Role

:

Composer  

Birth

:

November 8, 1945

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Vocal

 

Judith Lang Zaimont is a renowned American composer of classical music. She was born on November 8, 1945, in Memphis, Tennessee, to a family of musicians. Her father was a violinist, and her mother was a pianist. Zaimont started playing the piano at the age of four and began composing music at the age of seven. Zaimont's family moved to Los Angeles when she was ten years old, and she continued her music education there. She studied piano with Aube Tzerko and composition with Ingolf Dahl at the University of Southern California. She also studied composition with Roger Sessions at the Juilliard School in New York City. Zaimont's early works were influenced by the serialism and atonality of the mid-20th century. However, she soon developed her own style, which combined elements of tonality, rhythm, and melody. Her music is characterized by its emotional intensity, expressive lyricism, and virtuosic instrumental writing. Zaimont's breakthrough work was her Symphony No. 1, "A Flash of Lightning in a Darkened Sky," which was premiered by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 1983. The symphony is a powerful and dramatic work that reflects Zaimont's interest in the natural world and the forces of nature. It is scored for a large orchestra and features a wide range of textures and colors. Zaimont has composed music in a variety of genres, including orchestral works, chamber music, vocal music, and music for the theater. Her works have been performed by major orchestras and ensembles around the world, including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Tokyo String Quartet. One of Zaimont's most popular works is her Piano Concerto, which was premiered by the American Symphony Orchestra in 1990. The concerto is a virtuosic and lyrical work that showcases the soloist's technical and expressive abilities. It has been performed by many of the world's leading pianists, including Ursula Oppens, Jeffrey Biegel, and Joanne Polk. Zaimont's vocal music includes several song cycles and choral works. Her song cycle "A Calendar Set" is a collection of twelve songs, each based on a different month of the year. The songs are set to poems by various authors, including Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Langston Hughes. The cycle has been performed by many of the world's leading singers, including Dawn Upshaw, Benita Valente, and Lucy Shelton. Zaimont's music for the theater includes several operas and ballets. Her opera "The Magic Paintbrush" is based on a Chinese folk tale and was premiered by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 1999. The opera is a colorful and imaginative work that features a large cast of characters and a wide range of musical styles. Zaimont has received numerous awards and honors for her music, including the Aaron Copland Award, the Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Academy Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She has also served as a composer-in-residence at several universities and music festivals, including the University of Minnesota, the MacDowell Colony, and the Aspen Music Festival. In addition to her work as a composer, Zaimont is also a respected music educator and scholar. She has taught at several universities, including the University of Minnesota, the Peabody Conservatory, and the University of Southern California. She has also written extensively on music, including articles and essays on contemporary music and the role of women in music.

More....