Donald Reid Womack (born 1966) is a composer of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included seria ...

. He was born in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, raised in East

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

and studied at

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...

and

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

, receiving degrees in philosophy, music theory, and music composition. He has composed more than 100 works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and voice. Major works include a concerto for

shakuhachi A is a Japanese and ancient Chinese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the .

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

and orchestra (''After''), two gayageum concertos (''Scattered Rhythms'' and ''무노리 Mu Nori''), a haegeum concerto (''Dancing With Spirits 혼무''), a geomugno concerto (''검은 용 Black Dragon'') a violin concerto (''In questi tempi di Conflitto''), a viola concerto (''Blue Ridge Seasons''), an oratorio for

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

and

chamber orchestra Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numbe ...

(''Voices of Kalaupapa''), and a triple concerto for

biwa The is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute traditionally used in narrative storytelling. The is a plucked string instrument that first gained popularity in China before spreading throughout East Asia, eventually reaching Japan sometime duri ...

and koto with ensemble of Japanese instruments (''Three Trees 三木''). Womack's influences meld a broad range of sources, including

post-minimalism Postminimalism is an art term coined (as post-minimalism) by Robert Pincus-Witten in 1971Chilvers, Ian and Glaves-Smith, John, ''A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art'', second edition (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2009), p. ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, bluegrass, and especially intercultural elements — in particular East Asian instruments. He spent a year in

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

studying Japanese instruments, as well as a year in

Seoul, South Korea Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

learning Korean music, and has composed nearly 60 works for Japanese, Korean and Chinese instruments in various combinations. His music has been described as "original, creative and ingenious" (''Shimbun Akahata''), "powerful and impressively crafted" and "eclectic but also distinctive" (''Honolulu Star-Bulletin''), "raw energy alternating with a brooding potentiality" (''Honolulu Advertiser''), "wonderfully mellow and sprightly in its metrical incisiveness" (''Buffalo NY Daily News''), "capable of providing stimulus for a new century" ('' Neue Musikzeitung''), and as having "the concentration of a haiku." (''Classical CD Review'') Womack’s works have been performed throughout the U.S., as well as in many countries in Europe, Asia, Oceania, South America and Africa by such ensembles as the

Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra The , also known as Tokyō (都響), is one of the representative symphony orchestras of Japan. The Orchestra was founded in 1965 by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, to commemorate the Tokyo Olympics (1964 Summer Olympics). Currently Kazushi O ...

Louisville Orchestra The Louisville Orchestra is the primary orchestra in Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1937 by Robert Whitney (1904–1986) and Charles Farnsley, Mayor of Louisville. The Louisville Orchestra employs salaried musicians, and offers a wide ...

Honolulu Symphony The Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, formerly known as Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, was founded in 1900. It is the second oldest orchestra in the USA west of the Rocky Mountains. The orchestra now plays at Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall and the Hawaii The ...

, Changwon Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Korea, KBS Traditional Korean Orchestra, Seoul National Gugak Orchestra, Busan National Gugak Orchestra, Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Orchestra,

Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) is an American ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the group was established by composer David Stock in 1976. It has premiered over 20 ...

, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, Pro Music Nipponia (日本音楽集団), and AURA-J. Among his awards are a Guggenheim Fellowship, two

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

Research Fellowships, winner of the Gyeonggi Korean Orchestra International Composition Competition, First Prize in the

Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota () is a women's music fraternity. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its m ...

Inter-American Music Awards, two Individual Artist Fellowships from the

Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts The Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts was established by the Hawaii State Legislature in 1965 to "promote, perpetuate, preserve, and encourage culture and the arts, history and the humanities as central to the quality of life of the ...

, and an Excellence in Research Award from the University of Hawaii. Since 1994 Womack has resided in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, where he is professor of music composition and theory, and a faculty member of the Center for Japanese Studies and the Center for Korean Studies at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

References

Honolulu Star-Bulletin, March 30, 2003 (retrieved December 7, 2008)
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20081222045913/http://www.hawaii.edu/uhmmusic/ Donald Reid Womack profile at the University of Hawaii (retrieved December 7, 2008)

External links

Official websiteUniversity of Hawaii Music Department website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Womack, Donald Reid 1966 births Living people 21st-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Furman University alumni Bienen School of Music alumni 21st-century American composers Classical musicians from Virginia 21st-century American male musicians