Evan Chambers (born 1963, in

Alexandria, Louisiana Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the prin ...

) is a composer, traditional Irish fiddler, and Professor of Composition at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. He received a Doctorate in music composition from the

. His teachers include William Albright for whose Requiem he composed ''Lament'',

Leslie Bassett Leslie Raymond Bassett (22 January 1923 – 4 February 2016) was an American composer of classical music. Bassett received the 1966 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Bassett had a lifelong relationship with the University of Michigan School of Music. ...

, Nicholas Thorne, and Marilyn Shrude, with studies in electronic music with George Wilson and Burton Beerman. He is a member of the

Lindisfarne Association The Lindisfarne Association (1972–2012) was a nonprofit foundation and diverse group of intellectuals organized by cultural historian William Irwin Thompson for the "study and realization of a new planetary culture". It was inspired by the ph ...

. Chambers' compositions are deeply rooted in folk music, his own spirituality, and a keen comprehension of musical gesture and form. His works for large ensemble include ''The Old Burying Ground'' for soprano, tenor, folksinger and orchestra, ''Concerto for Fiddle and Violin'' for Irish fiddler, violin soloist, and orchestra; ''Three Islands'' for orchestra; ''The Tall-Eared Fox and the Wild-Eyed Man'' for string orchestra; and ''Polka Nation'' for wind ensemble. His chamber music includes ''Come Down Heavy'', ''Cold Water, Dry Stone'' and ''Crazed for the Flame''. His electronic music compositions include ''Rothko-Tobey Continuum'' for violin and tape and ''Cell Phone Java Bodhi Svaha'', with video by Andy Kirshner based on

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

-themed poetry by Chambers. Chambers' music has been recorded on the compact disks ''The Old Burying Ground'' ( Dorian Sono Luminus DSL-92113), ''Cold Water, Dry Stone'' (Albany, Troy 422), ''Brutal Reality'' (Albany, Troy 354), ''Simple Requests'' (Cambria CD-1088), "Collaborations" (Equilibrium CD-66), ''Alternating Currents'' (Centaur CRC 2492) and "Beyond the Red Line" (Mark Custom MCD-6537). In 2021, when University of Michigan composition faculty member

Bright Sheng Bright Sheng ( Chinese: 盛宗亮 pinyin: ''Shèng Zōngliàng''; born December 6, 1955) is a Chinese-born American composer, pianist and conductor. Sheng has earned many honors for his music and compositions, including a MacArthur Fellowship in ...

screened 90 minutes of Laurence Olivier's blackface performance of Othello for his undergraduate seminar without context or discussion, the students petitioned for his removal from the class and Evan Chambers gave the following quote to the campus newspaper: “To show the film now, especially without substantial framing, content advisory and a focus on its inherent racism is in itself a racist act, regardless of the professor’s intentions. We need to acknowledge that as a community.”

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University of Michigan faculty Musicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan American Buddhists Living people 21st-century classical composers 1963 births University of Michigan alumni 21st-century American composers American male classical composers American classical composers Classical musicians from Michigan 21st-century American male musicians {{US-composer-20thC-stub