Joan Tower (born September 6, 1938)http://www.schirmer.com/default.aspx?TabId=2419&State_2872=2&ComposerId_2872=1605 Biography on Schirmer is a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

-winning

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

, concert pianist and conductor. Lauded by ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' as "one of the most successful woman composers of all time", her bold and energetic compositions have been performed in concert halls around the world. After gaining recognition for her first orchestral composition, '' Sequoia'' (1981), a

tone poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ''T ...

which

structurally A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

depicts a giant tree from trunk to needles, she has gone on to compose a variety of instrumental works including '' Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman'', which is something of a response to

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

's ''

Fanfare for the Common Man ''Fanfare for the Common Man'' is a musical work by the American composer Aaron Copland. It was written in 1942 for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under conductor Eugene Goossens and was inspired in part by a speech made earlier that year ...

'', the '' Island Prelude'', five

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinist ...

s, and an assortment of other tone poems. Tower was pianist and founding member of the

Naumburg Award The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation sponsors competitions and provides awards for young classical musicians in North America. Founded in 1925, it operates the prestigious Naumburg Competition. Foundation and concerts It was founded in 1925 by Walt ...

-winning

Da Capo Chamber Players The Da Capo Chamber Players are an American contemporary music " Pierrot ensemble," founded in 1970. Winners of the Naumburg Award in 1973, its founding members included composer/pianist Joan Tower, violinist Joel Lester (former dean of Mannes C ...

, which commissioned and premiered many of her early works, including her widely performed '' Petroushskates''.

Life and career

Born in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state o ...

, in 1938, Tower moved to

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when she was nine years old, an experience which she credits for making rhythm an integral part of her work. For the next decade Tower's talent in music, particularly on the piano, grew rapidly due to her father's insistence that she benefit from consistent musical training. Tower's relationship with her mineralogist father is visible in many aspects of her work, most specifically her "mineral works" including ''Black Topaz'' (1976) and '' Silver Ladders'' (1986). She returned to the United States as a young woman to study music, first at

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

and then at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

where she studied under Otto Luening, Jack Beeson, and

Vladimir Ussachevsky Vladimir Alexeevich Ussachevsky (November 3, 1911 in Hailar, China – January 2, 1990 in New York, New York) was a composer, particularly known for his work in electronic music. Biography Vladimir Ussachevsky was born in the Hailar District ...

and was awarded her doctorate in composition in 1968. In 1969 Tower, along with violinist Joel Lester and flautist Patricia Spencer, founded the New York-based

where she served as the group's pianist. Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s Tower wrote a number of successful works for the Da Capo Players, including ''Platinum Spirals'' (1976), ''Amazon I'' (1977) and ''Wings'' (1981). Though the group won several awards in its early years, including the Naumburg Award in 1973, Tower left the group in 1984, buoyed by the immediate success of her first orchestral composition, '' Sequoia'' (1981). In 1972 Tower accepted a faculty position at

Bard College Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 1860, ...

in composition, a post she continues to hold today. Tower received a

Guggenheim fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the art ...

in 1976. In 1985, a year after leaving the Da Capo Players, Tower accepted a position at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra where she was a composer-in-residence until 1988. Tower became the first woman recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Music in 1990 for her composition ''Silver Ladders''. In 1993, under commission from the Milwaukee Ballet, Tower composed ''Stepping Stones'', a selection from which she would go on to conduct at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. Other compositions from the 1990s include the third ''Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman'', several piano concertos (notably 1996's ''Rapids (Piano Concerto no. 2)'' and '' Tambor'' (1998) written for the

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an Ameri ...

