Short bio Ellen Taaffe Zwilich
Birthday:
1939 in Miami, FL
Active:
1970s - 2020s
Genre:
Classical
Period:
20th Century, Contemporary
Full biography Ellen Taaffe Zwilich
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich is an American composer born on April 30, 1939 in Miami, Florida. She is widely considered one of the foremost American composers of her time.
Zwilich began her musical training at a young age, studying piano and violin. She later attended Florida State University, where she received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1960. She subsequently went on to study composition at the Juilliard School, where she earned her Master's degree in 1965.
Zwilich's career as a composer has been marked by numerous accolades and honors. In 1983, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Symphony No. 1. She has also been awarded the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Chamber Music Prize, the Arturo Toscanini Music Critics Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship, among many others.
Zwilich's music is renowned for its accessibility and diversity. She has written works for a wide range of ensembles, including symphonies, chamber music, and solo pieces. Her style is characterized by its use of tonality and expressive melodies, as well as an emphasis on lyricism and emotional expression.
Zwilich's contributions to contemporary classical music have been significant and far-reaching. She has worked tirelessly to promote the music of living composers, and has been an advocate for the inclusion of women and minorities in the field. She continues to compose today, and her work continues to inspire and captivate audiences around the world.
Compositions featuring Ellen Taaffe Zwilich
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cello Concerto | 18:42 min | Concerto | 2020 |
| 2 | Elegy, Soliloquy & Epilogue, for flute & string orchestra ("Concerto Elegia") | 15:23 min | Concerto | 2015 |
| 3 | Fantasy for violin | 6:35 min | Chamber Music | 2014 |
| 4 | Quintet for violin, viola, cello, double bass & piano | 20:35 min | Chamber Music | 2010 |
| 5 | Septet for piano trio & string quartet | 22:38 min | Chamber Music | 2008 |
| 6 | Oboe Quartet, for oboe, violin, viola & cello | 13:35 min | Chamber Music | 2004 |
| 7 | Rituals, for 5 percussionists & orchestra | 25:57 min | Concerto | 2002 |
| 8 | Clarinet Concerto | 27:55 min | Concerto | 2001 |
| 9 | Millennium Fantasy, for piano & orchestra | 20:21 min | Concerto | 2000 |
| 10 | Lament for piano | 6:28 min | Keyboard | 1999 |
| 11 | Concerto for Violin & Orchestra | 26:01 min | Concerto | 1998 |
| 12 | Peanuts Gallery, for piano & orchestra | 14:29 min | Concerto | 1996 |
| 13 | Concerto for violin, cello, piano & orchestra ("Triple Concerto") | 22:20 min | Concerto | 1995 |
| 14 | Simple Magnificat, A for chorus & organ | 5:25 min | Choral | 1994 |
| 15 | Romance for violin & chamber orchestra | 6:45 min | Concerto | 1993 |
| 16 | Concerto for horn & string orchestra | 14:09 min | Concerto | 1993 |
| 17 | Symphony No. 3 | 19:51 min | Symphony | 1992 |
| 18 | Bassoon Concerto | 16:56 min | Concerto | 1992 |
| 19 | Concerto for violin, cello & orchestra | 17:07 min | Concerto | 1991 |
| 20 | Quintet for clarinet, 2 violins, viola & cello | 18:00 min | Chamber Music | 1990 |
| 21 | Oboe Concerto | 17:23 min | Concerto | 1990 |
| 22 | Concerto for bass trombone, strings timpani & cymbals | Concerto | 1989 | |
| 23 | Flute Concerto | 18:12 min | Concerto | 1989 |
| 24 | Bass Trombone Concerto | 19:26 min | Concerto | 1989 |
| 25 | Symbolon for orchestra | 14:56 min | Orchestral | 1988 |
| 26 | Praeludium for organ | 8:19 min | Keyboard | 1987 |
| 27 | Piano Trio | 15:42 min | Chamber Music | 1987 |
| 28 | Thanksgiving Song for chorus & piano | 3:04 min | Vocal Music | 1986 |
| 29 | Piano Concerto | 24:49 min | Concerto | 1986 |
| 30 | Images, for 2 pianos & orchestra | 17:59 min | Concerto | 1986 |
| 31 | Symphony No. 2 ("Cello Symphony") | 25:36 min | Symphony | 1985 |
| 32 | Concerto grosso | 14:05 min | Concerto | 1985 |
| 33 | Concerto for Trumpet & Five Players | 13:50 min | Concerto | 1984 |
| 34 | Celebration for orchestra | 8:24 min | Orchestral | 1984 |
| 35 | Double Quartet for 8 strings | 20:49 min | Chamber Music | 1984 |
| 36 | Prologue and Variations for orchestra | 12:57 min | Orchestral | 1983 |
| 37 | Symphony No. 1: Three Movements for Orchestra | 17:42 min | Symphony | 1982 |
