Tania León (born May 14, 1943) is a
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
n-born American composer of both large scale and chamber works. She is also renowned as a conductor, educator, and advisor to arts organizations.
Early years and education
She was born Tania Justina León in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. , Cuba, of mixed French, Spanish, Chinese, African, and Cuban heritage. It was her grandmother who recognized that her granddaughter liked music because of the way she reacted to music on the radio. She began studying the piano at the age of four and she attended
Carlos Alfredo Peyrellade Conservatory, where she earned a B.A. in 1963, and the Alejandro García Caturla Conservatory, where she studied piano with
Zenaida Manfugás. Leon was one of an estimated 300,000 Cubans who left Cuba as a refugee on the so-called "
Freedom Flights
Freedom Flights (known in Spanish as ''Los vuelos de la libertad'') transported Cubans to Miami twice daily, five times per week from 1965 to 1973. Its budget was about $12 million and it brought an estimated 300,000 refugees, making it the "larg ...
".
In the spring of 1967 she left Cuba and settled in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, continuing her studies at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
under the tutelage of
Ursula Mamlok
Ursula Mamlok (February 1, 1923 – May 4, 2016) was a German-born American composer and teacher.
Education and influences
Mamlok was born as Ursula Meyer in Berlin, Germany, into a Jewish family, and studied piano and composition with Professo ...
(B.S., 1971; M.S., 1975).
Career
In 1969 León became a founding member and the first musical director of
Arthur Mitchell's
Dance Theater of Harlem
Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) is an American professional ballet company and school based in Harlem, New York City. It was founded in 1969 under the directorship of Arthur Mitchell and later partnered with Karel Shook. Milton Rosenstock served ...
, establishing its music department, music school, and orchestra.
Her ballet compositions for that company include ''Haiku'' (1973), ''Dougla'' (with
Geoffrey Holder, 1974) and ''Belé'' (with Geoffrey Holder; 1981).
She instituted the
Brooklyn Philharmonic
There have been several organisations referred to as the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The most recent one was the now-defunct Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, an American orchestra based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in existence ...
Community Concert Series in 1978 and in 1994 co-founded the American Composers Orchestra Sonidos de las Americas Festivals as
Latin American Music
The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Romance-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. Latin American music also incorporates African music from enslaved African people who wer ...
Advisor. From 1993 to 1997, she was New Music Advisor to
Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur (18 July 1927 – 19 December 2015) was a German conductor. Called "one of the last old-style maestros", he directed many of the principal orchestras of his era. He had a long career as the Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewandhaus O ...
and the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
. She also served as Latin American Music Advisor to the
American Composers Orchestra
The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is an American orchestra administratively based in New York City, specialising in contemporary American music. The ACO gives concerts at various concert venues in New York City, including:
* Zankel Hall at ...
until 2001.
In March 2001 her orchestral work ''Desde...'' was premiered by the American Composers Orchestra at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...
.
She has been a guest conductor with the
Beethovenhalle Orchestra,
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
; the
Gewandhausorchester
The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...
,
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
; the Santa Cecilia Orchestra, Rome; the
National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa,
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...
; the
Netherlands Wind Ensemble
The Netherlands Wind Ensemble ( nl, Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, NBE) comprises musicians from all the major Dutch symphony orchestras.
The NBE is regularly featured in special concert series at Amsterdam’s main venues: the Concertgebouw, Par ...
, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
; and the New York Philharmonic, among others.
León's opera ''
Scourge of Hyacinths'', based on a radio play by
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
-winner
Wole Soyinka
Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka (Yoruba: ''Akínwándé Olúwọlé Babátúndé Ṣóyíinká''; born 13 July 1934), known as Wole Soyinka (), is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded t ...
, was commissioned in 1994 by the
Munich Biennale
The Munich Biennale (german: Münchener Biennale) is a contemporary opera and music theatre festival in the city of Munich. The full German name is ''Internationales Festival für neues Musiktheater'', literally: International Festival for New Musi ...
, where it won the
BMW Prize as best new
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
. Staged and designed by
Robert Wilson with León conducting, it has received over 22 performances in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
. The aria "
Oh Yemanja" from ''Scourge'' was recorded by
Dawn Upshaw
Dawn Upshaw (born July 17, 1960) is an American soprano. She is the recipient of several Grammy Awards and has released a number of Edison Award-winning discs; she performs both opera and art song, and her repertoire spans Baroque to contempor ...
on her Nonesuch CD ''The World So Wide''.
