It's Music to our ears

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 { 8:47 AM }

Profile:

Name [Chen Yi]
Birthday [April 4th 1953]
Origin [Guangzhong, Guangdong, China]
Genre [Contemporary Classical]
Occupation [Composer]
Instrument [Violin

History:
Chen Yi was born into a family with good background. Her parents work as doctors and musicians. He mother was able to play the piano and her father knew how to play the violin. Her elder sister was intellectually better than others and with her younger brother; her sibl

ings became specialized musicians in China.
Chen Yi learnt the piano at the early age of three; focusing more on western compositions by Bach or Mozart. However, war came and her father and sister were taken away. She persisted on practicing her music, taking precautions not to be found out but was discovered. Her things were confiscated and her family was torn apart to different areas to do manual work.
Even though much hardship was faced, Chen Yi used her time there to study the wonder of Chinese folk culture and it helped her in her future compos

itions. She returned to Guangzhou at the age of seventeen and found a job as a concertmaster of the orchestra in the Beijing Opera Troupe.

After that, she stayed in New York City and learnt about composing with Chou Wen-chung and Mario Davidovsky, getting a DMA with distinction at Columbia University. She is also married to Zhou Long, a composer like herself.

Works/Contributions:
Chen has done many orchestral works, choral and chamber repertoire, even pieces for ethnic Chinese instruments. Some of her works are: Lament of the twin starts (1996) performed by a mixed chorus, Overture (1990) performed by a Chinese Instrumental Orchestra and Si Ji/ Four Seasons (2005) performed by a string orchestra or String Quintet.

Profile:

Name [Yoko Ono Lennon]
Birthday [February 18th 1933]
Origin [Tokyo, Japan]
Genre [Avant-Garde, Rock, Pop, Electronica, Shibuya Kei, Fluxus]
Occupation [Artist, Musician, Peace Activist]
Instrument [Vocals, Piano]

History
Yoko Ono’s family; Zenjiro Yasuda (Great Grandfather), Eisuke Ono (Father), Isoko Ono (Mother); runs in the business related to banking. Her family travelled to San Francisco, returned to Japan, then went to New York City, Hanoi and back to Japan again; entering an elite Christian primary school. In April 1946, she followed her father’s footsteps and entered Tokyo’s Gakushuin University, an elite school only open to people descended from aristocrats or even the imperial family! As her father was a descendant of an Emperor of Japan, she was enrolled and graduated in 1951, being the first ever woman to be in the philosophy program department but left the school after two semesters.
After that, her family moved to Scarsdale, New York where she cultivated her passion for music and arts. She went to galleries and met many artists. She married a composer, Toshi Ichiyanagi but it was short lived as they separated in 1962. In a few months, she remarried to Anthony Cox; a jazz musician, film producer and an art promoter. They had a daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox in the 8th of August 1963.

She divorced Cox and married John Lennon (a member of the Beatles) resulting in them fighting over the custody of Kyoko. Ono won in the end but Cox took her away and changed her name to Rosemary. Lennon was murdered in 1980 and Cox and Rosemary sent a sympathy letter. After which, Ono stopped looking for her grown daughter but they reunited in 1994. Ono also had a son, Sean, and Lennon resigned and took care of Sean.

Ono performed her first big public performance in Carnegie Recital Hall, followed by many other performances; for instance, performing in the Queen Elizabeth Hall. She performed at the opening ceremony for the 2006 Winter Olympic Games held in Turin, Italy; reciting a verse poem as an introduction to song ‘Imagine’.

Works/Contributions:
Ono produced many albums (23), singles (26) and many other works with other artists. Some of which are Fly (1971), Season Of Glass (1981) and Onobox (1992).

Awards:
International Assocaition of Art Critics
Skowhegan Medal
Award from the Japan Society of New York
Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Liverpool University
Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from Bard College.

Profile:

Name [Yuki Kajiura]
Birthday [6th August 1965]
Origin [Tokyo, Japan]
Genre [Pop, Classical, New Age]
Occupation [Composer, Musician]
Instruments [Keyboard/Piano]

History:
Kajiura lived in West Germany since young due to her father’s job. She had written a music piece at the early age of seven as a farewell song to her grandmother. She graduated form a college in Tokyo and worked as a systems engineering programmer but changed her career to the music department. Her father had a major part in this decision as he appreciated opera and classical music a lot.

She debuted in 1992 as a trio with Chiaki Ishikawa as the lead vocal and Yukiko Nishioka. She was the back-up vocals and played the keyboards.

However the group separated in 1995 as one of their members wanted to become a writer. Thus, Kajiura went solo in her musical career, music composing and sound producing for many media. She later rejoined with Chiaki, creating a duo, See-Saw. At the same time, Kajiura made a breakthrough in animation music with a unique mix of synth, opera and French-flaired sound.

Works/Contributions:
Kajiura composed much animation music, game/movie soundtracks,

musicals, albums and many other productions. Some of which are her albums with See-Saw: I have a dream (1993). Others like: Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations (2008), Blood the Last Vampire (2000) and Noir (2001). She also worked with many other vocalists for her songs.

{ 12:02 AM }

PROFILE

Name WENDY CARLOS
Birthdate November 14, 1939
Origin Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States
Genre(s) Electronic Music, Film Scores
Occupation(s) Electronic Musician, Composer
Instrument(s) Synthesizer

History

Born in the humble town of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, this famous composer began her musical education at the age of 6, learning the piano. Through Carlos' years, she went to Brown University following undergraduate studies of music and physics and earned a master's degree in composition at Columbia University, studying with famous composer, Vladimir Ussachevsky . After graduation, she moved to New York and met Robert Moog in whom she was one of his earliest customers in providing feedback for the development of the Moog synthesizer.

