Thomas M. Sleeper (February 16, 1956 – October 15, 2022) was an American composer and conductor. His music has been described as 'hauntingly mysterious' and 'richly lyrical'. He was the Director of Orchestral Activities and Conductor of the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
Frost
Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...
Symphony Orchestra until his retirement in 2018. He was also the director of the
Florida Youth Orchestra
The Florida Youth Orchestra is a philharmonic orchestra for young musicians, ages 6 – 19. It was founded in 1988 by South Florida's first TV weatherman Bob Weaver. The orchestra has more than 400 members. Under the direction and guidance of i ...
from 1993 to 2020.
History
Sleeper was born in
Wagoner, Oklahoma
Wagoner is a city in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, Wagoner County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 8,323 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census,CensusViewer: Population of the City of Wagoner, Oklahoma. Retrieved March 16, 201/ref> c ...
, and was a member of the
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It ...
. He received his Bachelor of Music at the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, and subsequently received his Master of Music at
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, prov ...
, where he studied under Daryl F. Rauscher of the
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Dallas, Texas. Its principal performing venue is the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District of downtown Dallas.
History
The orchestra traces its origins to a ...
and James Rives-Jones. From 1975 to 1978, while in
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, Sleeper was active with an avant-garde group of composer/performers called "Fermata". As a member of "Fermata" he worked with composers such as Jerry Willingham,
Jerry Hunt
Jerry Edward Hunt (November 30, 1943 – November 27, 1993) was an American composer who created works using live electronics partly controlled by his ritualistic performance techniques which were influenced by his interest in the occult. He was ...
and Robert Xavier Rodriguez. At 22 years of age Sleeper was appointed Associate Conductor of the Dallas Civic Symphony. Following his conducting stint with the Dallas Civic Symphony, Sleeper began to compose many pieces of music including, but not limited to, operas, concerti, symphonies, solo and chamber music.
Sleeper was a frequent guest conductor all over the world and has performed with ensembles such as the Central Philharmonic of China (where he gave the Chinese premiere of Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in 1992), Argentina's San Juan Symphony Orchestra, and Bulgaria's Ruse State Philharmonic. In addition, he was named the Artistic Advisor of the China-Wuhan Symphony in 1993 where he gave the Chinese premiere of Brahms' 2nd Piano Concerto with soloist Justin Blasdale. Sleeper was an advocate of new music, and has commissioned and conducted the premieres of works of composers including
Roberto Sierra
Roberto Sierra (born 9 October 1953) is a Puerto Rican composer of contemporary classical music.
Life
Sierra was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. He studied composition in Europe, notably with György Ligeti in Hamburg (1979–1982), Germany. Af ...
Henry Brant
Henry Dreyfuss Brant (September 15, 1913 – April 26, 2008) was a Canadian-born American composer. An expert orchestrator with a flair for experimentation, many of Brant's works featured spatialization techniques.
Biography
Brant was born ...
,
Carlos Surinach
Carlos Lund (or Carles Suriñach) i Wrokona (; March 6, 1915 – November 12, 1997) was a Spanish-born , and Robert Xavier Rodriguez. He later lived in
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
.
In April 2019, Sleeper was diagnosed with
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...
. He died due to complications from the disease on October 15, 2022, at the age of 66.
Notable works
*''Einstein's Inconsistency'', a series of eight operas that get progressively shorter (roughly following a reverse
Fibonacci series
In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted , form a sequence, the Fibonacci sequence, in which each number is the sum of the two preceding ones. The sequence commonly starts from 0 and 1, although some authors start the sequence from ...
) and may be recombined in any order or number creating a new overall structure. Composed 2014.
*''Symphony No. 5 "chamber symphony"'', premiered April 2015 at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
Frost School of Music
Frost School of Music is the music school at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. From 1926 to 2003, it was known as University of Miami School of Music.
Academics and programs
The University of Miami's Frost School of Music was on ...
