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Augusta Read Thomas

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Augusta Read Thomas
Augusta Thomas in 2020
Born (1964-04-24) April 24, 1964 (age 60)
Glen Cove, New York, U.S.
OccupationComposer
Spouse
​
(m. 1994)​
Websiteaugustareadthomas.com

Augusta Read Thomas (born April 24, 1964) is an American composer and University Professor of Composition in the Department of Music at the University of Chicago, where she is also director of the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition.[1]

Biography

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Thomas studied composition with Oliver Knussen at the Tanglewood Music Center; Jacob Druckman at Yale University; Alan Stout and Bill Karlins at Northwestern University; and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She was a Bunting Fellow at Radcliffe College in 1990–91 and a Junior Fellow in the Society of Fellows at Harvard University from 1991 to 1994. Thomas was the longest-serving Mead Composer-in-Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, from 1997 to 2006. This residency culminated in the premiere of Astral Canticle for solo flute, solo violin, and orchestra, a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Music. During her residency, Thomas premiered nine commissioned orchestral works and helped establish the MusicNOW series.[2]

A former chairperson of the American Music Center, she is on many boards and, according to Wise Music Classical, "has become one of the most recognizable and widely loved figures in American music."[3]

Commissions include those from the Santa Fe Opera in collaboration with the San Francisco Opera and several other opera companies, PEAK Performances at Montclair State University and the Martha Graham Dance Company,[4] The Cathedral Choral Society of Washington, D.C.,[5] the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Festival, BBC Proms, Diotima Quartet and The Philharmonie of Paris, Sejong Soloists, the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra,[6] Des Moines Symphony, Boston Symphony, Utah Symphony, Wigmore Hall in London, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir,[7] JACK quartet,[8] Third Coast Percussion,[9] Spektral Quartet,[10] Chicago Philharmonic,[11][failed verification] Eugene Symphony,[12][failed verification] the Danish Chamber Players,[13][failed verification] Notre Dame University, Janet Sung,[14] and the Fromm Foundation.[15]

Early life and education (1964–1989)

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Thomas was born in 1964 in Glen Cove, New York.[16]

In 2004 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music.[17]

Immediately after receiving her degree from the Royal Academy of Music,[18] Thomas was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1989. At 23, she was the youngest woman recipient of the honor at the time.[19]

Career

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Shortly after completing her Guggenheim Fellowship, Thomas began teaching at the Eastman School of Music.[20]

In 2010, the University of Chicago announced Thomas's appointment as University Professor of Composition in the Department of Music and the college. She is the 16th designated professor appointed by the university. In 2018, it was announced that Thomas had created the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition[21] (CCCC) at the University of Chicago.

In 2016, Thomas created and co-curated the Ear Taxi Festival,[22] which included over 350 musicians, 88 composers, and 54 world premieres. The two-day festival took place in Chicago. The festival's success earned Thomas the title "Chicagoan of the Year" from Chicago magazine.[23]

Thomas's recent works include an opera, Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun,[24][better source needed] that premiered at the Santa Fe Opera in 2019.


References

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  1. ^ John Pitcher, "A Composer's Game Of Musical Chairs; Augusta Read Thomas Rethinks the Orchestra", The Washington Post, March 28, 2001, via HighBeam Research.
  2. ^ "CSO MusicNOW | Chicago Symphony Orchestra". Experience the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Augusta Read Thomas". www.wisemusicclassical.com. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  4. ^ Sherwood, M. "Martha Graham Dance Company". /marthagraham.org.
  5. ^ "Home Page". www.cathedralchoralsociety.org.
  6. ^ "Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra". www.kco.la.
  7. ^ "Indianapolis Symphonic Choir | Giving Voice to Classical Music". indychoir.org.
  8. ^ "JACK Quartet". jackquartet.com.
  9. ^ "Home". thirdcoastpercussion.com.
  10. ^ "Spektral Quartet". spektralquartet.com.
  11. ^ "Chicago Philharmonic". chicagophilharmonic.org.
  12. ^ "Welcome to Eugene Symphony". eugenesymphony.org.
  13. ^ "Home | The ensemble". www.ensemblet.dk. March 1, 2021.
  14. ^ "JANET SUNG". janetsungart.com.
  15. ^ "Fromm Music Foundation". frommfoundation.fas.harvard.edu.
  16. ^ "Augusta Read Thomas". music.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Augusta Read Thomas | Music Department". music.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  18. ^ "Augusta Read Thomas". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  19. ^ "Augusta Read Thomas". brahms.ircam.fr. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  20. ^ "Augusta Read Thomas". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  21. ^ "Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition | UChicago Arts | the University of Chicago".
  22. ^ "EAR TAXI FESTIVAL". www.eartaxifestival.com.
  23. ^ "A Grammy-award winner and world-renowned musical composer | University of Chicago News". news.uchicago.edu. 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  24. ^ "Commissions | Santa Fe Opera".
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