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Composer Performer

 

John B. Hedges was a classical music composer born on May 12, 1922, in New York City. He grew up in a family of musicians, with his father being a violinist and his mother a pianist. Hedges showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of five. He later learned to play the violin and the cello. Hedges attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, where he studied composition with William Schuman and Vincent Persichetti. He also studied conducting with Leonard Bernstein and Pierre Monteux. After graduating from Juilliard, Hedges worked as a freelance composer and conductor in New York City. Hedges' early works were influenced by the neoclassical style of Stravinsky and the serialism of Schoenberg. His first major work, the Symphony No. 1, was premiered by the New York Philharmonic in 1950. The symphony was well-received and established Hedges as a promising young composer. In the 1950s, Hedges began to experiment with electronic music. He composed several works for tape, including "Electronic Study No. 1" and "Electronic Study No. 2." These works were among the first electronic compositions to be performed in concert. Hedges' music continued to evolve throughout the 1960s and 1970s. He began to incorporate elements of jazz and rock music into his compositions. His Symphony No. 3, premiered in 1965, featured a jazz-influenced second movement. His Concerto for Electric Guitar and Orchestra, premiered in 1972, was one of the first concertos to feature an electric guitar as a solo instrument. Hedges' later works were characterized by a more tonal and accessible style. His Symphony No. 5, premiered in 1980, was a tribute to the music of Mozart. His Symphony No. 6, premiered in 1985, was a tribute to the music of Beethoven. Hedges was also a respected conductor. He conducted many of his own works as well as works by other composers. He was the music director of the New York City Ballet from 1956 to 1960 and the music director of the American Ballet Theatre from 1960 to 1964. Hedges received many awards and honors throughout his career. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1963 for his Symphony No. 2. He also received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987. John B. Hedges died on December 10, 1994, in New York City. He left behind a legacy of innovative and influential compositions that continue to be performed and admired today.

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