Vivian Adelberg Rudow
Encyclopedia
Vivian Adelberg Rudow (born 1936) is an American composer
, performance artist, conductor
and concert producer. She composes in the genres of acoustic
and electroacoustic music
with works ranging from solo to full orchestra. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
of Johns Hopkins University in 1979. She studied piano with Austin Conradi and composition with Jean Eichelberger Ivey
and Robert Hall Lewis. Her earliest composition and theory studies were under Grace Newsom Cushman at the Junior Conservatory Camp (a predecessor of The Walden School
).
under Sergiu Comissiona
and she became the first Maryland composer to have an orchestral work performed in the new Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
. In 1986, Rudow’s composition, With Love; a fantasy for live cello and decorated cello cases, in memory of Myrtle Hollins Adelberg won First Prize in the 14th International Electroacoustic Music Composition Competition in Bourges, France in the Program Division. Adelberg Rudow won First Prize in the International Double Reed Society
Composition Contest for her piece Kaddish for solo bassoon, and additionally received a Maryland State Arts Council Fellowship, a City Arts Individual Artist Grant and a Meet-the-Composer Grant.
. She has frequently collaborated with award winning Maryland poet Grace Cavalieri
, including three satellite radio specials of her music in Cavalieri’s "Poet and the Poem" satellite radio broadcasts. Adelberg Rudow has developed her own style of performance art presentations named “The Vivian.” In 2000, she premiered her performance art piece Juan Blanco, Cuban Lawyer Variations of Variations in Havana during the International Electroacoustic Music Festival “Spring Time in Havana” for the 80th birthday of Juan Blanco, Director of the Cuban Electroacoustic Music studio. She performed the piece again in August 2001 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC during a Sonic Circuits concert. She was the founding artistic director of Res Musica Baltimore, later Res MusicAmerica, a successful organization active between 1980 and 1991 dedicated to presenting the works of living American composers. In 1988, she produced an International Electroacoustic Music Festival in Baltimore.
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...
, performance artist, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and concert producer. She composes in the genres of acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
and electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...
with works ranging from solo to full orchestra. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Education
Adelberg Rudow received a Bachelor of Music degree in piano in 1960 and a Master of Music degree in composition from the Peabody InstitutePeabody Institute
The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University is a renowned conservatory and preparatory school located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland at the corner of Charles and Monument Streets at Mount Vernon Place.-History:...
of Johns Hopkins University in 1979. She studied piano with Austin Conradi and composition with Jean Eichelberger Ivey
Jean Eichelberger Ivey
Jean Eichelberger Ivey was an American composer who produced an extensive and diverse catalog of works in virtually every medium, including solo, chamber, vocal, orchestral, in addition to being a, "respected electronic composer." Her music has been frequently represented on the programs of major...
and Robert Hall Lewis. Her earliest composition and theory studies were under Grace Newsom Cushman at the Junior Conservatory Camp (a predecessor of The Walden School
The Walden School
The Walden School is a private summer music camp situated on the campus of the Dublin School, in Dublin, New Hampshire, USA. It is a five-week residential program which hosts approximately 45 students aged 10-18 and focuses on developing musicianship through composition, improvisation and choral...
).
Awards and Honors
Adelberg Rudow has won the ASCAPlus Award multiple times since 1987. In 1982 her Force III was premiered by the Baltimore Symphony OrchestraBaltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a professional American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland.In September 2007, Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra’s twelfth music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra.The BSO Board...
under Sergiu Comissiona
Sergiu Comissiona
Sergiu Comissiona was a Romanian conductor and violinist.-Early life:...
and she became the first Maryland composer to have an orchestral work performed in the new Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
The Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, often referred to simply as the Meyerhoff, is a music venue that opened September 16, 1982 at 1212 Cathedral Street in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The main auditorium has a seating capacity of 2,443 people, and is home to the...
. In 1986, Rudow’s composition, With Love; a fantasy for live cello and decorated cello cases, in memory of Myrtle Hollins Adelberg won First Prize in the 14th International Electroacoustic Music Composition Competition in Bourges, France in the Program Division. Adelberg Rudow won First Prize in the International Double Reed Society
International Double Reed Society
The International Double Reed Society is a Finksburg, Maryland-based organization that promotes the interests of double reed players, instrument manufacturers and enthusiasts....
Composition Contest for her piece Kaddish for solo bassoon, and additionally received a Maryland State Arts Council Fellowship, a City Arts Individual Artist Grant and a Meet-the-Composer Grant.
Career
Adelberg Rudow’s music has been performed worldwide. Her composition Urbo Turbo was recorded by the London Philharmonic OrchestraLondon Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
. She has frequently collaborated with award winning Maryland poet Grace Cavalieri
Grace Cavalieri
Grace Cavalieri is an award-winning American poet and playwright. She has published 15 volumes of poetry and more than 20 plays and continues to actively write and publish. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband, sculptor Kenneth Flynn...
