxborough Musical Association, pianist Paul Carlson, the CrossSound New Music Festival of Juneau Alaska the Seattle Trumpet Consort and the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston
Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston
The Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston is a musician-led American orchestra based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is one of only four co-operative orchestras in the US...
.
Her music has been performed in Europe and America by ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Frankfurt, the Atlantic Brass Quintet
Atlantic Brass Quintet
The Boston-based Atlantic Brass Quintet is a five-piece chamber music ensemble which was founded in 1985, by John Manning, Joseph Foley, John Faieta and Bob Rasmussen...
, and Ensemble Modern
Ensemble Modern
Ensemble Modern is a chamber ensemble dedicated to the music of modern composers. Formed in 1980, the group is based in Frankfurt, Germany and made up variously of about twenty members from numerous countries....
. In 1992 she was invited by the City of Munich to compose her puppet opera, Hero und Leander, for the 1992 Munich Biennale
Munich Biennale
The Munich Biennale is an opera festival in the city of Munich. The full German name is Internationales Festival für neues Musiktheater, literally: International Festival for New Music Theater. The biennial festival was created in 1988 by Hans Werner Henze and is held in even-numbered years over...
for New Music Theater
Dr Epstein's work for piano,Waterbowls, has been described as "a luminous study in quiet sonorities and the ache of memory.". Writing for the Boston Globe, David Weininger writes Epsteins's music "has the feel of suspension in space, fragile and almost static. . .". The International Trumpet Guild Journal comments on her exploration of color in the Two Canons for Seven Natural Trumpets.
Marti Epstein is Professor of Composition at Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
.
Discography
- Two Canons, Seattle Trumpet Consort: 2008
- Doloroso, Apostolos Parskevas: 2006.
- She Fell Into a Well of Sorrows, Kathleen Supove: 2003
- The Five Chairs, Atlantic Brass Quintet: 2003. Summit Records DCD 396
- The Parting Glass, Ulf Golnast: 1997.
- The Five Chairs, Iowa Brass Quintet: 1997.
- waterbowls, Kathleen Supové: 1993.
Orchestral
- TWYLLE [1999]; chamber orchestra; 6’
- PRINT [1998]; orchestra; 11’
- CONCERTO GROSSO FOR CELLO, DOUBLE BASS AND STRING ORCHESTRA [1997]; 9’
- CELESTIAL NAVIGATION [1988]; orchestra; 14’
Choral
- WEATHER PATTERNS [2009]; SSATB chorus and cello
- THE STREETS OF LAREDO [2000]; 3 tenor soloists, SSAAB choir, 7’
- THE RADIANT SISTERS [1995]; women’s choir and chamber orchestra; 14’
- FLOWER WORLD; 3 poems from the Yaqui Deer Dance [1992]; chorus and chamber ensemble; 13’
Large Ensemble
- BLOOM [2009]; English hornCor anglaisThe cor anglais , or English horn , is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family....
and wind ensemble; 17'. - COLOR WHEEL [2005]; concert band; 3’
- CHANT [2001]; large ensemble, 13’
- VICTORIA’S SECRET [1997]; 2 cellos, 2 double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
es, 2 pianos; 9’ - KINDERFARBEN [1988]; chamber ensemble; 12’
Brass
- THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW [2009]; 6'
- THREE CANONS FOR SEVEN TRUMPETS [2007]; 6'
- L’HOMME ARM´E [2005]; brass quintet; 15’
- THE FIVE CHAIRS [1990]; brass quintet; 7’
- ALBION MOONLIGHT [1987]; brass quintet; 10’
Woodwind
- QUARTET [2007]; English horn and string trioString trioA string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. The term is generally used with reference to works of chamber music from the Classical period to the present.-History:...
; 7' - SIX LITTLE PIECES FOR WOODWIND QUINTETWind quintetA wind quintet, also sometimes known as a woodwind quintet, is a group of five wind players . The term also applies to a composition for such a group....