, Gary Green, conductor.
*''Symphony No. 4'', premiered October 2015 with the
Meadows
A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifici ...
Symphony Orchestra, Paul Phillips, conductor.
*''Sonata for Piano and Alto Saxophone (Seven Deadly Sins)'', 2014, written for pianist Santiago Rodriguez and saxophonist Dale Underwood. Premiered December 7, 2014.
*''Symphony No. 3 "ex nihilo"'', premiered February 2014 by the
United States Navy Band
The United States Navy Band, based at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served as the official musical organization of the U.S. Navy since 1925. The U.S. Navy Band serves the ceremonial needs at the seat of government, performin ...
, Captain Brian O. Walden, conductor. The work is dedicated to Dr. William Hipp, Dean Emeritus of the Frost School of Music.
*''Hetaera esmeralda'', 2014, written for Greek pianist/conductor
Zoe Zeniodi
Zoe Zeniodi (Greek: Ζωή Ζενιώδη, born 13 February 1976) is a conductor from Greece. She is currently the Artistic Director of El Sistema Greece. She is the first woman conductor to ever perform with Opera Southwest. She has been selecte ...
. Premiere by Zeniodi with the Alhambra Orchestra, April 30, 2014, with the composer conducting.
*''Symphony No. 2 "Little Leylie"'', premiered in November 2012 in
Dania, Florida
Dania Beach (Dania until 1998) is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 31,723. It is part of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010 census ...
, by the
Florida Youth Orchestra
The Florida Youth Orchestra is a philharmonic orchestra for young musicians, ages 6 – 19. It was founded in 1988 by South Florida's first TV weatherman Bob Weaver. The orchestra has more than 400 members. Under the direction and guidance of i ...
.
*''Thomas Ludwig Violin Concerto'', premiered by Thomas Sleeper with the Miami University Symphony Orchestra.
*''Violin Concerto No. 2'', written for UK violinist
Hugo Ticciati
Hugo Ticciati (born April 12, 1980) is a British-born violinist, living in Sweden. He has performed in several worldwide events such as the Gotland Chamber Music Festival (Sweden), the St. Denis-Festival (Paris), and the Festival Internacional ...
and Greek conductor Zoe Zeniodi. Premiered in the Casa dei Mezzo Music Festival on Crete, June 2013.
*''Concerto for Flute and Flute Orchestra'', commissioned by Trudy Kane and the Frost Flute Orchestra. Premiered in November 2012 in Miami, Florida, with Trudy Kane, soloist, and Andrés Jiamie, conductor.
*''Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, "Hypnagogia"'', for violin and orchestra, commissioned by the Greater Miami Youth Orchestra. Premiered in March 2012 in Miami, Florida, with Huifang Chen, soloist and Andrés Jiamie, conductor. The work was later recorded with the Brno Philharmonic and soloist Huifang Chen.
*''PARALLAX'' for euphonium and wind ensemble, written for and premiered by Timothy Shade, Wichita, Kansas, September 2011.
*''Parallages'', for solo piano, written for Greek pianist Zoe Zeniodi. Premiered in the Casa dei Mezzo Music Festival on Crete, June 25, 2011.
*''Through a Glass Darkly'' for soprano and orchestra, written for soprano Irini Kyriakidou, conductor Zoe Zeniodi and the Broward Symphony Orchestra. Premiered in Bailey Hall on February 26, 2011. Recorded by the United States Navy Band, Brian O. Walden, conductor, in 2012.
*''Concerto for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra'', written for and premiered by Dale Underwood with the Florida Youth Orchestra, Zoe Zeniodi, conductor, in Bailey Hall, November 2010, and in the chamber version for 9 instruments with Ensemble 21 under the direction of Zoe Zeniodi, February 23, 2011. Recorded by the United States Navy Band, Brian O. Walden, conductor, in 2012.