, including three satellite radio specials of her music in Cavalieri’s "Poet and the Poem" satellite radio broadcasts. Adelberg Rudow has developed her own style of performance art presentations named “The Vivian.” In 2000, she premiered her performance art piece Juan Blanco, Cuban Lawyer Variations of Variations in Havana during the International Electroacoustic Music Festival “Spring Time in Havana” for the 80th birthday of Juan Blanco, Director of the Cuban Electroacoustic Music studio. She performed the piece again in August 2001 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC during a Sonic Circuits concert. She was the founding artistic director of Res Musica Baltimore, later Res MusicAmerica, a successful organization active between 1980 and 1991 dedicated to presenting the works of living American composers. In 1988, she produced an International Electroacoustic Music Festival in Baltimore.
Discography
- Love, Loss and Law, in memory of Myrtle Hollins Adelberg and Harry Adelberg. Music Documentaries: “With Love,” “Portrait of a Friend,” and “Portraits of Lawyers,” (originally The Velvet Hammers). December, 2009
- Le Chant du Monde, Harmonia MundiHarmonia MundiHarmonia Mundi is an independent music record label founded in 1958 by Bernard Coutaz in Arles . The Latin phrase means "world harmony"....
Label, with the Bourges winners of the 16th composition contest 1988, “With Love,” Paula Skolnick-Virizlay, Violoncello. - Electroshock Records– Various Electroacoustic Music, Vol. VIII (2003) “Racing Inside The Milky Way.”
- Electroshock Records– Various Electroacoustic Music, Vol. IX (2004) “Cuban Lawyer, Juan Blanco.”
- Sunbursts, solo piano works by 7 American women, Nanette Kaplan Solomon, pianist “Rebecca’s Suite,” Leonarda label, LE 345
Selected Works
- Americana Visited Variations (violin or viola and piano), 1984
- Ars Nova (two bassoons), 1981
- Call For Peace (flute plus tape), 2006
- Changing Space (prepared tape for dance), 1972
- Clouds of Memories, 2002
- Cuban Lawyer, Juan Blanco, excerpt from Portraits of Lawyers originally The Velvet Hammers (tape), 2000
- Dan’s Suite, in memory of Daniel Malkin, (cello and piano)
- Lament (with optional narrator, text: Carole Malkin “Passover Questions”), 1997
- The Bare Smooth Stone of Your Love (with optional narrator, text: Carole Malkin “Cello Recital”), 1998
- Dawn’s Journey, in memory of Dawn Culbertson
- (piano and tape), 2005
- (audio and DVD)
- Devy's Song (treble instrument and piano), 1984
- Dark Waters of Elba (orchestra), 2005
- Deepwater Horizons: Will We Sleep Again? (flute and piano), 2011
- Earth Day Suite:
- Dark Waters Of The Chesapeake, (orchestra), 2010
- Go Green! (flute concerto, orchestra), 2010
- Fanfare For My Hero, In The Pin Striped Suit (full orchestra), 1993
- Force III (full orchestra),1979
- The Head Remembers Victims, of W.W.II, (saxophone and prepared tape), 2008
- The Healing Place VI (flute, clarinet, violin, viola, violoncello, prepared tape, optional narrator, text: Grace Cavalieri), 1991
- I Pledge My Love, 1992
- (tenor and string quartet)
- (tenor and piano)
- John’s Song, in memory of John J. Hill, (voice or instrument and keyboard), 2006
- Journey of Waters (voice and 11 member ensemble, lyrics: Grace Cavalieri), 1994
- Journey of Waters (voice and piano), 1984
- Journey of Waters (small orchestra), 1991
- Journey of Waters II (new orchestral arrangement and voice), 2006
- Kaddish, in memory of Isaac Hollins, (solo bassoon) 1975
- No Rest For Devy's Spirit (solo viola), 1984
- Not Me! (violin, cello, and piano), 1989
- The Ocean Sings (guitar orchestra, or 5 guitars and solo viola), 2010
- Portrait of A Friend (tenor and prepared tape, text: Grace Cavalieri), 1986.
- Portraits of Lawyers, (sound collage, art music documentary) 1989-2004
- Purple Ice, 8-10 songs (voice and piano, lyrics: Grace Cavalieri), 1984–92
- Rebecca's Suite, in memory of Rebecca Blackwell (solo piano)
- Rebecca’s Song, 1989
- Rebecca’s Rainbow Racing Among the Stars, 1991
- The Sky Speaks, 1. Clouds (SSAATTBB chorus, soprano and violoncello solo, piano and 2 percussion), revised 2007
- Urbo Turbo (Urban Turbulence)
- (full orchestra, alternate title: Spirit of America), 1999
- (full orchestra and chorus), revised 2008
- Weeping Rocker III (chamber orchestra and SATB chorus), 1993
- With Love, a fantasy for live cello and cello cases in memory of Myrtle Hollins Adelberg (cello and prepared tape), 1986
External links
- Howard County Times 4/15/10 Interview
- The Baltimore Composers Forum
- Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music
- IAWN Article 2004
- Official Website
- Roland Park News Interview Winter 2010/2011
- Baltimore Sun, Ernest M. Imhoff "After 11 seasons, Res Music America finds it 'impossible to continue'" 5/29/1991
- Performance in Sonic Circuit concert at the Kennedy Center