. In 1999 Tower accepted a position as composer-in-residence with the Orchestra of St. Luke's and in 1998 she won the Delaware Symphony's prestigious Alfred I. DuPont Award for Distinguished American Composer. In 2002 Tower won the Annual Composer's Award from the Lancaster Symphony. During the 2003–2004 season two new works were debuted, ''DNA,'' a percussion quintet commissioned for Frank Epstein, and ''Incandescent''. In 2004 the Nashville Symphony's recording of ''Tambor'', '' Made in America'', and her Concerto for Orchestra earned a Grammy nomination. In 2004 Carnegie Hall's "Making Music" series featured a retrospective of Tower's body of work, performed by artists including the

Tokyo String Quartet The was an international string quartet that operated from 1969 to 2013. The group formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music. The founding members attended the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, where they studied with Professor Hideo ...

and pianists Melvin Chen and Ursula Oppens. In 2005 Tower became the first composer commissioned for the "Ford Made in America" program, the only project of its kind to involve smaller-budget orchestras as commissioning agents of new work by major composers, in which her 15-minute ''Made in America'' was performed in every state of the union during the 2005–2007 season. In 2008, Tower's ''Made in America'' and the recording of it by the

Nashville Symphony The Nashville Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in Nashville, Tennessee. The orchestra is resident at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. History In 1920, prior to the 1946 founding of the Nashville Symphony, a group of amateur an ...

conducted by

Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...

won three Grammy Awards: in the categories Best Orchestral Performance, Best Classical Album and Best Classical Contemporary Composition. She is currently the Asher B. Edelman Professor of Music at

in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, as well as a member of 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 ...

. She also serves on the Artistic Advisory panel of the BMI Foundation.

Work

Tower's early music reflects the influence of her mentors at

and is rooted in the serialist tradition, whose sparse texture complemented her interest in chamber music. As she developed as a composer Tower began to gravitate towards the work of Olivier Messiaen and George Crumb and broke away from the strict serialist model. Her work became more colorful and has often been described as impressionistic. She often composes with specific ensembles or soloists in mind, and aims to exploit the strengths of these performers in her composition. Among her most notable work is the six-part ''Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman'', each dedicated to 'women who are adventurous and take risks'. Inspired by Aaron Copland's ''Fanfare for the Common Man'', four of the six parts are scored for 3 trumpets, 4 horns, 3 trombones, tuba and percussion. The first was debuted in 1987 and conducted by Hans Vonk. For the second, which premiered in 1989, Tower added one percussion while the third, debuted in 1991 was scored for a double brass quintet. The fourth and sixth are scored for full orchestra. The fifth part was commissioned for the Aspen Music Festival in 1993 and was written specifically for Joan W. Harris. The first five parts were added to the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservati ...

in 2014.

Works list

Ballet

*''Stepping Stones'' (1993), commissioned by the Milwaukee Ballet **Choreographed by Kathryn Posin

Orchestral

*'' Sequoia'' (1981) **commissioned by the

Jerome Foundation James Jerome Hill II (March 2, 1905 – November 21, 1972) was an American filmmaker and artist known for his award-winning documentary and experimental films. Career Hill was the child of railroad executive Louis W. Hill. He was educated at Y ...

for the American Composers Orchestra, who gave the work's première with

Dennis Russell Davies Dennis Russell Davies (born April 16, 1944 in Toledo, Ohio) is an American conductor and pianist, He is currently the music director and chief conductor of the Brno Philharmonic. Biography Davies studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard Sch ...

conducting in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

*Music for Cello and Orchestra (1984) **written for André Emelianoff *''Island Rhythms'' (1985) **commissioned by the Florida Orchestra (with a grant from the Lincoln Properties Company), who gave the work's première under

Irwin Hoffman Irwin Hoffman (November 26, 1924 – March 19, 2018) was an American conductor active in North America and Latin America. Hoffman studied at the Juilliard School and was a protégé of Serge Koussevitsky, and he made his conducting debut at the ...

on 29 June 1985. * Concerto for Piano (''Homage to Beethoven'') (1985), for piano and orchestra **co-commissioned by the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, the

Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is a full-time professional chamber orchestra based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In collaboration with five Artistic Partners, the orchestra's musicians present more than 130 concerts and educational programs ea ...

and the

Philharmonia Virtuosi The Philharmonia Virtuosi is a chamber orchestra that first performed in 1974. It was founded by Richard Kapp Richard Kapp (October 9, 1936 – June 4, 2006) was an American conductor. Richard Kapp was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was a child pi ...

, with a grant from 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 ...

. *'' Silver Ladders'' (1986) **commissioned by the Saint Louis Symphony, and dedicated to Leonard Slatkin, who conducted the première. The work was a prize winner in the 1988

Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards The Kennedy Center Friedheim Award was an annual award given for instrumental music composition by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1978 and ended in 1995. The award was given only to Am ...

