Marc Mellits (born 1966) is an American

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 ...

and musician. Mellits was born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. He studied at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

from 1984 to 1988, at the

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

School of Music from 1989 to 1991, at

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

from 1991 to 1996, and at

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue and Music festival, festival in the towns of Lenox, Massachusetts, Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony ...

in the summer of 1997. His composition instructors include

Joseph Schwantner Joseph Clyde Schwantner (born March 22, 1943) is an American composer, educator and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters since 2002. He was awarded the 1970 Charles Ives Prize. Schwantner is prolific, with many works to his cred ...

, Samuel Adler,

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, Christopher Rouse, Roberto Sierra,

Jacob Druckman Jacob Raphael Druckman (June 26, 1928 – May 24, 1996) was an American composer born in Philadelphia. Life A graduate of the Juilliard School in 1956, Druckman studied with Vincent Persichetti, Peter Mennin, and Bernard Wagenaar. In 1949 an ...

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, and

Steven Stucky Steven Edward Stucky (November 7, 1949 − February 14, 2016) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer. Life and career Steven Stucky was born in Hutchinson, Kansas. At age 9, he moved with his family to Abilene, Texas, where, as a teenager ...

. Mellits's music has been performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. His music is influenced by

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

and

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

, and has been identified with the

postminimalist Postminimalism is an art term coined (as post-minimalism) by Robert Pincus-Witten in 1971Chilvers, Ian and Glaves-Smith, John, ''A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art'', second edition (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. ...

stylistic trend. He often composes for electric guitar and other amplified instruments. Mellits received a 2004

Foundation for Contemporary Arts The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City that offers financial support and recognition to contemporary performing and visual artists through awards for artistic innovation and potential. It was ...

Grants to Artists Award. Mellits's commissions include pieces for the

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (founded in 1972) is a classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. They have won several Grammy Awards, and are known for their collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a conductor, i ...

, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Assad Duo,

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical musi ...

, and the Meridian Arts Ensemble. His music has also been arranged by

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

Dominic Frasca and the

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

group

Electric Kompany Kevin R. Gallagher is a guitarist who plays both the electric guitar and the classical guitar. As a classical guitarist, he has received top honors at some of the most prestigious guitar competitions in the world, including the 1993 Guitar Foundatio ...

. Mellits is a founding member of Common Sense Composers' Collective, which focuses on new and alternative ways of collaborating with performance ensembles. Mellits is the artistic director and keyboard player in his ensemble, the Mellits Consort. As of 2011, Marc Mellits lives in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

with his wife and two daughters, and teaches composition at the University of Illinois-Chicago. University of Illinois-Chicago
"Department of Theatre and Music - Marc Mellits"
Retrieved on June 2, 2013.

Works

Orchestral

* ''Piano Concerto'' (1984) * ''Fanfare'' (1990) * ''O'' (1991) * ''Aro'' (1993), for chamber orchestra * ''Concerto for Piccolo & Orchestra'' (1995) * ''Fruit Loops'' (1997), for amplified chamber orchestra * ''Phase, Inc.'' (1999), for amplified chamber orchestra * ''Brick'' (2005) * ''3 Machines'' (2007) * ''Concerto for String Quartet & String Orchestra: Tapas'' (2011) * ''Paranoid Cheese'' (2011), for solo violin and string orchestra

Band

* ''Zoot Suit Riot'' (1998) * ''Haiku'' (2003), for band orchestra and chorus * ''Season's Songs'' (2003), for band and chorus * ''Quad'' (2009)