León's composition ''Horizons'', written for the
NDR Symphony Orchestra
The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra (german: NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester) is a German radio orchestra. Affiliated with the '' Norddeutscher Rundfunk'' (NDR; North German Broadcasting), the orchestra is based at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg ...
of
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
, premiered at the July 1999
Hammoniale Festival, with
Peter Ruzicka conducting. In August 2000, ''Horizons'' had its U.S. premiere at the
Tanglewood Music Festival
The Tanglewood Music Festival is a music festival held every summer on the Tanglewood estate in Stockbridge and Lenox in the Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts.
The festival consists of a series of concerts, including symphonic music, c ...
, with
Stefan Asbury
Stefan may refer to:
* Stefan (given name)
* Stefan (surname)
* Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname
* Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname
* Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer
* Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...
conducting. León conducted the work with the
Orchestre Symphonique de Nancy (France) in March 2002.
''Drummin, a full-length cross-cultural work for indigenous
percussionist
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
s and orchestra, was commissioned and premiered in 1997 by
Miami Light Project and the
New World Symphony Orchestra. It opened the 1999 Hammoniale Festival in Hamburg.
In February 2019, the
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
performed the world premiere of her composition ''
Stride'' for orchestra.
León's recorded works include ''Batá'', by the Foundation Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by
David Snell and produced by Sir
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...
; ''Indígena'', a collection of León’s chamber music; ''Carabalí'' (and already ''Batá'') on the
Louisville Orchestra
The Louisville Orchestra is the primary orchestra in Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1937 by Robert Whitney (1904–1986) and Charles Farnsley, Mayor of Louisville. The Louisville Orchestra employs salaried musicians, and offers a wide ...
’s First Edition Records; ''Rituál'', for solo piano, and her arrangement of
Moises Simons Moises or Moisés is a male name common among people of Iberian origin. It is the Spanish language, Spanish, Portuguese language, Portuguese and Filipino language, Tagalog equivalent of the name Moses.
;Places
* Doctor Moisés Bertoni, a village i ...
' song "
El Manisero
"El manisero", known in English as "The Peanut Vendor", is a Cuban son (music), son-pregón composed by Moisés Simons. Together with "Guantanamera", it is arguably the most famous piece of music created by a Cuban musician. "The Peanut Vendor" has ...
" for
Chanticleer.
Tania León used award-winning Cuban-American poet
Carlos Pintado’s poems to create
Rimas Tropicales with a World premiere in June 2011 by one of the world’s most respected vocal ensembles: the 5 times Grammy Award-winning group the
San Francisco Girls Chorus The San Francisco Girls Chorus, established in 1978 by Elizabeth Appling and celebrating its 40th anniversary during the 2018-2019 Season, is a leading regional center for music education and performance for young women, ages 4–18, based in San Fr ...
.
Awards, honors and recognition
In 1998 León was awarded the New York Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award. She has received
honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
s from
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theolog ...
and
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest coeducational liberal arts college in the United States and the second oldest continuously operating coeducational institute of highe ...
and awards from the
American Academy of Arts and Letters
The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...
, the
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
,
Chamber Music America Chamber Music America (CMA) is an American non-profit organization that provides small ensemble professionals with access to a variety of professional development, networking, and funding resources. CMA's regular initiatives include grants, awards, ...
, NYSCA, the
Lila Wallace
Lila Bell Wallace (December 25, 1889 – May 8, 1984) was an American magazine publisher and philanthropist. She co-founded ''Reader's Digest'' with her husband Dewitt Wallace, publishing the first issue in 1922.
Early life and education
Born Li ...
/
Reader's Digest
''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wif ...
Fund,
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
, the
Koussevitzky Music Foundation
Sergei Alexandrovich KoussevitzkyKoussevitzky's original Russian forename is usually transliterated into English as either "Sergei" or "Sergey"; however, he himself adopted the French spelling "Serge", using it in his signature. (SeThe Koussevi ...
, and
Meet the Composer, among others.
In 1998, she held the Fromm Residency at the
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome.
The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.
History
In 1893, a group of American architects, ...
.
León has also been a resident at
Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March&nbs ...
(supported by a
MacArthur Foundation Award), and at the
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropy, philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, aft ...
’s Bellagio Center in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. She has also been a
Visiting Lecturer
In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...
at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
, Visiting Professor at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
and the Musikschule in
Hamburg
Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...
.
In 2000 she was named the Tow Distinguished Professor at the
Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College, where she has taught since 1985.
Brooklyn College
, mottoeng = Nothing without great effort
, established =
, parent = CUNY
, type = Public university
, endowment = $98.0 million (2019)
, budget = $123.96 m ...
is one of the senior colleges of the
City University of New York
The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the public university system of New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven senior colleges, seven community colleges and seven pro ...