Moog Studio

In 1966, Wendy met Rachel Elkind, the producer of Switched -On Bach and others. The two used their proceeds to renovate a New York brownstone for both home and buisness, and installed a studio for live recording.

Brown Stone Studio

Her first recording, Switched- On Brandenburgs was released under the name of Walter Carlos although Carlos had underwent sex reassignment surgery. Carlos had an interview with Playboy magazine, her first public appearance after her transition which she had deep regret for as it affected her reputation.

In 1998, Momus, a song writer, recorded a song "Walter Carlos", suggesting that if Wendt could go back in time she waould marry Walter. Carlos sued the man and Carlos sued the man and the case settled out of court, Momus agreed to remove the song, owing $3000 fines.

WORKS/COMPOSITIONS

During the years of 1992-1995, Carlos collaborated with Larry Fast. She developed a digital porcess of Soundtrack restoration and surrond stereo, Digi- Surround Stereo Sound. The latest works by Wendy are Tales of Heaven & Hell, an unsual musical dramatic work og combined themes in goth. It scored in the film, Woundings. She is currently remastering her old works such as clockwork Orange and Sonic Seasonings. The most extensive project would have to be the boxed set collection of her pioneering Bach & Baroque albulms. Some of her lastest remasterings, new albulms of her old works include: Beauty in the Beast and The Well-Tempered Synthesizer. A edition of Disney's TRON has also been released. These albums all contain historical notes and previously unreleased material. Rediscovered Lost Scores was recently released new albums of music never heard before.

One of Carlos' recent projects is the WurliTzer II. It is a combination of fine pipe organs and digital synths. Continually, she developed skills to play the instrument and composes music with it. In 2005, Wendy won the SEAMUS 2005 Life Achievement Award. She is currently a member of the Audio Engineering Society, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Carlos is a consultant for many Machintosh developers and has designed Postscript music fonts and developed tunings for Kuzweil/Young Chang.

Some of her other compositions include:

Land of the Midnight Sun (1986 composition, released on the 1998 Sonic Seasonings reissue)

Rediscovering Lost Scores, Volume 2 (2005) (The Shining, Tron, Split Second, Woundings)

The Shining: Score Selections (soundtrack) (1980)

Tales of Heaven and Hell (1998): (contains a track using 15 equal temperament)

PROFILE

Name JODY DIAMOND

Birthdate April 23, 1953
Origin Pasadena, California
Genre(s) Community Music
Occupation(s) American Composer, performer, writer, publisher, editor, and educator
Instrument(s) Indonesian gamelan

History

In 1977, Jody received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1977, and an M.A. from San Francisco State University, studying music, anthropology, and education. With Larry Polansky, she is a co-founder and co-director of Frog Peak Music. Diamond also is the founder of the American Gamelan Institute and edits its journal. She received a Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Fellowship surveying contemporary music in Indonesia and two Narional Endowment for the Humanities Felowships.

She has also taught at the University of California, Berkeley, Mills College, Goddard College, Bates College, Franklin Pierce College, and Monash University in Australia, and is currently teaching at Harvard University and Dartmouth College.

WORKS/COMPOSITIONS

Jody Diamond has created numerous works for gamelan and often is a guest composer/performer after her performance with Gamelan Son of Lion in the Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival in 1996.

Some of these compositions include:

At Lou's Table. For Javanese gamelan. 2003. Dedicated to Lou Harrison.
Bamboo. Collaboration with Indonesian composer Kuwat. For voice, gamelan, and bamboo angklung. Premiered at Dartmouth College Vaughan Series, April 2001.
Come Into the Valley. For Javanese gamelan and small chorus. Based on an American Shaker song, with harmony by Mary Ann Haagen. Dedicated to William Colvig. Premiered at Planet Gamelan Festival, Franklin Pierce College, NH, 2001.
Deep Blue Sea, 1982, for chorus.

These were all published by the American Gamelan Institute.

PROFILE

Name VIVIAN FINE

Birthdate September 28, 1913

Deathdate March 20, 2000( Age 86)

Origin Chicago, Illinois

Genre(s) Classical

Occupation(s) Composer, Teacher, Pianist

Instrument(s) Piano

History

This child prodigy born in 1913, Vivian Fine won a scholarship to the Chicago Musical college at the young age of five. She later went to study with other famous composers; Ruth Crawford Seeger and Djane Lavoie-Herz. In 1931, she moved to New York where she studied piano with Roger Sessions and Abby Whiteside. Four years later, Fine became a rehearsal pianist for dance companies and wrote pieces for them. In 1938, Vivian was the the co-founder of the American Composers Alliance and served as the vice president. Fine taught composition at New York University, the Julliard School of Music, the State University of New York at Postdam, and Bennington College in Vermont. At the age of 86, Vivian Fine passed away after being in an automobile accident in Bennington, VT, on March 20, 2000.

WORK/COMPOSITIONS

Some of Vivian's ballet scores include "The Race for Life", "They too Are Exiles" and "Tragic Exodus". Her symphonic compositions include "Elegiac Song" and "Meeting for Equal Rights1866." One of her best-known works is the 1978 opera The Women in the Garden, which quoted the writings of Emily Dickinson, Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein, and Isadora Duncan. One of her final works was the 1994 multimedia opera The Memoirs of Uliana Rooney. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1980.

Some other compositions of hers include:

"Epigram" and "Epitaph: upon the death of Sir Albert Morton's Wife"(1941) for contralto and piano.
For a Bust of Erik Satie: A Short Mass (1979) for soprano, mezzo soprano, narrator, and Chamber ensemble (flute, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, cello, and double bass)
A Guide to the Life Expectancy of a Rose(1956) for soprano, tenor, and chamber ensemble (flute, violin, cello, clarinet, and harp)
Hymns(1991) for two pianos, French horn, and violoncello