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 Hutchinson is the largest city and county seat in Reno County, Kansas, United States, and located on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch". As of the 2020 ...

. At age 9, he moved with his family to Abilene, Texas, 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 ...

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 teach a ...

. 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 List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, New York,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, 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, where he was resident composer 1988–2009 (the longest such affiliation in American orchestral history); he was host of the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

's Hear & Now series 2005–09; and he was

Pittsburgh Symphony The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an Americ ...

Composer of the Year for the 2011–12 season. For Pittsburgh, he composed ''

Silent Spring ''Silent Spring'' is an environmental science book by Rachel Carson. Published on September 27, 1962, the book documented the environmental harm caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading d ...

'', in honor of the 50th anniversary of

Rachel Carson Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist, writer, and conservationist whose influential book '' Silent Spring'' (1962) and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental ...

'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. He ...

to create his first opera, '' The Classical Style'' (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 Sty ...

), which premiered in June 2014 at the

Ojai Music Festival The Ojai Music Festival is an annual classical music festival in the United States. Held in Ojai, California (75 miles northwest of Los Angeles), for four days every June, the festival presents music, symposia, and educational programs emphasizi ...

. Other noteworthy compositions by Stucky include the symphonic poem '' Radical Light'' (2007), '' Rhapsodies for Orchestra'' (2008), the oratorio '' August 4, 1964'' (2008), a Symphony (2012), and his Second Concerto for Orchestra (2003), which won the 2005

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...

. 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 tea ...

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...

. 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 Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

, 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 The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

. Among the composers who studied with Stucky are Joseph Phibbs,

Marc Mellits Marc Mellits (born 1966) is an American composer and musician. Mellits was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He studied at the Eastman School of Music from 1984 to 1988, at the Yale School of Music from 1989 to 1991, at Cornell University from 1991 ...

, Robert Paterson,

David Conte David Conte (born 1955) is an American composer who has written over 150 works published by E.C. Schirmer (a division of ECS Publishing), including six operas, a musical, works for chorus, solo voice, orchestra, chamber music, organ, piano, guita ...

, Thomas C. Duffy, Yotam Haber, James Matheson, Steven Burke, Xi Wang, Spencer Topel, Diego Vega, Fang Man, Anna Weesner, Hannah Lash,

Andrew Waggoner Andrew Waggoner (born November 10, 1960 in New Orleans) is an American composer and violinist. Biography Andrew Waggoner grew up in New Orleans, Minneapolis and Atlanta, and studied at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, the Eastman School ...

, Stephen Andrew Taylor,

Sean Shepherd Sean Shepherd is an American composer based in New York City and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His work has been performed by major orchestras, ensembles, and performers across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Performances include those with the ...

, 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 Statio ...

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 educatio ...

, the Curtis Institute of Music,

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 universities ...

Lawrence University Conservatory of Music Lawrence University Conservatory of Music is a conservatory on the campus of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1894, it is the one of the oldest operating conservatories in the United States. Attached to a liberal arts colleg ...

, 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 Tanglew ...

, and many others. Stucky died of brain cancer at his home in

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 & 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 ''Pinturas de Tamayo'' (''Pictures of Tamayo'') is an orchestral composition in five movements by the American composer Steven Stucky. The work was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, who premiered the work on March 28, 1996, under the ...

'' (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 for recorder & chamber orchestra *''

Spirit Voices ''Spirit Voices'' is a concerto for percussion and orchestra in seven movements by the American composer Steven Stucky. The work was jointly commissioned by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival for percussionist Evelyn ...

'' (2002–03), concerto for percussion & orchestra * Second Concerto for Orchestra (2003) *'' Jeu de timbres'' (2003) *''Hue and Cry'' (2006), for wind ensemble *'' Radical Light'' (2006–07) *'' Rhapsodies for Orchestra'' (2008) *Chamber Concerto (2009) *''

'' (2011) * Symphony (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 *'' August 4, 1964'' (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, 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 "", Köchel catalogue, K. 612, is a concert aria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for solo Bass (voice type), 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 d ...

", "Ruhe sanft" (from ''

Zaide ''Zaide'' (originally, ''Das Serail'') is an unfinished German-language opera, K. 344, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1780. Emperor Joseph II, in 1778, was in the process of setting up an opera company for the purpose of performing ...

''), and " Das Veilchen" by Mozart; " Erlkönig" 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 Deems Taylor Award (for "Lutoslawski and His Music") *1986: John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship *1989: Finalist,

( 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:

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, a ...

*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 progr ...

*2011: Elected Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, New Music USA *2011: Composer of the Year,

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an America ...

, 2011/12 season *2013: '' August 4, 1964''

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 pr ...

nominee for Best Classical Contemporary Composition * 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 ...

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