Craig Hultgren is an American cellist and improvisor. Hultgren graduated from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

and at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

. He has taught at Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Alabama Birmingham and the Alabama School of Fine Arts, as well as teaching privately. Craig Hultgren is a cellist with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and has been a member of several chamber groups such as the Chagall Trio, the Luna Nova Ensemble, and the Ensemble for contemporary chamber music Thamyris. He is an active performer and performs regularly as a soloist on the cello and e-cello. Hultgren also made a name for himself among improvisational musicians. "Hultgren, who is no stranger to avant grade music, considers himself an activist for new music" For more than 10 years, Craig Hultgren also organizes his Solo Cello Works Biennial presenting new works from composers around the world. presenting the new works for the cello. "Craig Hultgren has become a magnet for composers seeking first hearings of their cello works." For him, more than 100 works were composed by contemporary composers, including works for the electric cello and multi-media works by Tiffany Benton, Kari Besharse,

Noah Creshevsky Noah Creshevsky (January 31, 1945 – December 3, 2020) was a composer and electronic musician born in Rochester, New York. He used the term hyperrealism to describe his work. Biography Trained in composition by Nadia Boulanger in Paris and Lucia ...

, J. Nickitas Demos, Brian Moon, Veselin Nikolov, Philip Schuessler,

Robert Scott Thompson Robert Scott Thompson (born 1959, California) is a composer of ambient, instrumental and electroacoustic music. He earned the B.Mus. degree from the University of Oregon and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, San Diego. H ...

, and

Robert Voisey Robert Voisey (born 1969) is a composer and producer of electroacoustic and chamber music. He founded Vox Novus in 2000 to promote the music of contemporary composers and in 2001 created The American Composer Timeline, the first in-depth listi ...

He is a member of the New Directions Cello Association, past President of the Birmingham Art Music Alliance and former President of the Birmingham Art Association, where he instituted the Birmingham Improv, an improvisational festival held annually for ten years. In 2004, the Birmingham Sidewalk Film Festival 48-Hour Short Film Rush cited him for the best soundtrack creation for the film The Silent Treatment. In 2013, Craig Hultgren participated in

Vox Novus Vox Novus is a New York City-based organization consisting of composers, musicians, and music enthusiasts which presents and supports new music. Vox Novus was founded by Robert Voisey to promote contemporary composers in 2000. This organization ...

's Fifteen Minutes of Fame founded by

"Few performers could, or would, take up such a gauntlet, and he came through admirably" The Fifteen Minutes of Fame set of 15 composers was subtitled ''Occupy Cello -- Upsetting the Musical Status Quo'' and cellist Craig Hultgren's performance in Alabama was praised for his "herculean effort to shift styles and sensibilities at a moment's notice" Hultgren performed at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

for

Dorothy Hindman Dorothy Hindman (born March 13, 1966) is an American composer and music educator. Early life and studies Born in Miami, Florida on March 13, 1966, Hindman had intense early exposure to classical music from her mother, Dorothy Hindman Lyon, a gi ...

's Retrospective, "played with impressive poise and sensitivity by cellist Craig Hultgren, ... using bystander video from Gray’s arrest for both spoken words and pitch sources. Rough Ride is more abstract and more powerful, the cello line shining and abrading, like fiberglass threads, the fragmented text outlining a sense of tragedy."

Interviews, Articles and Reviews

Dorothy Hindman’s range of expression on display in retrospective
By George Grella, New York Classical Review March 9, 2016 at 12:40 pm
''Cellist Craig Hultgren delivers mixed show, one minute at a time''
By Michael Huebner, Al.com, May 30, 2013
Interview of Craig Hultgren on WBHM
By Michael Huebner, AL.com May 21, 2013

By Michael Huebner,

The Birmingham News ''The Birmingham News'' is the principal newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States. The paper is owned by Advance Publications and was a daily newspaper from its founding through September 30, 2012. After that day, the ''News'' and its two ...

, March 28, 2010
''Atlanta: Breaking Out New Cello Music''
By Mark Gresham,

New Music Box ''NewMusicBox'' is an e-zine launched by the American Music Center on May 1, 1999. The magazine includes interviews and articles concerning American contemporary music, composers, improvisers, and musicians. A few interviews include renowned A ...

September 20, 2005

Discography

*''Music of the Next Moment '' Released 1996 - Innova Recordings *''Electro-Acoustic Cello Book'' Living Artist Recordings

References

External links

Craig Hultgren - Extended Techniques for Cello Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Occupy Cello
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hultgren, Craig Living people American classical cellists Contemporary classical music performers Year of birth missing (living people)