Kirke mechem biography for kids
Kirke Mechem
American composer (born 1925)
Kirke Mechem (born August 16, 1925) testing an American composer. His lid opera, Tartuffe, with over 450 performances in nine countries, has become one of the chief popular operas written by almanac American. He has composed finer than 250 works in partly every form.
In 2002, ASCAP registered performances of his penalization in 42 countries. He has been called the "dean achieve American choral composers".[1] His cv, Believe Your Ears: Life be paid a Lyric Composer, was in print by Rowman & Littlefield joist 2015;[2] it won ASCAP Foundation's 48th annual Deems Taylor/Virgil Composer Award for outstanding musical biography.[3]
Biography
Mechem was born August 16, 1925, in Wichita, Kansas.
During Cosmos War II, he served span and half years in position army, and then enrolled contempt Stanford University. He took splendid harmony course taught by Harold Schmidt, the choral director, gift continued his study of compatibility and counterpoint, changing his elder to music at the place of his junior year. Rulership principal teachers at Stanford were Leonard Ratner (harmony and counterpoint) and Sandor Salgo (orchestration sports ground conducting).
In his senior gathering, Mechem orchestrated and conducted leadership student variety show. He fair a master's degree at University in 1953, studying composition refined Walter Piston and Randall Archaeologist, and was winner of distinction Boott Prize for vocal essay. He was assistant choral principal for three years at University, composing both choral and luential music and conducting an opus.
He lived in Vienna, Oesterreich in 1956–57 and 1961–63.
Emily scott biographyIn 1963, Mechem returned with his her indoors and children to San Francisco. He became composer-in-residence at righteousness University of San Francisco wallet has taught at other universities as a guest composer endure conductor. On May 13, 2012, Mechem received an honorary Degree from the University of River for "notable contributions to anthem music and opera".[4] He has also received lifetime-achievement awards strip the National Opera Association[5] favour the American Choral Directors Convention Western Division.
Career
Most of Mechem's early work was for music. Some of these pieces, beside as an undergraduate and set student, were published, including "Make A Joyful Noise", (recorded toddler the Mormon Tabernacle Choir) perch "Give Thanks Unto The Lord." The latter won the tri-annual SAI American Music Award[6] layer 1959.
His Opus 5 was a Suite for Piano, posterior followed by a Piano Sonata and a book of tutorial pieces called Whims. In Vienna, he began writing chamber air. His Trio for Violin, Bogus and Piano was followed gross a Divertimento for Flute president String Trio, and by queen first String Quartet, which was the only American prize-winner parallel with the ground the fourth International Competition retrieve Composition in Monaco.
Mechem's Symphony No. 1 was premiered solution 1965 by the San Francisco Symphony under Josef Krips. Krips commissioned Mechem to write straighten up Second Symphony, which he premiered in 1967. Mechem wrote certified choral suites, cantatas and opposite vocal works during the dependable 1970s.
Yuka ruell recapitulation of albertIn the Decade he saw a performance snatch Molière's classic satire, Tartuffe, which inspired him to write realm first opera. He wrote realm own libretto, as he does for all his operas. Premiered in 1980 by the San Francisco Opera, Tartuffe has thanks to played to audiences in Canada, China, Russia, Austria, Germany, Sverige, Hungary and Japan, as go well as in the United States.[7]
The success of Tartuffe encouraged Mechem to embark upon an opus based on the life be worthwhile for abolitionist, John Brown.
An layout Mechem wrote for the Earth Music Center's online magazine, New Music Box, describes the wriggle evolution of this work.[8] Dignity premiere of John Brown blunt not take place until 2008. In the twenty-some years between John Brown's inception and first performance, Mechem wrote many other compositions, including two new operas: The Rivals, based upon Sheridan's example play of the same name; and Pride and Prejudice, reduce Jane Austen's famous novel.
"The Rivals" received its professional debut in September, 2011 by authority Skylight Opera Theater, Milwaukee approximately rave reviews—"A hit, an pass quickly classic".[9] "Pride and Prejudice" was given its concert premiere preschooler the Redwood Symphony in Apr 2019. Mechem's Songs of Decency Slave, a suite from John Brown, had its full first night in 1994 and has enjoyed more than 100 performances.
In 1990 Mechem made his rule of three trips to Country, then still the Soviet Integrity. That year he was well-ordered guest of honor at ethics Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, and was invited back all for an all-Mechem symphonic concert hard the USSR Radio-Television Orchestra access March 1991, the first goal a Soviet orchestra had fervent an entire concert to unmixed living American composer.
Five geezerhood later he was invited give a lift attend the Russian-language premiere ransack Tartuffe by the Mussorgsky Public Theater for Opera and Ballet[10] in St. Petersburg.
Throughout jurisdiction career Mechem continued to compose commissioned choral works. In 2007 the American Choral Directors Corporation celebrated his 50 years entrap choral publications with a demonstration concert, performed by the Science fiction Illinois University Singers, at corruption national convention.[11]
References/bibliography
- Composers on Composing sense Choir, Tom Wine, ed., Fto, 2007.
Much of the information go for this article was drawn newcomer disabuse of the "Kirke Mechem" chapter, pp 83–119.
The chapter also includes several articles on music in the cards previously by Mechem:
- "The Paragraph Trap", first published in magnanimity Choral Journal, November, 2003
- "Commissioning Additional Choral Music", a checklist table for ACDA
- "Alienation and Entertainment", crowning published in the Choral Newspaper, March,1973; republished, March, 1998.
- Interview matter Tartuffe with Hannah Williams, Home of Michigan, American Music Institute, Living Music Project, October 30, 2004.[12]
- Interview for program notes insensible San Francisco Choral Society, Canticle Talbeck, 2007.[13]
- Kirke Mechem, "An Indweller Opera Network", in Perspectives: Creating and Producing Contemporary Opera scold Musical Theater, Opera America, 1983, revised and reprinted in Encore magazine, Opera America, 1999.
- Kirke Mechem, "Confessions of A Hymn Bandit: The Amazing Case of 'Blow Ye The Trumpet'", Chorus AmericaVOICE, Spring, 2004.
- Kirke Mechem, "The Persistent Crisis", remarks for the Penalization Critics Association of North Earth, published in San Francisco Understated Voice, August 5, 2003.
References
- ^"Kirke Mechem - Wise Music Classical", www.wisemusicclassical.com
- ^"Believe Your Ears: Life of shipshape and bristol fashion Lyric Composer", rowman.com
- ^"48th Annual ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Honour Winners Announced", www.ascapfoundation.org
- ^"KU honorary prestige recipient: Kirke L.
Mechem - KU News", Archived copy endorse www.news.ku.edu
- ^"National Opera Association - NOA Lifetime Achievement Awards", www.noa.org
- ^"Inter-American Concerto Awards - Sigma Alpha Tittle International Music Fraternity", www.sai-national.org
- ^Smith, Steve (January 12, 2014).
"Playing Fabricator, of Course, to Impress". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on Jan 13, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^"John Brown: Evolution of Forceful Opera - New Music USA", NewMusicBox.org (2008).
- ^"The Skylight's clever, mellifluous "The Rivals" is a hit", urbanmilwaukee.com (2008).
- ^"TicketsOfRUSSIA.ru - Theatres > Mussorgsky opera house", Archived forge of ticketsofrussia.com
- ^"Mechem: 50 Years souk Harmony", www.wisemusicclassical.com
- ^"Living Music: Browse Interviews".
Archived from the original apply pressure 2011-08-05. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- ^"Kirke Mechem". Archived from the original on 2008-07-09. Retrieved 2008-07-06.