Elizabeth Brown Larsen (born December 24, 1950) is a contemporary American classical composer.
Along with composer
Stephen Paulus
Stephen Paulus (August 24, 1949 – October 19, 2014) was an American Grammy Award winning composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His style is essentially tonal, and melodic and romantic by nature.
His best-known piece is his 1 ...
, she is a co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the
American Composers Forum
The American Composers Forum is an American organization that works for the promotion and assistance of American composers and contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum and is based in Saint Paul, Minn ...
.
A former holder of the Papamarkou Chair at
John W. Kluge Center
The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress invites and welcomes scholars to the Library of Congress to conduct research and interact with policymakers and the public. It also manages the Kluge Scholars' Council and administers the Kluge ...
of the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
, Larsen has also held residencies with the
Minnesota Orchestra
The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall.
History
Em ...
, the
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Charlotte, North Carolina. As the largest and most active professional performing arts organization in the central Carolinas , the Charlotte Symphony plays approximately 100 perfo ...
and the
Colorado Symphony Orchestra
The Colorado Symphony is an American symphony orchestra located in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1989 as the successor to the Denver Symphony Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony performs in Boettcher Concert Hall, located in the Denver Performing ...
.
Biography
Early life
Libby Larsen was born on December 24, 1950, in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
, the daughter of Robert Larsen and Alice Brown Larsen.
She was the third of five daughters in the family,
and at the age of three, Libby and her family moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Her first musical experience dates from the time when she was three years old. She observed her older sister's piano lessons at home; later, she imitated what she had heard. Her formal music education began at the
Saint Joseph of Carondelet nuns at Christ the King School. All students sang
Gregorian Chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...
and learned to sight-read using
moveable ‘do’ solfege. The rhythmic flexibility and prosody of text Larsen learned in chant showed her that there is freedom in music, a concept that would prove to be very influential in her future compositions. In addition to her classical training, Larsen's father was an amateur clarinetist in a Dixieland band, and her mother played boogie-woogie on the record player, giving her a multifarious and very American musical background.
Musical career
Larsen attended the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
for both her undergraduate and graduate work. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theory and Composition in 1971, a Masters of Arts degree in Composition in 1975, and a PhD in Theory and Composition in 1978. Throughout her studies at university, she studied composition with
Dominick Argento
Dominick Argento (October 27, 1927 – February 20, 2019) was an American composer known for his lyric operatic and choral music. Among his best known pieces are the operas '' Postcard from Morocco'', '' Miss Havisham's Fire'', ''The Masque of An ...
,
Paul Fetler and
Eric Stokes.
In 1975, Larsen married her husband, James Reece, whom she met at university.
In 1973, Larsen co-founded the
Minnesota Composers Forum with colleague
Stephen Paulus
Stephen Paulus (August 24, 1949 – October 19, 2014) was an American Grammy Award winning composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His style is essentially tonal, and melodic and romantic by nature.
His best-known piece is his 1 ...
with the goal to provide a public platform and an audience for the creation and performance of new compositions, along with giving practical help in business matters such as applying for fellowships and negotiating contracts.
In 1996, the organization changed its name to the
American Composers Forum
The American Composers Forum is an American organization that works for the promotion and assistance of American composers and contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum and is based in Saint Paul, Minn ...
and established chapters in cities throughout the country including Texas Forth Worth Mesquite , Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, among others. Its base is still in St. Paul, Minnesota.
In 1983, Larsen was appointed one of the Minnesota Orchestra's two
composers-in-residence, making her the first woman to serve as a resident composer with a major orchestra.
She composed her first symphony, ''Water Music'', for the Minnesota Orchestra, which was premiered in 1985 under
Sir Neville Marriner
Sir Neville Marriner, (15 April 1924 – 2 October 2016) was an English violinist and "one of the world's greatest conducting, conductors". Gramophone (magazine), Gramophone lists Marriner as one of the 50 greatest conductors and another com ...
.
During her time with the Minnesota Orchestra, Larsen researched reasons for the low attendance of people of her own age at classical concerts and why non-European composers were not adequately represented in concert programs. This led her to studies of classical music in America and its place in American culture, the results of which she has explored in her compositions and other philosophical projects. In 1986, her daughter Wynne was born.
Larsen organized and became artistic director of the Hot Notes Series (sponsored by the
Schubert Club The Schubert Club, established in 1882, is a non-profit arts organization in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that promotes the art of music, particularly recital music.