[2004]; 6’ - OPHELIA [2003]; solo flute, 3’
- THALIA [1998]; oboe d’amore and digital delay; 11’
- BLUFF [1997]; saxophone quartet; 7’
- FOLD [1996]; oboe, clarinet; bassoon; 8’
- AND [1995]; flute and piano; 17’
String
- CHORDS OF INQUIRY [2006]; cello quartet, 17’
- TEMBLOR [2000]; solo violin, 13'
- VERMILION [2000]; violin and piano, 3’
- BARCAROLLE [1999]; string trio, 13’
- THE PORCELAIN TOWER OF NANKING [1998]; violin and guitar; 4'
- PUELLA TURBATA [1997]; string quartetString quartetA string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
; 13’ - LAZY SUSAN [1997]; cello and piano; 11’
- SWIRL [1994]; viola, cello, and piano; 13’
- ENDGAME II [1987]; double bass; 8’
- BLUE LINES [1987]; string quartet; 9’
- ENDGAME [1985]; solo violin, 7’
- MICROSCOPES IV [1984]; violin, cello, and piano; 8’
Mixed Ensemble
- LIQUID, FRAGILE [2010]; clarinet, violin, viola, and cello; 12'
- HYPNAGOGIA [2009]; oboe, clarinet, violin, cello, harp, piano, and cimbalom; 57’
- UNRAVELING [2009]; flute, violin, viola, cello, harp
- QUARTET [2007]; English horn, violin, viola, cello, 7'
- STRANGE LITTLE MOON [2007]; 2 pianos, 2 harps, 25'
- ANGEL OF MEMORY [2003]; cello, piano, and percussion, 13’
- CADENCE [2003]; violin, piano, and marimba, 5’;
- IN SOFT REPOSE LET HIS SWEET EYELIDS CLOSE [2002]; flute, violin, and cello, 6’
- LUX [2002]; flute, violin, viola, and euphonium, 8’
- SEE, EVEN NIGHT [2001]; clarinet, viola, and piano, 21’
- CONCERTO FOR CELLO AND CHAMBER ENSEMBLE [1994]; solo cello, 4 cellos, 2 violins, 2 pianos- 8 hands; 3 marimbists; 3 percussionists; 8’
- PRIVATE FANTASY BOOTH [1993]; flute, clarinet, piano, marimba, violin, and cello; 12’
- PARASOL [1992]; piccolo, English horn, cello; 8’
- THE REASON FOR SKYLARKS [1990]; flute, clarinet, piano, xylophone; 6’
- GRAND ISLAND [1986]; piano, harp, 2 percussion; 17’
Piano
- HAVEN [2006]; 17'
- AMERICAN ETUDES [1991-2005]; solo piano
- HOTHOUSE [2000]; piano 4 hands; 7’
- SHE FELL INTO A WELL OF SORROWS [1999]; piano and digital effects processor; 9’
- CHIMERA [1999]; 2 pianos; 13’
- AQUA MARINE [1995]; piano; 3’
- MARIE’S WALTZ [1994]; piano; 5’
- VOICES IN EMPTY ROOMS [1993]; piano; 7’
- QUEEN OF THE NIGHT [1992]; piano; 17’
- WATERBOWLS [1989]; piano; 9’
Vocal
- I BACI [2001]; soprano, mezzo-sopranoMezzo-sopranoA mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
, and harpsichord, 9’ - SUPERSTITION [1999]; soprano, 2 clarinets, viola, and cello, 5
- LENZ [1999]; baritone voice and piano, 7’
- TRAPEZE [1999]; mezzo-soprano, clarinet, viola, and piano, 17’
- KL¨ANGE (text by Wassily KandinskyWassily KandinskyWassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting the first purely-abstract works. Born in Moscow, Kandinsky spent his childhood in Odessa. He enrolled at the University of Moscow, studying law and economics...
) [1993]; soprano; 13’ - BASSOON (text by Wassily Kandinsky) [1991]; soprano, double bass, piano; 8’
- BIRTH (text by Faye Kicknosway) [1990]; mezzo-soprano, bassoon, marimba, violin; 10’
- ELEVEN BASHO HAIKU (text by Basho) [1989]; soprano and piano; 13’
- DECEMBER 14 [1983]; mezzo soprano, alto fluteWestern concert fluteThe Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player....
, cello, and piano; 8’.
Guitar
- DOLOROSO [2004]; guitar; 7’
- PETALS [1998]; guitar; 12’
- THE PARTING GLASS [1989]; guitar; 12’
- FOR GUITARS AND CELLO [1988]; 4 guitars and cello; 9’
Dramatic Works
- RUMPELSTILTSKIN: a chamber operaChamber operaChamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...
in one act [2008]; 56' - PERMANENT ABSENCE [1995]; dance; violin, cello, piano, and percussion; 31’ (in collaboration with choreographer Kumiko Kimoto)
- HERO UND LEANDER [1991]; puppet theaterPuppetA puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....
; violin, viola; and cello; 30’ (in collaboration with Marcus Schneider for the 1992 Munich Biennale
Resources
http://www.martiepstein.com/index.html Official homepage of the composerhttp://www.berklee.edu/faculty/detail/marti-epstein Bio of the composer at Berklee School of Music
http://www.sigmaalphaiota.org/home/ComposersBureau/EpsteinMarti/tabid/455/Default.aspx Bio of composer at Sigma Alpha Iota
Sigma Alpha Iota
Sigma Alpha Iota , International Music Fraternity for Women. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public...
music fraternity
http://chambermusictoday.blogspot.com/2009/04/stochastic-incipits-continuants-sonic.html Review of 'Bloom' for English horn on Chamber Music Today
Buell, R, "Getting To Know Composer Through Choice Program" Boston Globe, Nov 8, 1995.
Dyer, R "Kathleen Supove, Piano Figure 88: Music By Woolf, Foss, Lang, Epstein and Rzewski Cri Cd" Boston Globe, Mar 24, 1994.