Dana Wilson
Encyclopedia
Dana Richard Wilson is an American composer, jazz pianist, and teacher. Wilson currently resides in Ithaca, New York
.
Wilson's music has been commissioned and performed by such ensembles as the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Buffalo Philharmonic
, Memphis Symphony, Washington military bands, Netherlands Wind Ensemble, Syracuse Symphony
, and the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra
. Wilson has written numerous solo works for such renowned musicians as hornist Gail Williams, clarinetist Larry Combs
, trumpeter James Thompson, and oboist David Weiss. He has received grants from, among others, the National Endowment for the Arts
, New York Foundation for the Arts
, New England Foundation for the Arts
, New York State Council for the Arts
, Arts Midwest
, and Meet the Composer
. His compositions have been performed throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia, and are published by Boosey and Hawkes
and Ludwig Music Publishers. They have received several awards, including the International Trumpet Guild
First Prize, the Sudler International Composition Prize, and the Ostwald Award
, and can be heard on Klavier, Albany, Summit, Centaur, Innova, Meister Music, Elf, Open Loop, Mark, Redwood, Musical Heritage Society, and Kosei Recordings.
Wilson was awarded the Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music
in 1982, where he studied composition with Samuel Adler
. While finishing his doctorate degree at Eastman, he wrote his thesis on "the role of texture in selected works of Toru Takemitsu". Wilson also holds degrees from the University of Connecticut
(M.A.) and Bowdoin College
(B.A.). Wilson is currently the Charles A. Dana Professor of Music at Ithaca College
in Ithaca, New York, where he teaches music composition. He is co-author of Contemporary Choral Arranging, published by Prentice Hall, and has written on diverse musical subjects, including his own compositional process in "A Composer's Insight, Vol. 4" and "Composers on Composing for Band, Vol. 2." He has been a Yaddo Fellow (at Yaddo, the artists’ retreat in Saratoga Springs, New York), a Wye Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a Charles A. Dana Fellow, and a Fellow at the Society for Humanities, Cornell University.
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
.
Wilson's music has been commissioned and performed by such ensembles as the Chicago Chamber Musicians, Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Buffalo Philharmonic
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Its regular concert season features gala concerts, classics programming of core repertoire, Pops...
, Memphis Symphony, Washington military bands, Netherlands Wind Ensemble, Syracuse Symphony
Syracuse Symphony Orchestra
The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra was a 79 member orchestra located in Syracuse, NY. In its time it was the 43rd largest orchestra in the United States and performed a variety of programs including the Post-Standard Classics Series and M&T Bank Pops Series....
, and the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra
Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra
The is a professional concert band that has long been regarded as one of the world's finest, perhaps rivaled only in recent years by the Dallas Wind Symphony ....
. Wilson has written numerous solo works for such renowned musicians as hornist Gail Williams, clarinetist Larry Combs
Larry Combs
Larry Combs is an American clarinetist. His principal teachers were Stanley Hasty at the Eastman School of Music and Leon Russianoff in New York....
, trumpeter James Thompson, and oboist David Weiss. He has received grants from, among others, the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
, New York Foundation for the Arts
New York Foundation for the Arts
The New York Foundation for the Arts was created in conjunction the in 1971. The organization gives grants to individual artists and writers and developing arts organizations with a mission to '.'-NYFA's Programs:...
, New England Foundation for the Arts
New England Foundation for the Arts
The New England Foundation for the Arts , headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of six not-for-profit regional arts organizations funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and by private foundations, corporations and individuals...
, New York State Council for the Arts
New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell , with backing from Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and began its work in 1961...
, Arts Midwest
Arts Midwest
Arts Midwest, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is one of six not-for-profit regional arts organizations created to “encourage development of the arts and to support arts programs on a regional basis.” Arts Midwest's mission is to "promote creativity, nurture cultural leadership, and engage...
, and Meet the Composer
Meet the Composer
Meet the Composer is an American organization founded in 1974 by the composer John Duffy as a project of the New York State Council on the Arts. It seeks to assist composers in making a living through writing music by sponsoring commissioning, residency, education, and audience interaction...
. His compositions have been performed throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia, and are published by Boosey and Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes
Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and wind musical instruments....
and Ludwig Music Publishers. They have received several awards, including the International Trumpet Guild
International Trumpet Guild
The International Trumpet Guild is a group of about 6000 trumpet players from around the world. Four journals are sent out every year to all members along with occasional instructional and practice items . The ITG hosts many competitions and conferences for trumpet players of all levels and...
First Prize, the Sudler International Composition Prize, and the Ostwald Award
Ostwald Award
The Sousa/Ostwald Award is an annual award given by the American Bandmasters Association for a composition for concert band. It was first awarded in 1956, after band uniform suppliers Ernest and Adolph Ostwald established the ABA/Ostwald Award for the best band composition written in the previous...
, and can be heard on Klavier, Albany, Summit, Centaur, Innova, Meister Music, Elf, Open Loop, Mark, Redwood, Musical Heritage Society, and Kosei Recordings.
Wilson was awarded the Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
in 1982, where he studied composition with Samuel Adler
Samuel Adler (composer)
Samuel Hans Adler is an American composer and conductor.-Biography:Adler was born to a Jewish family in Mannheim, Germany, the son of Hugo Chaim Adler, a cantor and composer, and Selma Adler. The family fled to the United States in 1939, where Hugo became the cantor of Temple Emanuel in...
. While finishing his doctorate degree at Eastman, he wrote his thesis on "the role of texture in selected works of Toru Takemitsu". Wilson also holds degrees from the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
(M.A.) and Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
(B.A.). Wilson is currently the Charles A. Dana Professor of Music at Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
in Ithaca, New York, where he teaches music composition. He is co-author of Contemporary Choral Arranging, published by Prentice Hall, and has written on diverse musical subjects, including his own compositional process in "A Composer's Insight, Vol. 4" and "Composers on Composing for Band, Vol. 2." He has been a Yaddo Fellow (at Yaddo, the artists’ retreat in Saratoga Springs, New York), a Wye Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a Charles A. Dana Fellow, and a Fellow at the Society for Humanities, Cornell University.