Steven Edward Stucky (November 7, 1949 − February 14, 2016) was a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

-winning American composer. Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Life and career

Steven Stucky was born in

Hutchinson, Kansas Hutchinson is the largest city in and the county seat of Reno County, Kansas, Reno County, Kansas, United States. The city is located on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887 (thus its nickname of "Salt City") but locals ...

. At age 9, he moved with his family to

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

, where, as a teenager, he studied music in the public schools and, privately, viola with Herbert Preston, conducting with Leo Scheer, and composition with Macon Sumerlin. At

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

, he studied composition with Richard Willis, and conducting with Daniel Sternberg. He studied composition with

Karel Husa Karel Husa (August 7, 1921 – December 14, 2016) was a Czech-born classical composer and conductor, winner of the 1969 Pulitzer Prize for Music and 1993 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. In 1954, he emigrated to ...

at Cornell. Stucky wrote commissioned works for many of the major American orchestras, including

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 ...

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Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, New York,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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, St. Louis, and St. Paul. Steven Stucky was long associated with the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

, where he was resident composer 1988–2009 (the longest such affiliation in American orchestral history); he was host of the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

's Hear & Now series 2005–09; and he was Pittsburgh Symphony Composer of the Year for the 2011–12 season. For Pittsburgh, he composed ''

Silent Spring ''Silent Spring'' is an environmental science book by Rachel Carson. Published on September 27, 1962, the book documented the environmental harm caused by the indiscriminate use of DDT, a pesticide used by soldiers during World War II. Carson acc ...

'', in honor of the 50th anniversary of

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservation movement, conservationist whose sea trilogy (1941–1955) and book ''Silent Spring'' (1962) are credited with advancing mari ...

's epochal book of the same title. He teamed with the celebrated pianist and author Jeremy Denk to create his first opera, '' The Classical Style'' (based on the celebrated book by Charles Rosen), which premiered in June 2014 at the Ojai Music Festival. Other noteworthy compositions by Stucky include the symphonic poem '' Radical Light'' (2007), '' Rhapsodies for Orchestra'' (2008), the oratorio '' August 4, 1964'' (2008), a

Symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

(2012), and his Second Concerto for Orchestra (2003), which won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Stucky was an expert on the Polish composer

Witold Lutosławski Witold Roman Lutosławski (; 25 January 1913 – 7 February 1994) was a Polish composer and conductor. Among the major composers of 20th-century classical music, he is "generally regarded as the most significant Polish composer since Szymanow ...

and authored the 1981 study ''Lutoslawski and His Music''. He also was curator of the Philharmonia Orchestra's 2013 centenary celebration of that composer
''Woven Words: Music Begins Where Words End''
Stucky was the Given Foundation Professor of Composition 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 ...

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

There he founded Ensemble X and led it for nine seasons, from 1997 until 2006, while at the same time he also was the guiding force behind the celebrated Green Umbrella series in Los Angeles. He has also taught at Eastman and Berkeley, the latter as Ernest Bloch Professor in 2003. After several earlier teaching and conducting visits, in 2013 he became artist-faculty composer-in-residence at

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...

. In 2014 he became Professor Emeritus at Cornell and joined the composition faculty at

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...

. Among the composers who studied with Stucky are Joseph Phibbs, Marc Mellits, Robert Paterson, David Conte, Thomas C. Duffy, Yotam Haber, James Matheson, Steven Burke, Xi Wang, Spencer Topel, Diego Vega, Fang Man, Anna Weesner, Hannah Lash, Andrew Waggoner, Stephen Andrew Taylor, Sean Shepherd, Chris Arrell, Chris Gendall and Jesse Jones. Steven Stucky taught master classes and served residencies around the world, including

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, the

Cleveland Institute of Music The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. The school was founded in 1920 by a group of supporters led by Martha Bell Sanders and Mary Hutchens Smith, with Ernest Bloch serving as its first dire ...

, the Curtis Institute of Music,

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a Private college, private liberal arts college and Music school, conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second colle ...

, the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, the Tanglewood Music Center, and many others. Stucky died of brain cancer at his home in

on February 14, 2016.