Schubert Club Museum of Musical Instruments
The Club operates the Sc ...
of St. Paul) in 1993, which focuses on the modern keyboard, particularly on the interaction between performer and synthesized sound. This interaction has become a feature of her later works, including ''Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus'' (1990) based on the
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
by
Mary Shelley
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of scie ...
. This work used electronic visual effects such as projectors and screens around the theater which showed different perspectives (e.g. those of the monster or those of Frankenstein himself) throughout the opera. This opera was Larsen's first exploration of technological sound
and was selected as one of the eight best classical music events of 1990 by ''USA Today''.
In 1993, she won a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for producer of Best Classical Vocal Performance for "The Art of Arlene Augér", featuring her song cycle ''Sonnets from the Portuguese''. In 1996, she received Honorary Doctorates from both St. Mary's College/Notre Dame, and the
University of Nebraska
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, the ...
.
In addition to being known as a composer, Larsen is known as a musical philosopher and speaker. She has given keynote addresses at places such as the
League of American Orchestras
The League of American Orchestras, formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League, is a North American service organization with 700 member orchestras of all budget sizes and types, plus individual and institutional members.
Based in New York Ci ...
,
American Choral Directors Association
The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music. Its membership comprises approximately 22,000 c ...
, American Orff-Schulwerk Association National Convention, Concert Band Directors National Association, Dominique de Menil Presidential Lecture Series at
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...
(2001), Music Educators National Convention, and
National Association of Schools of Music
The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music. It was founded on October 20, 1924, and is based in Reston ...
.
From 2003-04, she served as the first Harissios Papamarkou Chair in Education and Technology at the Library of Congress.
In 2010, Larsen received a George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America.
Influences
When asked about her influences, Larsen responded, "To tell the truth, my teachers have come to me from unexpected places in my musical life. They have been poets, architects, painters and philosophers. The other way I really learn is by reading scores voraciously, from
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
to
Witold Lutosławski
Witold Roman Lutosławski (; 25 January 1913 – 7 February 1994) was a Polish composer and conductor. Among the major composers of 20th-century classical music, he is "generally regarded as the most significant Polish composer since Szyman ...
."
Style and approach
Her style and approach to music comes from her own philosophy on music. Her music comes from the sound she hears everyday around her in the world. It is noted for its "energy, optimism, rhythmic diversity, colourful orchestration, liberated tonality without harsh dissonance, and pervading lyricism."
The
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...
s used are often taken directly from the American language: "our own American language has beautiful rhythms in it; it is this American vernacular and the rhythm of our American life that is the language of my music." Pieces such as ''Holy Roller'' (about a revivalist preacher’s speech) and ''Bid Call'' (about auctioneering patterns) showcase this style. Larsen composes without barlines, preferring to first discover the natural flow of a line and then refine it until she finds a common meter, giving many of her compositions a feeling of free internal rhythm.
Awards
*1987 Distinguished Alumni Award
::presented by the University of Minnesota
*1988 National Opera Association Production Competition Award, “Christina Romana”
*1989 American Center for International Leadership—US/USSR Emerging Leaders Summit
*1992 Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Silver Medal
*1993 Grammy Award
:: for producer of Best Classical Vocal Performance for “The Art of Arlene Augér” featuring Larsen’s Sonnets from the Portuguese
*1996 Clarion Award, “The Road to Beijing”
*1996 Gustavus Adolphus Fine Arts Medal
*1996 Honorary Doctorate, St. Mary’s College/Notre Dame
*1996 Honorary Doctorate, University of Nebraska
*2000 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
*2001 Distinguished Minnesota Award
::presented by Bemidji State University
