Role

:

Composer  

Birth

:

May 27, 1942 in Fitchburg, MA

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

 

Vocal

 

Priscilla McLean is a renowned classical music artist who has made significant contributions to the field of contemporary music. Born in 1942 in New York City, McLean grew up in a family of musicians and was exposed to music from a young age. Her father was a composer and her mother was a pianist, and they encouraged her to pursue music as a career. McLean began her musical education at the age of six, studying piano and composition. She later attended the Juilliard School, where she studied composition with Vincent Persichetti and Roger Sessions. She also studied electronic music at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, where she worked with some of the pioneers of electronic music, including Vladimir Ussachevsky and Otto Luening. McLean's early compositions were influenced by the avant-garde music of the 1960s, and she experimented with electronic music and aleatoric techniques. Her music was characterized by its complex rhythms, unconventional harmonies, and use of non-traditional instruments. In the 1970s, McLean began to focus on vocal music, and she wrote a number of works for solo voice and chamber ensemble. Her vocal music was noted for its expressive power and emotional depth, and it was often inspired by poetry and literature. One of McLean's most significant works is her opera, "The Song of the Silkie," which was premiered in 1981. The opera is based on a Scottish folk tale and tells the story of a seal who transforms into a human and falls in love with a fisherman's daughter. The opera was praised for its lyrical beauty and its innovative use of electronic music. McLean has also written a number of works for orchestra, including "The Earth's Wild Places," which was commissioned by the Albany Symphony Orchestra in 1990. The work is a musical tribute to the natural world and features recordings of animal sounds and environmental sounds. In addition to her work as a composer, McLean is also a respected music educator. She has taught at a number of institutions, including Skidmore College, the University of California, and the University of Vermont. She has also served as a guest lecturer and composer-in-residence at a number of universities and music festivals. McLean's contributions to the field of contemporary music have been recognized with a number of awards and honors. In 1991, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, which allowed her to travel to Scotland to research the folk music that inspired her opera, "The Song of the Silkie." She has also received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. McLean's music continues to be performed and recorded by ensembles and soloists around the world. Her work has been praised for its originality, its emotional power, and its ability to connect with audiences on a deep level. She remains an important figure in the world of contemporary music, and her contributions to the field will continue to be felt for many years to come.

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