Chamber

* ''Piano Quartet'' (1985) * ''Duo for Alto Flute & Cello'' (1986) * ''String Quartet No. 1'' (1986) * ''Whales Save Us'' (1988), for clarinet and trombone * ''Insect Heads'' (1988), for soprano and cello * ''Dark Age Machinery'' (1988), for large chamber ensemble * ''Hooley Fooley'' (1989), for violin and cello * ''Music for 22 Strings'' (1989) * ''Bucket'' (1991), for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano * ''Aggravated Assault'' (1991), for two amplified pianos * ''11 Pieces Flute & Piano'' (1992) * ''Trio'' (1993), for flute, clarinet, and cello * ''Polysorbate 60'' (1994), for flute, clarinet, oboe, trumpet, trombone, tuba, piano, violin, bass, and percussion * ''Merge Left'' (1994), for two flutes (or violins) and cello * ''Spam'' (1995), for flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, and piano * ''11 Miniatures'' (1996), for baroque flute, baroque oboe, baroque violin, viola d'gamba, baroque cello, and harpsichord * ''Large Man Looms'' (1996), for voice and piano * ''Spank Me'' (1997), for two synthesizers * ''Fruity Pebbles'' (1997), for piano trio * ''Spin'' (1998), for violin and piano * ''Troica'' (1998), for flute (or violin), guitar (or electric guitar or piano), and marimba (or piano) * ''Edible Vinyl'' (1998), for two amplified guitars and amplified violin * ''8 Etudes for 2 Guitars'' (1999) * ''5 Machines'' (2000), for amplified bass clarinet/soprano saxophone, electric guitar, amplified cello, amplified bass, amplified marimba, and amplified piano * ''2 Pieces for Flute & Guitar'' (2000) * ''Paranoid Cheese'' (2001), for violin and two marimbas * ''Canonada'' (2001), for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and drum set * ''Paranoid Cheese Project'' (2001), twelve pieces for amplified violin, amplified cello, amplified marimba, electric guitar, and synthesizer ** ''Broken Glass'' ** ''Dreadlocked'' ** ''Lefty's Elegy'' ** ''Machine III'' ** ''Machine IV'' ** ''Machine V'' ** ''Mara's Lullaby'' (arranged for various other instruments) ** ''Zrenden Rodejan, Marija!'' ** ''The Misadventures of Soup'' ** ''Opening'' ** ''paranoid cheese'' ** ''Troica'' * ''Groove Canon'' (2002), for brass quintet and percussion quintet * ''M/W'' (2002), for piano four hands, cello, and three actors * ''Disciples of Gouda'' (2003), for piano, cello, marimba, and percussion * ''Platter of Discontent'' (2004), for flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, marimba, piano * ''String Quartet No. 2: Revolution'' (2004) * ''Tight Sweater'' (2005), for cello, marimba, and piano * ''Gonzalo Speaks'' (2005), for baritone voice, flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, marimba, and piano * ''5 Quiet Machines'' (2006), for cello, piano, and marimba * ''Farfalle Cotte'' (2006), for two ocarinas (or two same treble instruments) * ''240 Weeks'' (2007), for two flutes, two clarinets/bass clarinets, violin, cello, piano, and two percussion * ''Desperate Miniature Humans'' (2007), for oboe and piano * ''No Strings Attached'' (2007), for auchincloss piano (mallet quartet arrangement published in 2021) * ''Nina's Lullaby'' (2007), for flute, clarinet, and bassoon * ''Tapas'' (2007), for violin, viola, and cello (arranged for various other instruments) * ''Shredded Paranoid Cheese'' (2007), for violin, cello, marimba, and vibraphone * ''Prime'' (2008), for bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, two percussion, and piano * ''Black'' (2008), for two bass clarinets (arranged for various other instruments) * ''Red'' (2008), for two marimbas * ''Tom'' (2008), for violin and cello, or two guitars * ''Postcards of Dreadlock'' (2009), for piano four hands * ''Tight Sweater Remix'' (2009), for marimba and piano * ''Smoke'' (2009), for saxophone, guitar, marimba, and drum set * ''Octet'' (2010), for string octet or saxophone octet * ''Radu'' (2010), for cello quartet or solo cello and bass clarinet with three cellos and one bass clarinet * ''Electric Sheep'' (2011), for piano and LEMURBots * ''String Quartet No. 4: Prometheus'' (2011), (clarinet octet arrangement published in 2019) * ''Zombie In A Penguin Suit'' (2012), for cello, piano, and marimba

Solo

* ''Intervals'' (1985), for solo cello * ''10 Colors for Piano'' (1987) * ''Road Trip'' (1987), for solo organ * ''Blue'' (1996), for solo electro-acoustic guitar * ''5 Chanukah Etudes for the Frascas'' (1996), for solo electro-acoustic guitar * ''Jaana'' (1997), for solo amplified violin * ''Parking Violation'' (1999), for solo oboe * ''Agu'' (2004), for solo piano * ''Zubrowka'' (2006), for solo violin * ''Robotic Etudes'' (2007), for LEMUR GuitarBot * ''Stick'' (2010), for solo snare drum * ''Book of Ruth'' (2010), for solo cello or solo viola * ''Frost'' (2011), for solo tenor saxophone

Discography

* 1997 Common Sense Composers' Collective: ''Polysorbate 60'' * 2002 Shock of the Old, Common Sense Composers' Collective & American Baroque: ''11 Miiniatures for Baroque Ensemble'' * 2005 Deviations, Dominic Frasca: ''Dometude, Lefty's Elegy, Metaclopramide, Dark Age Machinery'' * 2006 String Quartet No. 2, Duke Quartet: ''String Quartet No. 2'' * 2006 Tight Sweater, Real Quiet plays the music of Marc Mellits: ''Tight Sweater, Agu, Fruity Pebbles, Disciples of Gouda'' * 2007 Dirty Little Secret, Andrew Russo: ''Etude No. 1: Medieval Induction'' * 2007 TIC, Common Sense Composers' Collective & New Millennium Ensemble: ''Spam'' * 2007 Paranoid Cheese, The Mellits Consort: ''Opening, Broken Glass, paranoid cheese, The Misadventures of Soup, Lefty's Elegy, Machine IV, Srećan Rođendan, Marija!, Troica, Dreadlocked, Machine III, Machine V'' * 2008 Melville's Dozen, Nicola Melville: ''Etude No. 2: Defensive Chili'' * 2008 Mix Tape, Andrew Russo: ''Spank Me (Menage a Deux), Curried Kaftka (No Strings Attached)'' * 2009 Serendipity, Society for New Music: ''Platter of Discontent'' * 2009 American Journey, Roger McVey: ''Agu'' * 2010 Convergence, Strike: ''Tight Sweater Remix'' * 2010 Black, Sqwonk: ''Black'' * 2017 Quatuor Debussy:
Marc Mellits, String Quartets n° 3, 4, 5.
'

References

* Dickenson, J. Andrew
"Electric Counterpoint"
''Urban Guitar'', July 2006

External links

Marc Mellits' homepageMarc Mellits Audio Portrait
ASCAP {{DEFAULTSORT:Mellits, Marc Cornell University alumni Living people 1966 births Musicians from Baltimore American male classical composers 20th-century American classical composers Pupils of Jacob Druckman Pupils of Samuel Adler (composer) Pupils of Joseph Schwantner 20th-century American male musicians