Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

1960

Period

:

Contemporary

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Opera

 

 

Vocal

 

Sidney Corbett was a German-American composer who was born on May 9, 1960, in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in a family of musicians, with his father being a jazz pianist and his mother a classical pianist. Corbett began playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the violin and viola. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he studied composition with Salvatore Martirano and Ben Johnston. After completing his studies, Corbett moved to Germany in 1984, where he continued his education at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg. He studied composition with György Ligeti and conducting with Horst Stein. Corbett also attended the Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music, where he studied with Brian Ferneyhough and Klaus Huber. Corbett's early works were influenced by the American experimental music scene, particularly the work of John Cage and Morton Feldman. His compositions often featured extended techniques and unconventional notation, such as graphic scores and verbal instructions. In the 1990s, Corbett's style began to shift towards a more traditional approach, with a focus on melody and harmony. One of Corbett's most notable works is his opera "Der Turm" (The Tower), which premiered in 2008 at the Hamburg State Opera. The opera is based on the novel of the same name by Uwe Tellkamp and tells the story of a family living in East Germany during the 1980s. The music is a blend of traditional tonality and modernist techniques, with a focus on vocal writing. Another significant work by Corbett is his "String Quartet No. 2," which was commissioned by the Arditti Quartet and premiered in 1995. The piece is a complex exploration of timbre and texture, with each instrument playing a distinct role in the overall sound. The quartet has been praised for its innovative use of microtonality and unconventional playing techniques. Corbett's music has been performed by numerous ensembles and orchestras around the world, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Ensemble Modern, and the New York Philharmonic. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2011. In addition to his work as a composer, Corbett was also a respected teacher and mentor. He taught composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg and the University of California, San Diego. Many of his students have gone on to successful careers in music, including composers Johannes Kreidler and Johannes Schöllhorn. Sadly, Sidney Corbett passed away on March 24, 2021, at the age of 60. His contributions to the world of contemporary classical music will be remembered and celebrated for years to come.

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