Role

:

Composer Performer

Birth

:

August 30, 1960 in Philadelphia, PA

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

 

Vocal

 

Frances White is a contemporary classical music composer who was born in 1960 in the United States. She grew up in a musical family, with her mother being a pianist and her father a composer. White began playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the flute and guitar. She attended the University of California, San Diego, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a Master of Fine Arts in Composition. White's early compositions were influenced by the minimalist movement, which was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. However, she soon began to develop her own unique style, which incorporates elements of minimalism, spectralism, and improvisation. Her music is characterized by its use of extended techniques, such as multiphonics and microtones, and its exploration of the timbral possibilities of acoustic instruments. One of White's most notable works is "Centre Bridge," which was commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation and premiered in 1997. The piece is scored for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, and is inspired by the Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge in Pennsylvania. The music is characterized by its use of long, sustained tones and its exploration of the harmonic series. The piece has been performed by numerous ensembles, including the Arditti Quartet and the New York New Music Ensemble. Another notable work by White is "The Ocean Inside," which was commissioned by the American Composers Forum and premiered in 2003. The piece is scored for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, and is based on the poetry of Pablo Neruda. The music is characterized by its use of extended techniques, such as multiphonics and glissandi, and its exploration of the textural possibilities of the ensemble. The piece has been performed by numerous ensembles, including the Da Capo Chamber Players and the New York New Music Ensemble. White has also composed several works for solo instruments, including "The Old Rose Reader" for solo flute and "The Book of Roses" for solo guitar. These pieces are characterized by their use of extended techniques and their exploration of the timbral possibilities of the instruments. In addition to her work as a composer, White is also a professor of music at Mills College in Oakland, California. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Fromm Foundation Commission. Her music has been performed by ensembles and orchestras around the world, and she is considered one of the leading composers of her generation.

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