, and in 1990 won the prestigious

Grawemeyer Award The Grawemeyer Awards () are five awards given annually by the University of Louisville. The prizes are presented to individuals in the fields of education, ideas improving world order, music composition, religion, and psychology. The religion awa ...

. *

Clarinet Concerto A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet; that is, a musical composition for solo clarinet together with a large ensemble (such as an orchestra or concert band). Albert Rice has identified a work by Giuseppe Antonio Paganelli as possibly th ...

(1988), for clarinet and orchestra **commissioned by the

Naumburg Foundation The Walter W. Naumburg Foundation sponsors competitions and provides awards for young classical musicians in North America. Founded in 1925, it operates the prestigious Naumburg Competition. Foundation and concerts It was founded in 1925 by Wal ...

for clarinettist

Charles Neidich Charles Neidich (born 1953 in New York City) is an American classical clarinetist, composer, and conductor. Early career A native New Yorker of Russian and Greek descent, Charles Neidich began his clarinet studies with his father, Irving Neidich ...

, who gave the work's première with the American Symphony Orchestra under

Jorge Mester Jorge Mester (born April 10, 1935, Mexico City) is a Mexican conductor of Hungarian ancestry. He has served as the artistic director for the Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río, Veracruz, since it was founded in 2014. Biography He studied cond ...

in 1988 *

Flute Concerto A flute concerto is a concerto for solo flute and instrumental ensemble, customarily the orchestra. Such works have been written from the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up through the present day. Some major compose ...

(1989), for flute and orchestra **written for Carol Wincenc, who gave the work's première. *'' Island Prelude'' (1989), for oboe and string orchestra **written for oboist Peter Bowman, who premièred the work with the Saint Louis Symphony under Leonard Slatkin on 4 May 1989. * Concerto for Orchestra (1991) **co-commissioned by the Chicago Symphony,"Women of Historic Note"
. ''Washington Post'', By Gayle Worl March 9, 1997 the Saint Louis Symphony 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 ...

. *'' Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman'' (1987–1992) **commissioned by

Absolut Vodka Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, in southern Sweden. Absolut is a part of the French group Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard bought Absolut for €5.63 billion in 2008 from the Swedish state. Absolut is one of the largest brands ...

for the

Houston Symphony The Houston Symphony is an American orchestra based in Houston, Texas. The orchestra is resident at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. History The first concert of what was to become the Houston Symphony took place on June 21, ...

, the

, the Orchestra of St. Luke's and the Kansas City Symphony. The world première was given by the

with Hans Vonk conducting. *

Violin Concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble (customarily orchestra). Such works have been written since the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up thro ...

(1992), for violin and orchestra **commissioned by the Snowbird Institute and the Barlow Endowment *''Stepping Stones'' (1993) **commissioned by the Milwaukee Ballet *''Duets'' (1994), for chamber orchestra **written for the

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) is an American chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. LACO presents its Orchestral Series concerts at two venues, the Alex Theatre in Glendale and UCLA's Royce Hall. History James Arkatov, a ...

*''Paganini Trills'' (1996) **premièred in

Powell Symphony Hall Powell Hall (formerly known as the St. Louis Theater and Powell Symphony Hall) is the home of the St. Louis Symphony. It was named after Walter S. Powell, a local St. Louis businessman, whose widow donated $1 million towards the purchase and us ...

, Saint Louis on 19 May 1996. *''Rapids (Piano Concerto No. 2)'' (1996), for piano and orchestra **commissioned by the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

for pianist Ursula Oppens *'' Tambor'' (1998) **commissioned by

Mariss Jansons Mariss Ivars Georgs Jansons (14 January 1943 – 1 December 2019) was a Latvian conductor best known for his interpretations of Mahler, Strauss and Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich. During his lifetime he w ...

and the Pittsburgh Symphony, who gave the work's première on 7 May 1998. *''The Last Dance'' (2000) **written for the Orchestra of St. Luke's, who premièred the work under

Alan Gilbert (conductor) Alan Gilbert (born February 23, 1967) is an American conductor and violinist. He is principal conductor of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra and music director of Royal Swedish Opera. He was music director of the New York Philharmonic from 20 ...

