Steven Edward Stucky (November 7, 1949 − February 14, 2016) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer. Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Life and career

Stucky was born in Hutchinson, Kansas. At age 9, he moved with his family to

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan stati ...

, where, as a teenager, he studied music in the public schools and, privately, viola with Herbert Preston, conducting with Leo Scheer, and composition with Macon Sumerlin. He attended

Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...

and

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

. Stucky worked with Karel Husa and Daniel Sternberg. Stucky wrote commissioned works for many of the major American orchestras, including

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Los Angeles,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. He was long associated with the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

, where he was resident composer 1988–2009 (the longest such affiliation in American orchestral history); he was host of the New York Philharmonic's Hear & Now series 2005–09; and he was Pittsburgh Symphony Composer of the Year for the 2011–12 season. For Pittsburgh, he composed '' Silent Spring'', in honor of the 50th anniversary of Rachel Carson's epochal book of the same title. He teamed with the celebrated pianist and author

Jeremy Denk Jeremy Denk (born May 16, 1970 in Durham, North Carolina) is an American classical pianist. Early life Denk did not come from a musical family. After several years in New Jersey, his family settled in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he grew up. H ...

to create his first opera, ''

The Classical Style ''The Classical Style: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven'' is a book by the American pianist and author Charles Rosen. The book analyses the evolution of style during the Classical period of classical music as it was developed through the works of Joseph ...

'' (based on the celebrated book by

Charles Rosen Charles Welles Rosen (May 5, 1927December 9, 2012) was an American pianist and writer on music. He is remembered for his career as a concert pianist, for his recordings, and for his many writings, notable among them the book '' The Classical St ...

), which premiered in June 2014 at the Ojai Music Festival. Other noteworthy compositions by Stucky include the symphonic poem ''

Radical Light ''Radical Light'' is a single-movement orchestral composition by the American composer Steven Stucky. The work was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic with contributions from Lenore and Bernard Greenberg. It was premiered October 18, 20 ...

'' (2007), ''

Rhapsodies for Orchestra ''Rhapsodies for Orchestra'' is a single-movement orchestral composition by the American composer Steven Stucky. The work was jointly commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and the BBC for the Philharmonic's European tour in August and Septemb ...

'' (2008), the oratorio ''

August 4, 1964 ''August 4, 1964'' is an oratorio for mezzo-soprano, soprano, tenor, baritone, choir, and orchestra written by the American composer Steven Stucky with a libretto by Gene Scheer. It was commissioned by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in honor of ...

'' (2008), a

Symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning ...

(2012), and his Second Concerto for Orchestra (2003), which won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Stucky was an expert on the Polish composer

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 ...

and authored the 1981 study ''Lutoslawski and His Music''. He also was curator of the Philharmonia Orchestra's 2013 centenary celebration of that composer
''Woven Words: Music Begins Where Words End''
Stucky was the Given Foundation Professor of Composition at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teac ...

in Ithaca, New York. There he founded Ensemble X and led it for nine seasons, from 1997 until 2006, while at the same time he also was the guiding force behind the celebrated Green Umbrella series in Los Angeles. He has also taught at Eastman and Berkeley, the latter as Ernest Bloch Professor in 2003. After several earlier teaching and conducting visits, in 2013 he became artist-faculty composer-in-residence at the

Aspen Music Festival and School The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) is a classical music festival held annually in Aspen, Colorado. It is noted both for its concert programming and the musical training it offers to mostly young-adult music students. Founded in 1949, the ...

. In 2014 he became Professor Emeritus at Cornell and joined the composition faculty at the Juilliard School. Among the composers who studied with Stucky are

Joseph Phibbs Joseph Phibbs (born 25 April 1974) is an English composer of orchestral, choral and chamber music. He has also composed for theatre, both in the UK and Japan. Since 1998 he has written regularly to commissions for Festivals (including for Chelten ...

, Marc Mellits, Robert Paterson, David Conte, Thomas C. Duffy,

Yotam Haber Yotam Haber is a composer based in Kansas City. He is a 2005 Guggenheim fellow, a 2007 Rome Prize winner in Music Composition., and was named a 2023-2024 Fulbright Distinguished Senior Scholar, teaching and researching at the Jerusalem Academy of ...

, James Matheson, Steven Burke, Xi Wang, Spencer Topel, Diego Vega, Fang Man, Anna Weesner,

Hannah Lash Han Lash (born 1981) is an American composer of concert music who has taught at Yale School of Music, Mannes School of Music, and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Biography Han Lash was born in Alfred, New York, USA on November ...

, Andrew Waggoner, Stephen Andrew Taylor, Sean Shepherd, Chris Arrell and Jesse Jones. He taught master classes and served residencies around the world, including at the

Central Conservatory of Music The Central Conservatory of Music () is a prestigious leading public music school of China and a member of Double First Class University Plan and former Project 211. Its campus is in the Xicheng District of Beijing, China, near Fuxingmen Stati ...

in Beijing, the

Shanghai Conservatory of Music The Shanghai Conservatory of Music () was founded on November 27, 1927, as the first music institution of higher education in China. Its teachers and students have won awards at home and abroad, thus earning the conservatory the name "the crad ...