Compositions

Orchestral

*''Kenningar'' (Symphony No. 4) (1977–78) *''Transparent Things: In Memoriam V.N.'' (1980) *Double Concerto (1982–85, rev. 1989), for violin, oboe/ oboe d'amore & chamber orchestra *''Voyages'' (1983–84), for cello & orchestral winds *'' Dreamwaltzes'' (1986) * Concerto for Orchestra No. 1 (1986–87) *'' Son et Lumière'' (1988) *''Threnos'' (1988), for wind ensemble *''Angelus'' (1989–90) *''Anniversary Greeting'' (1991) *''Impromptus'' (1991) *''Funeral Music for Queen Mary (after Purcell)'' (1992), for orchestral winds *''To Whom I Said Farewell'' (1992, rev. 2003), for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra *''Fanfare for Los Angeles'' (1993) *''Ancora'' (1994) *''Fanfares and Arias'' (1994), for wind ensemble *''Fanfare for Cincinnati'' (1994) * Concerto for Two Flutes and Orchestra (1994) *'' Pinturas de Tamayo'' (1995) *''Music for Saxophones and Strings'' (1996) *'' Concerto Mediterraneo'' (1998), for guitar & orchestra *''Escondido Fanfare'' (1998) *''American Muse'' (1999), for baritone & orchestra *Concerto for Percussion and Wind Orchestra (2001) *''Colburn Variations'' (2002), for string orchestra *''Etudes'' (2002),

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

for recorder & chamber orchestra *'' Spirit Voices'' (2002–03),

for percussion & orchestra * Second Concerto for Orchestra (2003) *'' Jeu de timbres'' (2003) *''Hue and Cry'' (2006), for wind ensemble *'' Radical Light'' (2006–07) *'' Rhapsodies for Orchestra'' (2008) *Chamber Concerto (2009) *''

'' (2011) *

(2012)

Opera

*'' The Classical Style: An Opera (of Sorts)'' (2013–14), libretto by Jeremy Denk, after the book by Charles Rosen

Choral

*''Spring and Fall: To a Young Child'' (1972), for a cappella SATB choir *''Drop, drop, slow tears'' (1979), for a cappella SSAATTBB choir *''Cradle Songs'' (1997), for a cappella SATB choir *''To Musick'' (2000), for a cappella men's choir *''Skylarks'' (2001), for a cappella S.A. & SATB choir *''Whispers'' (2002), for a cappella SATB soli & SATTBB choir *''Three New Motets'' (2005), for a cappella double SATB choir ''(O admirabile commercium, O sacrum convivium, O vos omnes)'' *''Eyesight'' (2007), for a cappella SATB choir *'' August 4, 1964'' (2007–08), for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor & baritone soli, SATB choir & orchestra *''The Kingdom of God (In No Strange Land)'' (2008), for a cappella SATB choir *''Gravity’s Dream'' (2009), for a cappella SATB choir *''Say Thou Dost Love Me'' (2012) for a cappella SATB choir *''Take Him, Earth'' (2012) for SATB choir with chamber orchestra *''Winter Stars'' (2014) for a cappella SATB choir *''The Music of Light'' (2015) for double a cappella SATB choir

Chamber

*''Duo'' (1969), for viola & cello *''Movements'' (1970), for four celli *Quartet (1972–73), for clarinet, viola, cello & piano *''Movements III.: Seven Sketches'' (1976), for flute & clarinet *''Refrains'' (1976), for five percussion *''Notturno'' (1981), for alto saxophone & piano *''Varianti'' (1982), for flute, clarinet & piano *''Boston Fancies'' (1985), for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola & cello *Serenade (1990), for wind quintet *''Birthday Fanfare'' (1993), for three trumpets *''Salute'' (1997), for flute, clarinet, horn, trombone, percussion, piano, violin & cello *''Ad Parnassum'' (1998), for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin & cello *''Ai due amici'' (1998), for chamber ensemble *''Tres Pinturas'' (1998), for violin & piano *''Nell'ombra, nella luce'' (1999–2000), for string quartet *''Partita-Pastorale after J.S.B.'' (2000), for clarinet, piano & string quartet *''Tamayo Nocturne'' (2001), for chamber ensemble *''Sonate en forme de préludes'' (2003–04), for oboe, horn & harpsichord *''Meditation and Dance'' (2004), for clarinet & piano *Piano Quartet (2005), for violin, viola, cello & piano *''Four Postcards'' (2008), for wind quintet & marimba *Piano Quintet (2009–10), for two violins, viola, cello & piano *''Scherzino'' (2010), for alto saxophone and piano *''Allegretto quasi Andantino (Schubert Dream)'' (2010), for piano four hands *''Aus der Jugendzeit'' (2011), for bass-baritone, flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion *''Rain Shadow'' (2012), for violin, viola, cello & piano * Sonata for Violin and Piano (2013) * ''Cantus'' (2015), for 6 players

