Marjorie Maxine Rusche (born 18 November 1949) is an American composer, conductor, and pianist who has composed several operas and was a founding member of the Minnesota Composers Forum (known today as 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 ...

Biography

Rusche was born in

Sturgeon Bay Sturgeon Bay is an arm of Green Bay extending southeastward approximately 10 miles into the Door Peninsula at the city of Sturgeon Bay, located approximately halfway up the Door Peninsula. The bay is connected to Lake Michigan by the Sturge ...

, Wisconsin. She earned a M.A. from 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 ...

(Minneapolis) and a D.M.A. from

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 ...

. Her teachers included

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 ...

and

Paul Fetler Paul Fetler (February 17, 1920 – July 7, 2018; born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American composer. He received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and was taught composition by David Van Vactor. Following his bachelor's, ...

. Rusche served in the U.S.

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...

in Kenya. Over the years, she has taught various music courses at

Columbia College Chicago Columbia College Chicago is a Private college, private art college in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1890, it has 5,928https://about.colum.edu/effectiveness/pdf/spring-2021-student-profile.pdf students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergra ...

;

Indiana University South Bend Indiana University South Bend (IU South Bend) is a public university in South Bend, Indiana. It is the third largest and northernmost campus of Indiana University. History Indiana University began offering classes in South Bend in 1922 as an ...

; Saint Mary’s College; Southwestern Michigan College; and the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

. Rusche has received awards, commissions, and grants from: American Chamber Opera Company, New York City; Columbia College Chicago Follett Fellowship; DANCECIRCUS, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; DuPage Chorale/American Composers Forum (Chicago chapter); Gotham Ensemble, New York City; Indiana Music Teachers Association Convention; Indiana State Arts Board Individual Composer Fellowship; Indiana University Curriculum Development Grant; Indianapolis Symphonic Choir;

Jerome Foundation James Jerome Hill II (March 2, 1905 – November 21, 1972) was an American filmmaker and artist known for his award-winning documentary and experimental films. Career Hill was the child of railroad executive Louis W. Hill. He was educated at Ya ...

, St. Paul, Minnesota; Masterworks Chorale, Muncie, Indiana;

McKnight Foundation The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in ...

, St. Paul;

Meet The Composer New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media progra ...

-Midwest; Meet The Composer-New York; Minnesota Composers Forum/Jerome Foundation; Minnesota State Arts Board; Portland, Oregon, Regional Arts Commission Grant; Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir;

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 ...

, St. Paul; Skylight Comic Opera Theater, Milwaukee; South Bend Chamber Singers; South Bend Symphony Orchestra; University of Notre Dame Chorale; and USA Projects, Artists2Artists Fund, USA Open Matching Fund, Cheswyter Music Commissioning Fund (American Composers Forum) and 30 individual donors. A charter member of the Minnesota Composers Forum (today known as the American Composers Forum), Rusche also belongs to the

American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

(ASCAP), College Music Society,

International Alliance for Women in Music The International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) is an international membership organization of women and men dedicated to fostering and encouraging the activities of women in music, particularly in the areas of musical activity, such as compos ...

New Music USA New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media program ...

, and

Opera America __NOTOC__ Opera America, styled OPERA America, is a New York-based service organization promoting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera in the United States. Almost all professional opera companies and some semi-professional companies i ...

. Rusche composes in many different genres. Her works have been broadcast and performed internationally and throughout the United States. Her compositions include:

Chamber

Auld Robin Gray Auld Robin Gray is the title of a Scots ballad written by the Scottish poet Lady Anne Lindsay in 1772. Robin Gray is a good old man who marries a young woman already in love with a man named Jamie. Jamie goes away to sea in order to earn money s ...

(soprano, flute, piccolo, piano) *Pentagram (flute and guitar) *Quintet (flute, clarinet, horn, violin, cello) *Sonata (flute and piano) *Talisman (flute) *Woodwind Trilogy (flute, oboe, clarinet, A clarinet, bassoon)

Operas

*Dance of Death (libretto by Dan Pinkerton) *Scarlet Letter (libretto after

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

) *She Stoops to Conquer (libretto by

Olivia Goldsmith Olivia Goldsmith (January 1, 1949 – January 15, 2004) was an American author, known for her first novel ''The First Wives Club'' (1992), which was adapted into the 1996 film of the same name. Biography She was born Randy Goldfield and grew u ...

)

Orchestra

*Concerto for Cor Anglais

Vocal

*After Reading St. John the Divine (text by Gene Derwood) *An Irish Airman Foresees His Death (text by

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...

) *Hanging Man (text by

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, ''The ...

) *I Can Wade Grief (text by

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massach ...

) *I Heard a Fly Buzz (text by Emily Dickinson)
Hear music by Marjorie Rusche

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rusche, Marjorie American opera composers American women opera composers 1949 births Living people University of Minnesota alumni Columbia College Chicago faculty University of Notre Dame faculty Indiana University South Bend faculty