at Carnegie Hall, New York City on 24 February 2000. *''Fascinating Ribbons'' (2001), for concert band **commissioned by the College Band Directors National Association and was given its première at the CBDNA Conference in 2001. *'' Strike Zones'' (2001), concerto for percussion and orchestra **written for

Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The in ...

and the National Symphony Orchestra, who gave the work's première under

at the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

in October 2001. *''In Memory'' (2002), for string orchestra **transcription of a string quartet Tower wrote for the Cavani String Quartet *'' Made in America'' (2004), for chamber orchestra **commissioned by Ford Made in America in partnership with the

League of American Orchestras The League of American Orchestras, formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League, is a North American service organization with 700 member orchestras of all budget sizes and types, plus individual and institutional members. Based in New York Ci ...

and Meet the Composer, for a consortium of over 60 amateur orchestras across the United States. The world première was given by the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra in October 2005. *'' Purple Rhapsody'' (2005), concerto for viola and chamber orchestra **co-commissioned by the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, the

Buffalo Philharmonic The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York led by Music Director JoAnn Faletta. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Each season it ...

, the Virginia Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra ( Columbus), the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra (

Door County, Wisconsin Door County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,066. Its county seat is Sturgeon Bay. It is named after the strait between the Door Peninsula and Washington Island. The dangero ...

), and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, with a grant from the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

. The work was premièred by the

violist ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

Paul Neubauer Paul Neubauer (born in Encino, California, in 1962) is an American violist. Neubauer was a student of Paul Doktor, Alan de Veritch and William Primrose. In August 1980, aged 17, he won the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and Worksh ...

(to whom the work is dedicated) and the Omaha Symphony Orchestra in 2005. *'' Chamber Dance'' (2006), for chamber orchestra **written for the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, who premièred the work at Carnegie Hall on May 6, 2006. *'' Stroke'' (2010) **commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony, who premièred the work under

Manfred Honeck Manfred Honeck (born 17 September 1958, in Nenzing) is an Austrian conductor. He is currently the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Early life Honeck was born in Nenzing, Austria, near the border with Switzerland and Liechten ...

on 13 May 2011 at

Heinz Hall Heinz Hall is a performing arts center and concert hall located at 600 Penn Avenue in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, the 2,676 sea ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. *''Red Maple'' (2013), for bassoon and string orchestra **premiered by Peter Kolkay, bassoon, with the

South Carolina Philharmonic The South Carolina Philharmonic is an orchestra based in Columbia, South Carolina, USA. Performances are held at the Koger Center for the Arts in Columbia. The current concertmaster is Mary Lee Taylor Kinosian. The orchestra was founded in 1963 ...

under Morihiko Nakahara on 4 October 2013.

Chamber

*''Breakfast Rhythms I. and II.'' (1974), for clarinet solo, flute, percussion, violin, cello and piano *''Black Topaz'' (1976), for flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano and two percussion *''Amazon I.'' (1977), for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano *'' Petroushskates'' (1980), for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano *''Noon Dance'' (1982), for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and cello *''Fantasy... Harbour Lights'' (1983), for clarinet and piano *''Snow Dreams'' (1983), for flute and guitar *''Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman'' (1986), for eleven brass and three percussion *''Island Prelude'' (1989), for oboe solo and string quartet/quintet ''or'' wind quintet *''Second Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman'' (1989), for eleven brass and three percussion *''Third Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman'' (1991), for brass dectet *''Celebration Fanfare'' (1993), for eleven brass and three percussion *''Elegy'' (1993), for trombone solo and string quartet *''Fifth Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman'' (1993), for four trumpets *''Night Fields (String Quartet No. 1)'' (1994), for string quartet *''Très lent (Hommage à Messiaen)'' (1994), for cello and piano *''Turning Points'' (1995), for clarinet and string quartet *''And...they're off'' (1997), for piano trio *''Rain Waves'' (1997), for violin, clarinet and piano *''Toccanta'' (1997), for oboe and harpsichord *''Big Sky'' (2000), for piano trio *''In Memory (String Quartet No. 2'' (2002), for string quartet *''Incandescent (String Quartet No. 3)'' (2003), for string quartet *''For Daniel'' (2004), for piano trio *''DNA'' (2005), for percussion quintet *''A Little Gift'' (2006), for flute and clarinet *''Copperwave'' (2006), for brass quintet *''A Gift'' (2007), for flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn and piano *''Trio Cavany'' (2007), for piano trio *''Angels (String Quartet No. 4)'' (2008), for string quartet *''Dumbarton Quintet'' (2008), for piano quintet *''Rising'' (2009), for flute and string quartet *''White Granite'' (2010), for piano quartet **17-minute work, co-commissioned by the St Timothy's Summer Music Festival,

