Frank J. Oteri
Encyclopedia
Frank J. Oteri born May 12, 1964 is a composer based in New York City
.
Oteri's musical works have been performed in venues from Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall
to the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. He was initially interested in composing for musical theatre, and an original musical of his was staged for a week at New York's Carter Hotel Theater in 1980 while he was still a student at The High School of Music & Art
, which later merged with the High School of Performing Arts as the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
. He also had a brief appearance in the Alan Parker
directed motion picture Fame and scored two children's operas for the Metropolitan Opera Guild's In School project. As an undergrad at Columbia University
(1981–1985), he grew more interested in minimalism
, microtonality, and non-western music, and he completed a Master's Degree in Ethnomusicology
at Columbia in 1990. In the 1990s, he returned to writing extensively for the voice, setting poems by E. E. Cummings
, Margaret Atwood
, William Butler Yeats
, and Kenneth Patchen
. In 1998 he began working with Italian painter and performance artist Lucio Pozzi
on MACHUNAS, an evening-length performance oratorio based on the life of Fluxus
-founder George Maciunas
which they completed in 2002. In 2005, MACHUNAS was staged at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Vilnius, Lithuania, and was subsequently screened in New York City and San Francisco. In February 2008, Oteri was composer-in-residence at the Cornish College of the Arts
in Seattle, Washington, where three of his compositions were performed: The Other Side of the Window (1995), a cycle of seven Margaret Atwood poems scored for female voice, two flutes, guitar, cello, and toy piano; is 7 (2003) for solo harpsichord, performed by Trudy Chan; and Imagined Overtures (2005) for rock band in 36-tone equal temperament.
Oteri is also an active music journalist and has been the editor of NewMusicBox
since its inception in 1999.
Oteri has served as the MC for the ASCAP Thru The Walls showcase in New York City as well as Meet The Composer's The Works marathon in Minneapolis in 2002. Since 2000, he has additionally curated his own series, 21st Century Schizoid Music, at the Cornelia Street Cafe in Manhattan's Greenwich Village on the 4th Monday of every month (except July and August). In 2007, Oteri was the recipient of the ASCAP Victor Herbert Award.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Oteri's musical works have been performed in venues from Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
to the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. He was initially interested in composing for musical theatre, and an original musical of his was staged for a week at New York's Carter Hotel Theater in 1980 while he was still a student at The High School of Music & Art
The High School of Music & Art
The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art", was a public alternative high school at 443-465 West 135th Street, New York, New York, USA that existed from 1936 through 1984, and then merged into the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing...
, which later merged with the High School of Performing Arts as the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is a high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center and the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue...
. He also had a brief appearance in the Alan Parker
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker, CBE is an English film director, producer, writer and actor. He has been active in both the British cinema and American cinema and was a founding member of the Directors Guild of Great Britain.-Life and career:...
directed motion picture Fame and scored two children's operas for the Metropolitan Opera Guild's In School project. As an undergrad at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(1981–1985), he grew more interested in minimalism
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
, microtonality, and non-western music, and he completed a Master's Degree in Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
at Columbia in 1990. In the 1990s, he returned to writing extensively for the voice, setting poems by E. E. Cummings
E. E. Cummings
Edward Estlin Cummings , popularly known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in lowercase letters as e.e. cummings , was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright...
, Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
, William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
, and Kenneth Patchen
Kenneth Patchen
Kenneth Patchen was an American poet and novelist. Though he denied any direct connection, Patchen's work and ideas regarding the role of artists paralleled those of the Dadaists, the Beats, and Surrealists...
. In 1998 he began working with Italian painter and performance artist Lucio Pozzi
Lucio Pozzi
Lucio Pozzi is a Milanese painter and performance artist.His work is in the collections of the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center; the Museum of Modern Art; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Art Gallery of Ontario; the New York Public Library; the Detroit Institute of Arts; Giuseppe Panza;...
on MACHUNAS, an evening-length performance oratorio based on the life of Fluxus
Fluxus
Fluxus—a name taken from a Latin word meaning "to flow"—is an international network of artists, composers and designers noted for blending different artistic media and disciplines in the 1960s. They have been active in Neo-Dada noise music and visual art as well as literature, urban planning,...
-founder George Maciunas
George Maciunas
George Maciunas was a Lithuanian-born American artist. He was a founding member of Fluxus, an international community of artists, architects, composers, and designers...
which they completed in 2002. In 2005, MACHUNAS was staged at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Vilnius, Lithuania, and was subsequently screened in New York City and San Francisco. In February 2008, Oteri was composer-in-residence at the Cornish College of the Arts
Cornish College of the Arts
-Library:The library at Cornish College specializes in art, dance, design, music, performance production, and theatre. As of 2011 it holds 4700 CDs, 40,000 books, has 2,200 videos, and subscribes to 154 periodicals...
in Seattle, Washington, where three of his compositions were performed: The Other Side of the Window (1995), a cycle of seven Margaret Atwood poems scored for female voice, two flutes, guitar, cello, and toy piano; is 7 (2003) for solo harpsichord, performed by Trudy Chan; and Imagined Overtures (2005) for rock band in 36-tone equal temperament.
Oteri is also an active music journalist and has been the editor of NewMusicBox
NewMusicBox
NewMusicBox is an e-zine launched by the American Music Center on May 1, 1999. The magazine includes interviews and articles concerning American Contemporary Music, composers, improvisers, and musicians....
since its inception in 1999.
Oteri has served as the MC for the ASCAP Thru The Walls showcase in New York City as well as Meet The Composer's The Works marathon in Minneapolis in 2002. Since 2000, he has additionally curated his own series, 21st Century Schizoid Music, at the Cornelia Street Cafe in Manhattan's Greenwich Village on the 4th Monday of every month (except July and August). In 2007, Oteri was the recipient of the ASCAP Victor Herbert Award.