| 38 | Passages for soprano & chamber ensemble (or orchestra) | 24:08 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | 1981 |
| 39 | Chamber Symphony | 15:25 min | Symphony | 1979 |
| 40 | Clarino Quartet for 4 trumpets | 9:01 min | Chamber Music | 1977 |
| 41 | String Quartet | 13:34 min | Chamber Music | 1974 |
| 42 | Sonata in Three Movements for violin & piano | 12:55 min | Chamber Music | 1973 |
| 43 | Concerto for tenor trombone & orchestra | 20:28 min | Concerto | 19?? |
| 44 | Fantasy for Harpsichord | 7:15 min | Keyboard | - |
| 45 | Quintet for alto saxophone & string quartet | 16:57 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 46 | Music Kitchen Interplay, for voice & violin (part of collaborative song cycle "Forgotten Voices") | 4:26 min | Vocal Music | - |
| 47 | Symphony No. 4 for chorus, children's chorus & orchestra ("The Gardens") | 26:43 min | Symphony | - |
Albums featuring Ellen Taaffe Zwilich
| # | Сover | Name album | Year | Music label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Cello Concerto And Other Works(CD, Stereo) | 2022 | Delos |
| 2 |  |
George Rochberg, Michael Anderson (45), Leo Brouwer, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Phillip Evans (2), Almeida Prado, Thomas L. McKinley, John Sharpley (3), Roberta Rust – Direct Contact(CD, Album) | 2019 | Navona Records |
| 3 |  |
Zwilich, Higdon, Auerbach, Shannon Thomas (2), Frank Huang (2) – Celebrating Women Composers(CD, Album) | 2018 | Blue Griffin Recording |
| 4 |  |
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Jeffrey Biegel, Read Gainsford, Heidi Louise Williams, Florida State University Symphony Orchestra, Alexander Jiménez – Millennium Fantasy / Images / Peanuts® Gallery(CD, Album) | 2010 | Naxos |
| 5 |  |
Amy Beach / Ellen Taaffe Zwilich / Joan Tower - The Arcos Trio – Big Sky (Chamber Music Of American Women Composers)(CD, ) | 2008 | White Pine Music |
| 6 |  |
The Chamber Music Society Of Lincoln Center, David Shifrin - John Corigliano / Ellen Taaffe Zwilich / Bright Sheng / Joan Tower / Bruce Adolphe – Five American Clarinet Quintets(2×CD, ) | 1998 | Delos |
| 7 |  |
New York Concert Singers Conductor Judith Clurman, Robert Beaser, Aaron Jay Kernis, Stephen Paulus, Simon Sargon, John Schlenck, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Judith Shatin – Divine Grandeur(CD, Album) | 1997 | New World Records |
| 8 |  |
Benjamin Lees, Leonardo Balada, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Lorin Maazel – Benjamin Lees · Ellen Taaffe Zwilich · Leonardo Balada(CD, Album) | 1996 | New World Records |
| 9 |  |
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich - James Sedares, The Louisville Orchestra, John Mack (2) – Concerto For Oboe And Orchestra, Symphony No. 3, Concerto Grosso(CD, Album) | 1995 | Koch International Classics |
| 10 |  |
Druckman, Harbison, Schwantner, Zwilich – Ensemble 21 (4) / Arthur Weisberg – Voices Within(CD, Stereo) | 1995 | Summit Records (3) |
| 11 |  |
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich And Eleanor Cory – Music Of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich And Eleanor Cory(CD, Compilation, Reissue) | 1993 | Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI) |
| 12 |  |
Doriot Anthony Dwyer - Zwilich, Piston, Bernstein - London Symphony Orchestra / James Sedares – Doriot Anthony Dwyer, Flute(CD, ) | 1992 | Koch International Classics |
| 13 |  |
The Louisville Orchestra, Lawrence Leighton Smith - Donaldson V. Lawhead / Paul Hindemith / Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – Aleost / Concerto For Piano And Orchestra / Symphony No. 2, "Cello Symphony"(CD, ) | 1990 | First Edition Records |
| 14 |  |
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich - Zubin Mehta, New York Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic Ensembles, Philip Smith (3) – Symbolon / Concerto Grosso 1985 / Double Quartet / Concerto For Trumpet And Five Players | 1989 | New World Records |
| 15 |  |
Music By Ellen Taaffe Zwilich | 1987 | Cambridge Records |
| 16 |  |
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich - Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, John Nelson (5) – Symphony No. 1 / Celebration / Prologue And Variations | 1986 | New World Records |
| 17 |  |
Lydian Trio - Zwilich / Villa-Lobos – Trio / String Trio(LP, Album, Stereo) | 1985 | Rizzoli |
| 18 |  |
Passages; String Trio(LP) | 1984 | Northeastern Records |
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