(CUNY), where she is also on the faculty of the CUNY
Graduate Center
The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and post-graduate university in New York City. Serving as the principal doctorate-granting institution of the ...
, in Manhattan.
León has been the subject of profiles on
ABC,
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
,
PBS,
Univision
Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and include ...
and independent films.
In 2010, her work was performed in Cuba for the first time at the second annual
Leo Brouwer
Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida (born March 1, 1939) is a Cuban composer, conductor, and classical guitarist. He is a Member of Honour of the International Music Council.
Family
He is the grandson of Cuban composer Ernestina Lecuona y Casado. ...
Festival of Chamber Music. In 2010 and 2012, she was nominated for a
Latin Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. She is the only Cuban and
Cuban-American
Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or ...
musician ever to be nominated for a
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to composers for quality works of contemporary classical ...
(2013).
She won the 2021
Pulitzer Prize for Music
The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...
for ''
Stride''.
In 2022, Tania was awarded a
Kennedy Center Honor along with
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...
,
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant (born November 25, 1960) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the 1980s and 1990s. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christia ...
,
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys K ...
and the members of
U2.
Works
Chamber works
*''A la Par'', piano and percussion
*''Ácana'', chamber orchestra
*''Alma'', flute and piano
*''Ascend'', brass ensemble
*''Axon,'' violin and electronics
*''Bele'', chamber orchestra
*''De Color'', violin and marimba
*''De Memorias'', woodwind quintet
*''Dougla'', large mixed ensemble
*''Drummin , chamber orchestra
*''entre nos'', clarinet, bassoon, piano
*''Escencia'', string quartet
*''Ethos'', piano and string quartet
*''Four Pieces for Cello'', violoncello solo
*''Haiku,'' percussion ensemble, large mixed ensemble
*''Hechizos'', chamber orchestra
*''Indigena,'' large mixed ensemble
*''Maggie Magalita,'' large mixed ensemble
*''Paisanos Semos!'', guitar solo
*''Parajota Delate'', mixed quintet
*''Permutation Seven'', mixed sextet
*''Pet's Suite'', flute and keyboard
*''Saoko'', brass quintet
*''sin normas ajenas'', large mixed ensemble
*''Son Sonora'', flute and guitar
*''The Beloved'', large mixed ensemble
*''The Golden Windows'', large mixed ensemble
*''Tones'', chamber orchestra
*''Toque'', clarinet, alto sax, piano, percussionists, violin, and double bass
Orchestral works
*''Bata''
*''Carabali''
*''Concerto Criollo'', piano, solo timpani and orchestra
*''Desde...''
*''Horizons''
*''Kabiosile'', piano and orchestra
*''Para Viola y Orquesta'', solo viola and orchestra
*''
Stride'' (2019) for orchestra
Vocal works
*''Batey'', vocal ensemble and instrumental ensemble
*''De-Orishas'', vocal ensemble (6 to 12 singers)
*''Drume Negrita,'' mixed chorus
*''El Manisero'', mixed chorus
*''Inura'', mixed choir, strings, and percussion
*''Ivo, Ivo'', high voice and ensemble
*''Journey'', high voice and ensemble
*''Oh Yemanja (Mother's Prayer)'', medium voice and ensemble
*''Pueblo Mulato'', high voice and ensemble
*''Reflections,'' soprano and mixed ensemble (text from poems by Rita Dove)
*''Rezos'', mixed choir (text from Jamaica Kincaid)
*''Singin' Sepia'', medium voice and ensemble (text from poems by Rita Dove)
*''Sol de Doce'', vocal ensemble (6 to 12 singers),
*''To and Fro,'' medium voice
Solo piano
*''2 Preludes (1966)''
*''Momentum (1984)''
*''Rituál (1987)''
*''Mística (2003)''
*''Variation (2004?)''
*''La Tina (2004?)''
Concert Band
*''Alegre (2003)''
Opera
*''Scourge of Hyacinths''
Films
*1993 – ''The Sensual Nature of Sound: 4 Composers – Laurie Anderson, Tania León, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros''. Directed by
Michael Blackwood.
References
External links
Tania LeónPeermusic Classical: Tania Leon
Composer's Publisher and Bio
DiscographyBrooklyn College Conservatory of Music
at AfriClassical.com
Interviews
*
*
*
*The unplanned, unstoppable career of composer Tania León. Interviewed by Tom Huizenga, December 2, 2022.