Phillip Bimstein
Encyclopedia
Phillip Bimstein is an American
alternative classical music
composer and politician.
band Phil 'n' the Blanks, whose three albums and six videos were featured on college radio and MTV
. After further studies at UCLA in composition, orchestration, and conducting, he moved to southern Utah
.
Bimstein has served two terms as Mayor of Springdale, Utah
, where he currently resides. As Mayor, he was an outspoken advocate for protection of the environment
and he has testified twice before Congress
in support of Utah's wilderness. Bimstein has served as chair of the Utah Humanities Council, chair of the art and humanities residency center The MESA, vice-president of the American Music Center
in New York
, and is profiled in Who's Who in America
. He is a frequent guest speaker on creativity, community, and collaboration. He has been described by Outside Magazine
as "America's only all-natural politician-composer." In a 1997 feature article PARADE
magazine called Bimstein, "The Man Who Brought Civility Back to Town."
As a composer, Bimstein has received grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts
, Meet The Composer, American Composers Forum, and Austria
’s Prix Ars Electronica
. His music has been performed at Carnegie Hall
, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Bang on a Can
Festival, the Aspen Music Festival
, and London
’s Royal Opera House
.
His Garland Hirschi’s Cows CD was released by Starkland
in 1996. It received favorable reviews in such publications as Stereo Review, Wired
, Fanfare
, and Stereophile
.
In 1997 Bimstein was awarded Meet The Composer's largest grant, the three-year New Residencies, during which he composed music that explores the intimate relationship between the landscapes of the desert southwest and the many cultures that have inhabited the area.
Ensembles who have performed Bimstein's works include Relâche
, Turtle Island String Quartet, Modern Mandolin Quartet, Present music, Abramyan String Quartet, Sierra Winds, Equinox Chamber Players, The California EAR Unit
, and Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues.
In 2000, Bimstein received a Continental Harmony grant from the American Composers Forum
, the National Endowment for the Arts
, and the White House Millennium Council to write The Bushy Wushy Rag, a work celebrating baseball
and the city of St. Louis
. It was featured in a nationally broadcast PBS special in October 2001. Bimstein also performs and writes for the chamber folk quartet blue haiku.
The all-Bimstein CD Larkin Gifford's Harmonica was released by Starkland in 2006. In The New York Times
review of the CD, Steve Smith wrote of "the irresistible charm of Mr. Bimstein's music" and "his uncanny knack for finding the music of everyday life."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
composer and politician.
History
After majoring in music theory and composition at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, in the 1980s Bimstein led the new waveNew Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band Phil 'n' the Blanks, whose three albums and six videos were featured on college radio and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. After further studies at UCLA in composition, orchestration, and conducting, he moved to southern Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
Bimstein has served two terms as Mayor of Springdale, Utah
Springdale, Utah
Springdale is a town in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 457 at the 2000 census. It is located immediately outside the boundaries of Zion National Park, and is oriented around the resulting tourist industry. It was originally settled as a Mormon farming community in 1862...
, where he currently resides. As Mayor, he was an outspoken advocate for protection of the environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
and he has testified twice before Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in support of Utah's wilderness. Bimstein has served as chair of the Utah Humanities Council, chair of the art and humanities residency center The MESA, vice-president of the American Music Center
American Music Center
The American Music Center is a non-profit organization which aims to promote the creating, performing, and enjoying new American music. The organization was founded in 1939 by composers Marion Bauer, Aaron Copland, Howard Hanson, Harrison Kerr, Otto Luening, and Quincy Porter.The organization has a...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and is profiled in Who's Who in America
Marquis Who's Who
Marquis Who's Who, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc., is the American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies...
. He is a frequent guest speaker on creativity, community, and collaboration. He has been described by Outside Magazine
Outside (magazine)
Outside is an American magazine focused on the outdoors. The first issue debuted in September 1977 with its mission statement declaring that the publication was "dedicated to covering the people, sports and activities, politics, art, literature, and hardware of the outdoors..."Its founders were...
as "America's only all-natural politician-composer." In a 1997 feature article PARADE
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
magazine called Bimstein, "The Man Who Brought Civility Back to Town."
As a composer, Bimstein has received grants and awards from 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...
, Meet The Composer, American Composers Forum, and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
’s Prix Ars Electronica
Prix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the most important yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music...
. His music has been performed at Carnegie 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....
, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Bang on a Can
Bang on a Can
Bang on a Can is a multi-faceted classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon...
Festival, the Aspen Music Festival
Aspen Music Festival and School
The Aspen Music Festival and School, founded in 1949, is an internationally renowned classical music festival that presents music in an intimate, small-town setting...
, and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
’s Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
.
His Garland Hirschi’s Cows CD was released by Starkland
Starkland
Starkland is an independent record label based in Boulder, Colorado that specializes in alternative classical music. It was founded in 1991 by Thomas Steenland....
in 1996. It received favorable reviews in such publications as Stereo Review, Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
, Fanfare
Fanfare Magazine
Fanfare is a magazine devoted to reviewing classical music performance and recordings.Fanfare's contributors have a range of expertise from the medieval to contemporary work...
, and Stereophile
Stereophile
Stereophile is a monthly magazine that focuses on high end audio equipment, such as loudspeakers and amplifiers, and audio-related news, such as online audio streaming. It was founded in 1962 by J. Gordon Holt....
.
In 1997 Bimstein was awarded Meet The Composer's largest grant, the three-year New Residencies, during which he composed music that explores the intimate relationship between the landscapes of the desert southwest and the many cultures that have inhabited the area.
Ensembles who have performed Bimstein's works include Relâche
Relâche (musical group)
Relâche is an American chamber ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the group was formed as a composer-performer collective by Joseph Franklin and Joseph Showalter in 1977 and was officially granted not-for-profit status in...
, Turtle Island String Quartet, Modern Mandolin Quartet, Present music, Abramyan String Quartet, Sierra Winds, Equinox Chamber Players, The California EAR Unit
The California EAR Unit
The California EAR Unit is an American chamber ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. The group was founded in March 1981 and is based in Los Angeles, California....
, and Corky Siegel's Chamber Blues.
In 2000, Bimstein received a Continental Harmony grant from the American Composers Forum
American Composers Forum
The American Composers Forum is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the promotion and assistance of American composers and their music. It was founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum and is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States...
, 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...
, and the White House Millennium Council to write The Bushy Wushy Rag, a work celebrating baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and the city of St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. It was featured in a nationally broadcast PBS special in October 2001. Bimstein also performs and writes for the chamber folk quartet blue haiku.
The all-Bimstein CD Larkin Gifford's Harmonica was released by Starkland in 2006. In The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
review of the CD, Steve Smith wrote of "the irresistible charm of Mr. Bimstein's music" and "his uncanny knack for finding the music of everyday life."