, the

Cleveland Institute of Music The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1920 by Ernest Bloch, it enrolls 325 students in the conservatory and approximately 1,500 students in the preparatory and continuing educat ...

, the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universitie ...

, Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, the

Tanglewood Music Center The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops. The center operates as a part of the Tanglewo ...

, and many others. Stucky died of brain cancer at his home in Ithaca, New York on February 14, 2016. His survivors include his second wife, Kristen Frey Stucky, his two children from his first marriage to Melissa Stucky, Matthew and Maura, two brothers, and two sisters.

Compositions

Orchestral

*''Kenningar'' (Symphony No. 4) (1977–78) *''Transparent Things: In Memoriam V.N.'' (1980) *Double Concerto (1982–85, rev. 1989), for violin, oboe/

oboe d'amore The oboe d'amore (; Italian for "oboe of love"), less commonly , is a double reed woodwind musical instrument in the oboe family. Slightly larger than the oboe, it has a less assertive and a more tranquil and serene tone, and is considered the me ...

& chamber orchestra *''Voyages'' (1983–84), for cello & orchestral winds *'' Dreamwaltzes'' (1986) * Concerto for Orchestra No. 1 (1986–87) *'' Son et Lumière'' (1988) *''Threnos'' (1988), for wind ensemble *''Angelus'' (1989–90) *''Anniversary Greeting'' (1991) *''Impromptus'' (1991) *''Funeral Music for Queen Mary (after Purcell)'' (1992), for orchestral winds *''To Whom I Said Farewell'' (1992, rev. 2003), for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra *''Fanfare for Los Angeles'' (1993) *''Ancora'' (1994) *''Fanfares and Arias'' (1994), for wind ensemble *''Fanfare for Cincinnati'' (1994) * Concerto for Two Flutes and Orchestra (1994) *'' Pinturas de Tamayo'' (1995) *''Music for Saxophones and Strings'' (1996) *'' Concerto Mediterraneo'' (1998), for guitar & orchestra *''Escondido Fanfare'' (1998) *''American Muse'' (1999), for baritone & orchestra *Concerto for Percussion and Wind Orchestra (2001) *''Colburn Variations'' (2002), for string orchestra *''Etudes'' (2002),

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ty ...

for recorder & chamber orchestra *'' Spirit Voices'' (2002–03),

for percussion & orchestra * Second Concerto for Orchestra (2003) *'' Jeu de timbres'' (2003) *''Hue and Cry'' (2006), for wind ensemble *''

'' (2006–07) *''

'' (2008) *Chamber Concerto (2009) *'' Silent Spring'' (2011) *

(2012)

Opera

*'' The Classical Style: An Opera (of Sorts)'' (2013–14), libretto by

, after the book by

Choral

*''Spring and Fall: To a Young Child'' (1972), for a cappella SATB choir *''Drop, drop, slow tears'' (1979), for a cappella SSAATTBB choir *''Cradle Songs'' (1997), for a cappella SATB choir *''To Musick'' (2000), for a cappella men's choir *''Skylarks'' (2001), for a cappella S.A. & SATB choir *''Whispers'' (2002), for a cappella SATB soli & SATTBB choir *''Three New Motets'' (2005), for a cappella double SATB choir ''(O admirabile commercium, O sacrum convivium, O vos omnes)'' *''Eyesight'' (2007), for a cappella SATB choir *''

'' (2007–08), for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor & baritone soli, SATB choir & orchestra *''The Kingdom of God (In No Strange Land)'' (2008), for a cappella SATB choir *''Gravity’s Dream'' (2009), for a cappella SATB choir *''Say Thou Dost Love Me'' (2012) for a cappella SATB choir *''Take Him, Earth'' (2012) for SATB choir with chamber orchestra *''Winter Stars'' (2014) for a cappella SATB choir *''The Music of Light'' (2015) for double a cappella SATB choir

Chamber

*''Duo'' (1969), for viola & cello *''Movements'' (1970), for four celli *Quartet (1972–73), for clarinet, viola, cello & piano *''Movements III.: Seven Sketches'' (1976), for flute & clarinet *''Refrains'' (1976), for five percussion *''Notturno'' (1981), for alto saxophone & piano *''Varianti'' (1982), for flute, clarinet & piano *''Boston Fancies'' (1985), for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola & cello *Serenade (1990), for wind quintet *''Birthday Fanfare'' (1993), for three trumpets *''Salute'' (1997), for flute, clarinet, horn, trombone, percussion, piano, violin & cello *''Ad Parnassum'' (1998), for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin & cello *''Ai due amici'' (1998), for chamber ensemble *''Tres Pinturas'' (1998), for violin & piano *''Nell'ombra, nella luce'' (1999–2000), for string quartet *''Partita-Pastorale after J.S.B.'' (2000), for clarinet, piano & string quartet *''Tamayo Nocturne'' (2001), for chamber ensemble *''Sonate en forme de préludes'' (2003–04), for oboe, horn & harpsichord *''Meditation and Dance'' (2004), for clarinet & piano *Piano Quartet (2005), for violin, viola, cello & piano *''Four Postcards'' (2008), for wind quintet & marimba *Piano Quintet (2009–10), for two violins, viola, cello & piano *''Scherzino'' (2010), for alto saxophone and piano *''Allegretto quasi Andantino (Schubert Dream)'' (2010), for piano four hands *''Aus der Jugendzeit'' (2011), for bass-baritone, flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion *''Rain Shadow'' (2012), for violin, viola, cello & piano * Sonata for Violin and Piano (2013) * ''Cantus'' (2015), for 6 players

