Reynold Tharp
Encyclopedia
Reynold Tharp is an American
composer
of contemporary classical music
. His music reflects a fascination with transitory physical aspects of sound, such as resonance
and decay.
Tharp was born in Indiana
, and studied music composition and history at Oberlin College
before entering the graduate program in composition at the University of California, Berkeley
. As a recipient of the university's Ladd Fellowship, he spent two years in Paris
studying composition with Philippe Leroux and orchestration with Marc-André Dalbavie
. He was selected for the Stage d’Automne at IRCAM
in 2000 and has participated in workshops and seminars with Ivan Fedele, Brian Ferneyhough
and Jonathan Harvey
.
In recent years, his music has been performed in the U.S. and Europe by groups such as the Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players, the Orchestre Lyrique de Region Avignon-Provence and the Nieuw Ensemble
(Amsterdam), which commissioned and premiered his work A Backward Glance in 2000. Several of these performances have been broadcast on French and Dutch radio.
Awards for his music include BMI
’s William Schuman Prize, Columbia University
’s Joseph H. Bearns Prize
for his orchestral work Drift and UC Berkeley’s Nicola DeLorenzo Prize. Recent projects include commissions from the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players
for their 2008-2009 season and a duo for flute and harp for Jonathan Keeble and Ann Yeung.
Tharp has taught composition, orchestration, analysis and theory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, UC Berkeley, Northwestern University
and San Francisco State University
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
. His music reflects a fascination with transitory physical aspects of sound, such as resonance
Resonance
In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate at a greater amplitude at some frequencies than at others. These are known as the system's resonant frequencies...
and decay.
Tharp was born in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and studied music composition and history at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
before entering the graduate program in composition at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. As a recipient of the university's Ladd Fellowship, he spent two years in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
studying composition with Philippe Leroux and orchestration with Marc-André Dalbavie
Marc-André Dalbavie
Marc-André Dalbavie is a French composer. He had his first music lessons at age 6 and later studied at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1985 he joined the research department of IRCAM where he studied digital synthesis, computer assisted composition and spectral analysis. In the early 1990s he...
. He was selected for the Stage d’Automne at IRCAM
IRCAM
IRCAM is a European institute for science about music and sound and avant garde electro-acoustical art music. It is situated next to, and is organizationally linked with, the Centre Pompidou in Paris...
in 2000 and has participated in workshops and seminars with Ivan Fedele, Brian Ferneyhough
Brian Ferneyhough
Brian John Peter Ferneyhough is an English composer. His music is characterized by the extensive use of complex rhythmic tuplet notation which features in all his works...
and Jonathan Harvey
Jonathan Harvey (composer)
Jonathan Harvey is a British composer. He has held teaching positions at universities and music conservatories in Europe and the USA and is frequently invited to teach in summer schools around the world.-Life:...
.
In recent years, his music has been performed in the U.S. and Europe by groups such as the Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players, the Orchestre Lyrique de Region Avignon-Provence and the Nieuw Ensemble
Nieuw Ensemble
The Nieuw Ensemble was founded in 1980 in Amsterdam. It has a unique instrumental structure, using plucked instruments such as mandolin, guitar and harp in combination with wind, string and percussion. Ed Spanjaard has been the principal conductor since 1982...
(Amsterdam), which commissioned and premiered his work A Backward Glance in 2000. Several of these performances have been broadcast on French and Dutch radio.
Awards for his music include BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
’s William Schuman Prize, 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...
’s Joseph H. Bearns Prize
Joseph H. Bearns Prize
The Joseph H. Bearns Prize in Music was established on February 3, 1921 by Lillia M. Bearns, in memory of her father. It was her desire to encourage talented young composers in the United States...
for his orchestral work Drift and UC Berkeley’s Nicola DeLorenzo Prize. Recent projects include commissions from the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players
San Francisco Contemporary Music Players
The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players is an ensemble of classically trained instrumentalists that commissions, performs, and records innovative new music, including music that integrates electronic and acoustic sounds.-History:...
for their 2008-2009 season and a duo for flute and harp for Jonathan Keeble and Ann Yeung.
Tharp has taught composition, orchestration, analysis and theory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, UC Berkeley, Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
.
Compositions
- "Anima Liberata", for soprano, cello, and piano (2010)
- San Francisco Night, for eight players (2008)
- Vertiginous Lines, for solo violin (2006)
- Fog Lines, for solo viola (2006)
- Wavering Lines, for solo cello (2006)
- Littoral, for solo piano (2006)
- Mountains and Seas, for piano and percussion (2005)
- Cold Horizon, for chamber orchestra (2003-5)
- In Passing, for chamber orchestra (2001)
- Cold, for vibraphone and piano (2000, rev. 2002)
- Dis-moi vite, for chamber ensemble (2000)
- A Backward Glance, for 12 players (1999)
- Far and Away, for string quartet (1998)
- Etching, for cor anglais, clarinet, viola, and piano (1997)
- Drift, for orchestra (1996)
- Three Fables, for flute and string quartet (1996)
External links
- Review of "San Francisco Night" by the New York Times
- Review of "San Francisco Night" by the Financial Times
- Review of "San Francisco Night" by the San Francisco Classical Voice
- Video of Vertiginous Lines
- Review of Mountains and Seas by the San Francisco Classical Voice
- Review of Etching by the San Francisco Classical Voice