*''XENIA'' for tenor and orchestra, based on texts by
Jane Alison
Jane Alison (born 1961) is an Australian author.
Early life and education
Born in Canberra in 1961, Alison spent two years in Australia as a small child, growing up mainly in the United States as a child of diplomatic parents. She attended p ...
from her novel ''The Love-Artist''. Premiered by
John Duykers
John Duykers (born September 30, 1944, in Butte, Montana) is a prominent American operatic tenor, especially known for his work in modern and contemporary opera. He made his formal debut with the Seattle Opera in 1966.
Career
Since then, Duykers ...
and the Frost Symphony Orchestra with conductor Zoe Zeniodi in Gusman Hall on February 20, 2010.
*''Translucence'' for trombone and orchestra, premiered by Timothy Conner and the Frost Symphony Orchestra with conductor Zoe Zeniodi in Gusman Hall on March 7, 2009.
*''String Quartet No. 3'', written for and premiered by the Delray String Quartet, February 2009.
*''The Sisters Antipodes'', a short opera written in conjunction with Australian author Jane Alison and visual artist Sherri Tan, premiered November 2009.
*''Concerto for Cello and Orchestra'', premiered by Jillian Bloom at Carnegie Hall on March 23, 2008. The work was later recorded by Jennifer Culp with the Brno Philharmonic.
*''Concerto for Trumpet'', premiered by
Craig Morris
Craig Morris is an orchestral trumpeter known for serving as the Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He is also known as a soloist and chamber musician. He is an endorsing artist for Yamaha Instruments, and is currently Professor ...
, former principal trumpet of the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...
.
*''String Quartet No. 2, "Bergonzi"'', written for the Bergonzi String Quartet.
*''Aceldama: Field of Blood'', an opera performed throughout the world.
*''Symphony No. 1'', premiered and recorded by the Meadows Symphony Orchestra in Dallas, Paul Phillips, conductor.
*''Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra'', written for
bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...
ist Kathryn Sleeper.
*''Adagio for Orchestra''
*''Piano Concerto No. 2'', premiered by pianist Justin Blasdale.
*'' One Water'', documentary film score
*''The Silver Mirror'', documentary film score
Discography
*''Thomas Sleeper: Through a Glass Darkly'': Adagio from Symphony No. 1, ''Through a Glass Darkly'', Finale from ''The Silver Mirror'', Symphony No. 4, Uroboros Music, 2016, Thomas M. Sleeper (composer)
*''Sleeper: Four Concerti'',
Albany Records
Albany Records is a record label that concentrates on unconventional contemporary classical music by American composers and musicians. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987 and is based in Albany, New York.
See also
* List of record la ...
, 2014 (TROY 1475), Thomas M. Sleeper (composer)
*''Thomas Sleeper: Music for Flute: Concerto for Flute and Flute Orchestra, Four miniatures for Bassoon and Flute, Xandre'', Uroboros Music, 2013, Thomas M. Sleeper (composer)
*''Sleeper: Symphony No. 1, XENIA, Six Arias for Cello and Orchestra'', Albany Records, 2010 (TROY 1212), Thomas M. Sleeper (composer)
*'' Maslanka, Sleeper: Reflections: Concerto for Trumpet'',
Naxos Records
Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...
, 2007, Thomas M. Sleeper (composer)
*'' Rodríguez: Works For Chorus and Orchestra'', Albany Records, 2001, Thomas M. Sleeper (conductor)
*'' Surinach: Symphonic Melismas, Double Concerto, etc.'',
Centaur Records
Centaur Records is one of the oldest and largest independent classical labels in America. The company is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was founded by Victor Sachse in 1976. Centaur's catalog includes classical, historical, pops, contemp ...
, 1996 (conductor)
*''Aceldama'', Albany Records (composer, conductor)
*'' Ticheli, Van Der Slice, Sleeper: Orchestral Works'', Albany Records (composer, conductor)
*Works of Finzi,
Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...