Ann Loomis Silsbee facts for kids

Ann Loomis Silsbee (born July 21, 1930 – died August 28, 2003) was a talented American composer and poet. She wrote two operas, published three books of poetry, and received many awards and special grants for her work.

Ann Silsbee was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She loved learning and studied at several universities. She earned her first degree from Radcliffe College. Then, she got a master's degree in music from Syracuse University. Later, she earned a special doctorate degree in musical composition from Cornell University. She learned from famous teachers like Irving Fine and Karel Husa. She also studied music in Paris. For her final university project, she wrote about a piece of music by Peter Maxwell Davies. While at Cornell, she also took a poetry class. In this class, she met the poet A. R. Ammons, whose poems she later used in her music. Ann married Robert Silsbee, who was a physicist and taught at Cornell. They had three sons: Doug, David, and Peter.

In 1964, one of Ann Silsbee's musical pieces, called River, was performed in Germany. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she shared her knowledge by teaching at the State University of Cortland in New York and at Cornell University. Later in her life, in the early 2000s, she organized and hosted several groups and retreats for poets.

Ann Silsbee received many honors for her amazing work. These included special awards, requests to create new music (called commissions), and fellowships, which are grants that help artists focus on their work.

Awards and Honors

Ann Silsbee was recognized with several important awards:

• Burge Eastman Prize
• Society for New Music

She also received special requests to compose new music:

• First Street Playhouse, New York
• TROIKA Association, Ithaca, New York

And she was given fellowships to support her creative work:

• Composers Conference, Vermont
• Composer Fellowship Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts
• Yaddo Residency in 1979

Ann Silsbee also helped guide important music organizations. She served on the boards of the American Composers Alliance (ACA) and the International League of Women Composers. Her writings and musical notes are kept safe at Cornell University. Her music was recorded and released on special records, and her works were published by the American Composers Alliance.

Her Creative Works

Ann Silsbee was a very creative person. She wrote books of poetry and composed many different kinds of music.

Books of Poetry

She published three books of poems:

• Book of Ga
• Fullest Tide (published after she passed away)
• Orioling

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments. Ann Silsbee wrote many pieces for different combinations of instruments, such as:

• Another River for four cellos and percussion.
• Expressions for clarinet.
• Glyphs for guitar and harpsichord.
• Quest for a string quartet (two violins, a viola, and a cello).
• Spirals for string quartet, which she also arranged for piano and for an orchestra.

Dance Music

She composed music specifically for dance performances:

• River was written for two groups of musicians and could include dancers.

Electronic Music

Ann Silsbee also explored electronic music:

• Prometheus used a bass singer, a choir, a small group of instruments, and recorded electronic sounds (tape).

Operas

An opera is a play where most of the words are sung. Ann Silsbee composed two operas:

• Nightingale’s Apprentice was written especially for children, with a story by Margaret Weaver.
• People Tree

Orchestra Music

She wrote pieces for a full orchestra:

• Seven Rituals
• Spirals (also arranged for string quartet and piano)
• Trois Historiettes

Piano Music

Ann Silsbee composed many pieces for the piano:

• Bagatelle
• Corrai for a prepared piano (where objects are placed on or between the piano strings to change its sound).
• Doors, which won the Burge Eastman prize.
• Letter from a Field Biologist for two pianos.
• Spirals (also arranged for string quartet and orchestra).

Vocal Music

She wrote many pieces for voices, sometimes with instruments:

• An Acre for a Bird (a motet, which is a type of choral piece).
• Bourn used a poem by A. R. Ammons and was for soprano, tenor, cello, and harpsichord.
• Canticle used text inspired by the Song of Solomon, for soprano, oboe, and harpsichord.
• Diffraction used a poem by e. e. cummings, for soprano, flute, piano, and percussion.
• Dona Nobis Pacem for a choir.
• “Huit Chants en Brun” used a poem by Federico Garcia Lorca.
• Only the Cold, Bare Moon was a song cycle (a group of songs) based on eight Chinese poems, for soprano, flute, and piano.
• Pictures from Brueghel for soprano and choir.