Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

October 10, 1897 in Raleigh, NC

Death

:

January 21, 1959

Genre

:

Chamber

 

Lamar Stringfield was an American composer and conductor who was born on June 17, 1897, in Durham, North Carolina. He was the son of a prominent lawyer and a music teacher, and he grew up in a family that valued education and the arts. Stringfield showed an early interest in music, and he began studying piano and violin at a young age. Stringfield's musical education continued at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied composition with Ernest Bloch and piano with Harold Bauer. After graduating in 1918, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. He studied composition with Nadia Boulanger and piano with Isidor Philipp, and he also worked as a freelance pianist and conductor. In 1921, Stringfield returned to North Carolina to become the music director of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. He held this position for five years, during which time he established the orchestra as one of the leading ensembles in the Southeast. He also began to compose his own music, and his works were performed by the Charlotte Symphony and other orchestras in the region. In 1926, Stringfield moved to New York City to become the music director of the Little Symphony Society. He held this position for two years, during which time he conducted concerts of contemporary music and premiered works by composers such as Aaron Copland and Virgil Thomson. He also continued to compose his own music, and his works were performed by the Little Symphony Society and other ensembles in New York City. In 1928, Stringfield moved to Paris to study with the composer Paul Dukas. He remained in Paris for two years, during which time he composed several works that were influenced by French music and culture. He also became friends with other American composers who were living in Paris, including George Gershwin and Virgil Thomson. After returning to the United States in 1930, Stringfield settled in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he became the director of the newly-formed North Carolina Symphony Orchestra. He held this position for 18 years, during which time he established the orchestra as one of the leading ensembles in the Southeast. He also continued to compose his own music, and his works were performed by the North Carolina Symphony and other orchestras in the region. Stringfield's music was characterized by its lyricism, its use of folk melodies and rhythms, and its incorporation of elements of jazz and other popular music styles. His most famous work is his Suite for Strings, which was premiered by the North Carolina Symphony in 1939 and has since become a staple of the string orchestra repertoire. Other notable works include his Piano Concerto, his Symphony No. 1, and his Appalachian Suite. In addition to his work as a composer and conductor, Stringfield was also a dedicated music educator. He taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at Duke University, and he was a founding member of the North Carolina School of the Arts. He also wrote several books on music education, including The American Folk Song in the Schoolroom and The American String Teacher's Handbook. Lamar Stringfield died on December 5, 1959, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He is remembered as one of the leading composers and conductors of his generation, and his music continues to be performed and recorded by orchestras and ensembles around the world.

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