Music of Vermont
Encyclopedia
Vermont
is a state in the United States
. One of the state's best known popular artists is Phish
. Other bands of note include hardcore band Drowningman
, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
, Waylon Speed, The Wards, The Cancer Conspiracy
and Prydein.
The state is also home to many iconoclastic composers, from Revolutionary-era Justin Morgan
through electronic/avant-gardist Otto Luening
. Vermont's long list of contemporary composers includes Jon Appleton
, Dennis Bathory-Kitsz
, David Gunn
, Brian Johnson, Laura Koplewitz, John Levin, Peggy Madden, Erik Nielsen
, Thomas L. Read, GD, Su Lian Tan
, Dennis Murphy, and Gwyneth Walker
.
, founded in 1934, was the first state-funded orchestra in the nation. The orchestra's first artistic director was Alan Carter, followed by Efrain Guigui, and Kate Tamarkin. The Artistic Director and conductor today is Jaime Laredo
. Laredo is a world-renowned violinist who played for many years with Isaac Stern and performs worldwide as a soloist and frequently in duo concerts with Sharon Robinson
, cellist. The VSO's "Made in Vermont" series annually commissions a Vermont composer to create a large-scale work that tours the State. Previous recipients have included G. Walker, L. Koplewitz, et al. Current composer-in-residence with the VSO is David Ludwig
. The Vermont Youth Orchestra has come to prominence since the mid-1990s under the direction of composer/conductor Troy Peters. The Consortium of Vermont Composers was formed in 1988 to promote composers of classical music from the state; the Consortium calls Vermont the "most composer-friendly state" in the country.
Vermont has a program entitled the Vermont MIDI Project, a non-profit program that encourages young students from elementary school to high school to compose music and submit what they have written to a diannual competition. If selected, the compositions are performed by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. This program makes use of Sibelius notation software, which allows people to compose music electronically.
, founded in 1974, is the state's largest classical music festival, and a popular summer destination for music lovers around the United States
. As of 2006, the Mozart Festival has performed well over 2,000 works in over 30 locations, including 278 of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
's 626 compositions—possibly more than any other festival or concert series in the country.
The Marlboro Music Festival, which has been held since 1950, is another important festival for the state's music. There is also a Champlain Valley Folk Festival, the New World Festival held in Randolph and the One World, One Heart Festival, sponsored by local ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry's
. The One World, One Heart Festival is held in Warren, Vermont
and features concerts by folk and country performers.
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
is a state in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. One of the state's best known popular artists is Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
. Other bands of note include hardcore band Drowningman
Drowningman
Drowningman was a hardcore punk band from Burlington, Vermont, which was active from 1996 to 2005. Formed in the fall of 1995 by Simon Brody, Denny Donovan, Javin Leonard, Dave Barnett and Todd Tomlinson, the band was heavily influenced by a variety of bands including Deadguy, Unbroken, Shotmaker,...
, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals is an American rock band from Waitsfield, Vermont.-Career:Grace Potter and the Nocturnals' lead vocalist is multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter, who attended St. Lawrence University for two years before pursuing music professionally...
, Waylon Speed, The Wards, The Cancer Conspiracy
The Cancer Conspiracy
The Cancer Conspiracy was a progressive rock group from Burlington, Vermont featuring guitarist Daryl Rabidoux, drummer/keyboardist/saxophonist Greg Beadle, and bassist Brent Frattini. Rabidoux and Beadle were veterans of the local hardcore scene, and had broken away from their respective bands...
and Prydein.
The state is also home to many iconoclastic composers, from Revolutionary-era Justin Morgan
Justin Morgan
Justin Morgan was a U.S. horse breeder and composer.He was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, and by 1788 had settled in Vermont. In addition to being a horse breeder and farmer, he was a teacher of singing; in that capacity he traveled considerably throughout the northeastern states...
through electronic/avant-gardist Otto Luening
Otto Luening
Otto Clarence Luening was a German-American composer and conductor, and an early pioneer of tape music and electronic music....
. Vermont's long list of contemporary composers includes Jon Appleton
Jon Appleton
Jon Howard Appleton is an American composer and teacher who was a pioneer in electro-acoustic music. His earliest compositions in the medium, e.g. Chef d'Oeuvre and Newark Airport Rock attracted attention because they established a new tradition some have called programmatic electronic music...