*2004 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts
::presented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
*2007 inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame
*2010 George Peabody Medal
Selected works
Opera
*''Clair de Lune'' (1984)
*''Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus'' (1990)
*''Barnum’s Bird'' (2000)
*''Dreaming Blue'' (2000)
Orchestral
*Symphony No. 1 “Water Music” (1985)
*Symphony No. 2 “Coming Forth Into Day” (1986)
*Marimba Concerto: After Hampton (1992)
*''Ring of Fire'' (1995)
*''Song-Dances to the Light'' (1995)
*Symphony No. 5: “Solo Symphony” (1999)
* “Still Life with Violin” (2000)
* “Evening in the Palace of Reason” (2008)
Band
*''Strut'' (2003)
*''An Introduction to the Moon'' (2005)
Choral
*”Who Cannot Weep Come Learn of Me” (1985)
*''Songs of Youth and Pleasure'' (1986)
*''The Settling Years'' (1988)
*"I Just Lightning" (1994)
*''Seven Ghosts'' (1995)
*''Today This Spring'' (1995)
*"By a Departing Light" (1999)
*''Four Valentines: A Lover’s Journey'' (2000)
*"Jack’s Valentine" (2001)
*"Womanly Song of God" (2003)
*''Western Songs'' (2005)
Vocal
*''Songs From Letters'' (1989)
*''Sonnets From the Portuguese'' (1991)
*''Love After 1950'' (2000)
*''Try Me, Good King: Last Words of the Wives of Henry VIII'' (2000)
*''This Unbearable Stillness: Songs from the Balcony'' (2003)
*''Sifting Through the Ruins'' (2005)
Instrumental
* “Four on the Floor” (1984)
* “Dancing Solo” (1994)
* “Slang” (1994)
* Concert Piece for Tuba and Piano (1995)
* “Holy Roller” (1997)
* “Barn Dances” (2001)
* “Bid Call” (2002)
* "Yellow Jersey" (2004)
* “Song Concerto” (2005)
* "Concert Piece for Bassoon and Piano" (2008)
Multimedia
* ''Matineé: The Fantom of the Fair'' (2014)
Carillon
* ''Pealing Fire'' (2004)
Featured discographyLibby Larsen: Featured Recordings
- accessed online March 24, 2011.
*''Dreaming Blue''
::An opera by Libby Larsen, the story of a child brought by a family into a new culture. Appleton Boychoir; Attic Theater, Inc.; Children’s Ballet Theatre; Fox Cities Performing Arts Center; Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra; Lawrence Academy of Music Girl Choir; University Drumming Group; White Heron Chorale; Brian Groner, conductor
*''I Just Lightning''
::Las Cantantes, The University of New Mexico Women’s Chorus; Bradley Ellingboe, conductor
*''Licorice Stick''
::Katarina Strom-Harg, piano; Stfan Harg, clarinet; Kathleen Roland, soprano; Asa Johannon, violin
*''Libby Larsen: Symphony no. 4 for Strings; Songs of Light and Love; Songs from Letters''
::Benita Valenta, soprano; Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Joel Revzen, conductor
*''Libby Larsen: Deep Summer Music; Concerto for Marimba: “After Hampton”, Symphony no. 5: “Solo Symphony”''
::John Kinzie, marimba; Colorado Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop, conductor
*''The Art of Arleen Augér''
::Featuring Larsen’s Sonnets from the Portuguese, also includes music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Henry Purcell, and Robert Schumann.
::Arleen Augér, soprano; Minnesota Orchestra, Members of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Joel Revzen, conductor.
::1993 Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance
*''Missa Gaia “Mass for the Earth”''
::Koch International Classics. Also includes music of Stephen Paulus and Samuel Barber.
::Oregon Repertory Singers; Gilbert Seeley, conductor
*''Grand Larsen-y: Vocal Music of Libby Larsen''
::Albany Records
::Benton Hess, piano; Terry Rhodes, soprano
*''The Eternal Feminine''
::Koch International Classics.
::Featuring Larsen’s Love After 1950, also includes music of Lisbeth Alexander-Katz, Amy Beach, Lili Boulanger, Rebecca Clarke, Alma Mahler, Clara Wieck Schumann, Elinor Remick Warren
::Susanne Mentzer, mezzo-soprano; Craig Rutenberg, piano
*''Journeys: Orchestral Works by American Women''
::Leonarda Productions, LE327, 1985.
::Featuring Larsen’s Overture--Parachute Dancing 1984, also includes music of Nancy Van De Vate, Kay Gardner, Marga Richter, Katherine Hoover, Ursula Mamlok, Jane Brockman.
::Bournemouth Sinfonietta, Arioso Chamber Orchestra, Carolann Martin: Conductor
References
External links
*
April 11, 1988
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larsen, Libby
1950 births
20th-century classical composers
21st-century American composers
21st-century classical composers
American classical composers
American women classical composers
American opera composers
Grammy Award winners
Living people
University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni
Women opera composers
20th-century American women musicians
20th-century American composers
21st-century American women musicians
Composers for carillon
20th-century women composers
21st-century women composers