Vocal

*''Sappho Fragments'' (1982), for female voice & chamber ensemble *''Two Holy Sonnets of Donne'' (1982), mezzo-soprano, oboe & piano *''Four Poems of A.R. Ammons'' (1992), for baritone & chamber ensemble *''To Whom I Said Farewell'' (1992, rev. 2003), for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra *''American Muse'' (1999), for baritone & orchestra *''Aus der Jugendzeit'' (2010–11), for baritone & chamber ensemble *'' The Stars and the Roses'' (2013), for tenor & orchestra *''The Stars and the Roses'' (2013), for tenor & chamber ensemble *''Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking'' (2014), for bass-baritone & piano

Solo instrumental

*''Three Little Variations for David'' (2000), for solo piano *''Album Leaves'' (2002), for solo piano *''Dialoghi'' (2006), for solo cello *''Dust Devil'' (2009), for solo marimba *''Isabelle Dances'' (2009–10), for solo marimba *Sonata for Piano (2014)

Arrangements of music by other composers

*''Noctuelles (Miroirs, No.1)'' (

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

, orch. Stucky 2001) (Theodore Presser Co.) *''Les Noces'' (

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

, orch. Stucky 2005), for solo voices, SATB. and full orchestra (Chester Music) *''Bucolics'' (

, arr. Stucky 2006), for 9 instruments (Chester Music) *Eight Songs from the ''Spanish Songbook'' (

Hugo Wolf Hugo Philipp Jacob Wolf (; ; 13 March 1860 – 22 February 1903) was an Austrian composer, particularly noted for his art songs, or Lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Romantic music, so ...

, orch. Stucky 2008), for mezzo-soprano & orchestra (Theodore Presser Co.) *Four songs for th
Dolce Suono Ensemble
and baritone voice (" Per questa bella mano", "Ruhe sanft" (from ''

Zaide ''Zaide'' (originally, ''Das Serail'') is an unfinished German-language opera, K. 344, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1780. Emperor Joseph II, in 1778, was in the process of setting up an opera company for the purpose of performing ...

''), and "

Das Veilchen "" ("The Violet"), Köchel catalogue, K. 476, is a song for voice and piano by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, written in Vienna on 8 June 1785, to a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Lyrics Goethe wrote the poem in 1773 or early 1774. It was first p ...

" by Mozart; " Erlkönig" by Schubert, arr. Stucky 2012) (Theodore Presser Co.)

Awards

*1974: ASCAP Victor Herbert Prize for composition *1975: First Prize, American Society of University Composers Competition *1978: Composer Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts *1982:

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, broadc ...

Deems Taylor Award (for "Lutoslawski and His Music") *1986: John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship *1989: Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Music ( Concerto for Orchestra No. 1) *1991: Koussevitzky Music Foundation Commission *1995: Special Commendation, National Association of Composers USA *1997: Bogliasco Foundation Fellowship, Centro Studi Ligure (Italy) *1998: Barlow Endowment Commission *2001: Aaron Copland Fund for American Music recording grant *2002: Goddard Lieberson Fellowship,

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 of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

*2003: Bloch Lecturer, University of California at Berkeley *2005: Pulitzer Prize for Music for Second Concerto for Orchestra *2006: Paul Fromm Composer-in-Residence,

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome, Italy. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History 19th century In 1893, a group of American architect ...

*2006: Elected a trustee of the

*2006: Elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

*2006: Joined Board of Directors of the Koussevitzky Music Foundation *2007: Elected to the

*2008: Elected Chair of the Board of Directors, American Music Center *2011: Elected Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, New Music USA *2011: Composer of the Year,

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra is resident at Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Since 2008, the orchestra's music director is Manfred Ho ...

, 2011/12 season *2013: '' August 4, 1964''

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nominee for Best Classical Contemporary Composition * 2013: Brock CommissionRaymond W. Brock Memorial Commission
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References

External links

Steven Stucky
at Presser.com (click About tab)

April 23, 1992 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stucky, Steven 1949 births 2016 deaths 21st-century American classical composers Aspen Music Festival and School faculty Baylor University alumni Cornell University alumni Cornell University faculty Deaths from brain cancer in New York (state) People from Hutchinson, Kansas Musicians from Abilene, Texas Pulitzer Prize for Music winners Musicians from Kansas Eastman School of Music faculty University of California, Berkeley faculty American male classical composers 20th-century American classical composers Classical musicians from Texas 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians American choral composers