, Dennis Bathory-Kitsz
Dennis Báthory-Kitsz
Dennis Báthory-Kitsz Dennis Báthory-Kitsz (born March 14, 1949, Plainfield, New Jersey) Dennis Báthory-Kitsz (born March 14, 1949, Plainfield, New Jersey) (pseudonyms: Dennis Bathory, Dennis Kitsz, Dennis J. Kitsz, Dennis Bathory Kitsz, Kalvos Gesamte, Grey Shadé, D.B...
, David Gunn
David Gunn
David Gunn may refer to:*David L. Gunn , American railroad administrator*David Gunn , American*David Gunn , military science fiction author*David Gunn , American...
, Brian Johnson, Laura Koplewitz, John Levin, Peggy Madden, Erik Nielsen
Erik Nielsen
Erik Hersholt Nielsen, PC, DFC, QC was a Canadian politician, and longtime Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Yukon....
, Thomas L. Read, GD, Su Lian Tan
Su Lian Tan
Su Lian Tan is a renowned composer and flautist. Her works, which tend to be regarded as avant-garde, have been commissioned by the Takács Quartet, Meridian Arts Ensemble and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project...
, Dennis Murphy, and Gwyneth Walker
Gwyneth Walker
-Personal:Walker grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut and is a graduate of Pembroke College in Brown University and the Hartt School of Music and holds B.A., M.M., and D.M.A. degrees in music composition...
.
Music education and institutions
The Vermont Symphony OrchestraVermont Symphony Orchestra
The Vermont Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in, and supported in part by, the U.S. state of Vermont. It is a 501 corporation. It is one of the few, and the oldest, state-supported symphony orchestras in the United States....
, founded in 1934, was the first state-funded orchestra in the nation. The orchestra's first artistic director was Alan Carter, followed by Efrain Guigui, and Kate Tamarkin. The Artistic Director and conductor today is Jaime Laredo
Jaime Laredo
Jaime Laredo is a violinist and conductor. Currently the conductor and Music Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, he began his musical career when he was five years old. In 1948 he came to North America and took lessons from Antonio DeGrass...
. Laredo is a world-renowned violinist who played for many years with Isaac Stern and performs worldwide as a soloist and frequently in duo concerts with Sharon Robinson
Sharon Robinson
Sharon Robinson is an American songwriter, record producer, and vocalist. She is best known as a frequent writing collaborator with Leonard Cohen, although she has written songs for a number of other artists as well, including Aaron Neville, Diana Ross, Don Henley, Randy Crawford, Roberta Flack,...
, cellist. The VSO's "Made in Vermont" series annually commissions a Vermont composer to create a large-scale work that tours the State. Previous recipients have included G. Walker, L. Koplewitz, et al. Current composer-in-residence with the VSO is David Ludwig
David Ludwig
David Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D. is an American physician in Boston, Massachusetts. He an associate professor of Pediatrics and is the Director of the Obesity Program at the Children's Hospital Boston...
. The Vermont Youth Orchestra has come to prominence since the mid-1990s under the direction of composer/conductor Troy Peters. The Consortium of Vermont Composers was formed in 1988 to promote composers of classical music from the state; the Consortium calls Vermont the "most composer-friendly state" in the country.
Vermont has a program entitled the Vermont MIDI Project, a non-profit program that encourages young students from elementary school to high school to compose music and submit what they have written to a diannual competition. If selected, the compositions are performed by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. This program makes use of Sibelius notation software, which allows people to compose music electronically.
Music festivals
The Vermont Mozart FestivalVermont Mozart Festival
The Vermont Mozart Festival was a series of indoor and outdoor concerts presented annually at sites throughout the state of Vermont. The inaugural Festival of 1974 was conceived as a celebration of both the natural beauty of the state and the genius of the Festival's namesake, composer Wolfgang...
, founded in 1974, is the state's largest classical music festival, and a popular summer destination for music lovers around the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of 2006, the Mozart Festival has performed well over 2,000 works in over 30 locations, including 278 of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
's 626 compositions—possibly more than any other festival or concert series in the country.
The Marlboro Music Festival, which has been held since 1950, is another important festival for the state's music. There is also a Champlain Valley Folk Festival, the New World Festival held in Randolph and the One World, One Heart Festival, sponsored by local ice cream manufacturer Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's is an American ice cream company, a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate, that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, United...
. The One World, One Heart Festival is held in Warren, Vermont
Warren, Vermont
Warren is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,681 at the 2000 census. The center of population of Vermont is located in Warren. It is set between the two ranges of the Green Mountains, with approximately 25% of the town under Green Mountain National Forest...
and features concerts by folk and country performers.