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

, the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, and the LaJolla Music Society for

SummerFest Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's central business district. Summerfest attracts app ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Premièred in Georgetown Lake,

on 11 July 2010. *''White Water (String Quartet No. 5)'' (2011), for string quartet, commissioned for th
Daedalus Quartet
by Chamber Music Monterey Bay.

Vocal

*''Can I'' (2007), for S.S.A.A. choir and percussionist **written for the

Young People's Chorus of New York City Young People's Chorus of New York City is an internationally acclaimed children's chorus based in New York City. The Young People's Chorus (YPC) provides children of all ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds with a unique program of music e ...

, who premièred the work under Francisco J. Nuñez at the Miller Theater, New York City on 27 April 2008.

Solo

*''Circles'' (1964), for piano *''Fantasia'' (1966), for piano *''Platinum Spirals'' (1976), for violin *''Red Garnet Waltz'' (1977), for piano *''Wings'' (1981), for clarinet ''or'' alto saxophone *''Clocks'' (1985), for guitar *''Or like a...an engine'' (1994), for piano *''Ascent'' (1996), for organ *''Holding a Daisy'' (1996), for piano *''Valentine Trills'' (1996), for flute *''Wild Purple'' (1998), for viola *''Vast Antique Cubes/Throbbing Still'' (2000), for piano *''Simply Purple'' (2008), for viola *''Ivory and Ebony'' (2009), for piano *''For Marianne'' (2010), for flute *''String Force'' (2010), for violin *''Steps'' (2011), for piano *''Purple Rush '' (2016), for viola

Interviews

Joan Tower interviewed by Michael Schell
July 22, 2021 on Radio Eclectus, KHUH-LP
At 80, Joan Tower Says Great Music Comes ‘in the Risks’
''New York Times'', November 9th 2018, by William Robin

by Bruce Duffie, April, 1987 *Private Interview with Joan Tower, February 23, 1988, Saint Louis, MO, in "An Analysis of Joan Tower's Wings for Solo Clarinet", August 1992, by Nancy E. Leckie Bonds *Private Interview with Joan Tower, May 21, 1988, Saint Louis, MO, in "An Analysis of Joan Tower's Wings for Solo Clarinet", August 1992, by Nancy E. Leckie Bonds, *

published in ''New Music Connoisseur'' Magazine, Spring, 2001.

Discography

''Big Sky: Chamber Music of American Women Composers''
White Pine WPM202
''Cantos Desiertos / BEASER / TOWER / LIEBERMANN''
Naxos – Catalogue No:8.559146
''Chamber and Solo Music''
Naxos – Catalogue No:8.559215 Chamber Music, Instrumental
''Silver Ladders / Island Prelude / Sequoia''
Naxos – Catalogue No:FECD-0025
''TOWER: Made in America / Tambor / Concerto for Orchestra''
Naxos – Catalogue No: 8.559328
''WORLD PREMIERE COLLECTION''
Naxos- Catalogue No: FECD-0032

References

External links

NewMusicBox cover: Joan Tower in conversation with Frank J. Oteri, September 15, 2005 (includes video)
!--duplicate-->

Listening

Art of the States: Joan Tower
''Petroushskates'' (1980) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tower, Joan 1938 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers American women classical composers American classical composers Bard College faculty Grammy Award winners Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Musicians from New Rochelle, New York Pupils of Darius Milhaud 21st-century American composers 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American composers 21st-century American women musicians 20th-century women composers 21st-century women composers Classical musicians from New York (state)