Patricia Van Ness (born 1951) is an American composer living in

Saco, Maine Saco is a city in York County, Maine, York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General ...

, U.S.A. She is also the Staff Composer for First Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Van Ness's work draws upon elements of medieval and Renaissance music. She primarily composes vocal music, and has received especial acclaim for her work for women's voices. Her works have been commissioned and performed around the world, including by

The King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 19 ...

(UK), the Heidelberg New Music Festival Ensemble
Renaissance Men
Chanticleer, and the Mannerquartett Schnittpunktvokal (Austria), in the Celebrity Series in Boston, at the

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

Festival Orchestra, and by Peter Sykes, Coro Allegro, and the Harvard University Choir. Van Ness has received numerous awards and grants, including the 2011 Daniel Pinkham Award from Coro Allegro. Her nine-movement work "Nine Orders of the Angels" was included by the ensemble Tapestery on their recording "Sapphire Night," which received Europe's prestigious 2005

Echo Klassik The Echo Klassik, often stylized as ECHO Klassik, was Germany's major classical music award in 22 categories. The award, presented by the , was held annually, usually in October or September, separate from its parent award, the Echo Music Prize. Th ...

Prize.

Chamber Music America Chamber Music America (CMA) is an American non-profit organization that provides small ensemble professionals with access to a variety of professional development, networking, and funding resources. CMA's regular initiatives include grants, awards, ...

awarded "Album of the Year" to Tapestry's The Fourth River, which contained two of Van Ness's works. Her commissions include works for women's voices ("Nine Orders of the Angels," premiered by Tapestry, 1996; "May We Live In Peace," premiered by Boston Landmarks Orchestra, 2003), men's voices ("The Phoenix," commissioned by the

Boston Athenaeum Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most ...

, 2002), and mixed choir ("The Voice of the Tenth Muse," premiered by Coro Allegro, 1998). Her music has been included on recordings by Chanticleer, Coro Allegro, the Harvard University Choir, The King's Singers, Tapestry, The Choir of First Church Cambridge, Mannerquartet Schnittpunktvokal, and the

Radcliffe Choral Society The Radcliffe Choral Society (RCS) is a 60-voice treble choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1899, it is one of the country's oldest soprano-alto choruses and one of its most prominent collegiate choirs. With the tenor-bass Harvard ...

. Prior to her work in choral music, Patricia (then known as Patti), was a violinist and vocalist with the Boston-based rock ban
Private Lightning
which released one album on

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

in 1980.

References

External links

http://www.patriciavanness.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Ness, Patricia Living people 1951 births Musicians from Cambridge, Massachusetts 21st-century American composers