Vocal

*''Sappho Fragments'' (1982), for female voice & chamber ensemble *''Two Holy Sonnets of Donne'' (1982), mezzo-soprano, oboe & piano *''Four Poems of A.R. Ammons'' (1992), for baritone & chamber ensemble *''To Whom I Said Farewell'' (1992, rev. 2003), for mezzo-soprano & chamber orchestra *''American Muse'' (1999), for baritone & orchestra *''Aus der Jugendzeit'' (2010–11), for baritone & chamber ensemble *'' The Stars and the Roses'' (2013), for tenor & orchestra *''The Stars and the Roses'' (2013), for tenor & chamber ensemble *''Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking'' (2014), for bass-baritone & piano

Solo instrumental

*''Three Little Variations for David'' (2000), for solo piano *''Album Leaves'' (2002), for solo piano *''Dialoghi'' (2006), for solo cello *''Dust Devil'' (2009), for solo marimba *''Isabelle Dances'' (2009–10), for solo marimba *Sonata for Piano (2014)

Arrangements of music by other composers

*''Noctuelles (Miroirs, No.1)'' (

Maurice Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

, orch. Stucky 2001) (Theodore Presser Co.) *''Les Noces'' ( Igor Stravinsky, orch. Stucky 2005), for solo voices, SATB. and full orchestra (Chester Music) *''Bucolics'' (

, arr. Stucky 2006), for 9 instruments (Chester Music) *Eight Songs from the ''Spanish Songbook'' ( Hugo Wolf, orch. Stucky 2008), for mezzo-soprano & orchestra (Theodore Presser Co.) *Four songs for th
Dolce Suono Ensemble
and baritone voice ("

Per questa bella mano "", K. 612, is a concert aria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for solo bass with an obbligato double bass. Composed in Vienna, it is dated 8 March 1791 in Mozart's own catalogue. It is well known by players of the double bass, with difficult scale wo ...

", "Ruhe sanft" (from '' Zaide''), and " Das Veilchen" by Mozart; "

Erlkönig "Erlkönig" is a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It depicts the death of a child assailed by a supernatural being, the Erlking, a king of the fairies. It was originally written by Goethe as part of a 1782 Singspiel, . "Erlkönig" has bee ...

" by Schubert, arr. Stucky 2012) (Theodore Presser Co.)

Awards

*1974: ASCAP Victor Herbert Prize for composition *1975: First Prize, American Society of University Composers Competition *1978: Composer Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts *1982:

ASCAP 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 ...

Deems Taylor Award (for "Lutoslawski and His Music") *1986: John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship *1989: Finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Music ( Concerto for Orchestra No. 1) *1991: Koussevitzky Music Foundation Commission *1995: Special Commendation, National Association of Composers USA *1997: Bogliasco Foundation Fellowship, Centro Studi Ligure (Italy) *1998: Barlow Endowment Commission *2001: Aaron Copland Fund for American Music recording grant *2002: Goddard Lieberson Fellowship,

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

*2003: Bloch Lecturer, University of California at Berkeley *2005: Pulitzer Prize for Music for Second Concerto for Orchestra *2006: Paul Fromm Composer-in-Residence,

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects ...

*2006: Elected a trustee of the

*2006: Elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

*2006: Joined Board of Directors of the Koussevitzky Music Foundation *2007: Elected to the

*2008: Elected Chair of the Board of Directors,

American Music Center 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 ...

*2011: Elected Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors,

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 ...

*2011: Composer of the Year, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 2011/12 season *2013: ''

'' Grammy Award nominee for

Best Classical Contemporary Composition The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to composers for quality works of contemporary classical ...

* 2013:

Brock Commission 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 ...

Retrieved March 2016

References

External links

*
Steven Stucky profile
Presser.com

April 23, 1992 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stucky, Steven 1949 births 2016 deaths 21st-century classical composers Aspen Music Festival and School faculty Baylor University alumni Cornell University alumni Cornell University faculty Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from brain cancer in the United States People from Hutchinson, Kansas People from Abilene, Texas Pulitzer Prize for Music winners Musicians from Kansas Eastman School of Music faculty University of California, Berkeley faculty 21st-century American composers American male classical composers American classical composers 20th-century classical composers 20th-century American composers Classical musicians from Texas 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians