Daria Semegen facts for kids
Daria Semegen, born on June 27, 1946, is an American composer. She writes classical music. She is especially known for her electronic music. This is music made using electronic instruments and computers.
While she also writes music for regular instruments, like her piece Jeux des quatres (1970) for clarinet, trombone, cello, and piano, she is famous for her electronic works. She is a serious, academic electronic composer. This means her work is often connected with universities and music schools. It's different from the electronic music you might hear in pop songs, which became popular later with synthesizers and computers.
About Her Life
Daria Semegen was born in Bamberg, West Germany. Her family has Ukrainian roots. She decided to study music in college. She earned her master's degree from Yale University in 1971. She also studied at the Eastman School of Music and the Rochester Institute of Technology.
From 1971 to 1975, she taught at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center. She learned composition from teachers like Bülent Arel and Alexander Goehr. Later, she taught other composers herself, including Joseph DiPonio, Daniel Koontz, Gilda Lyons, and Philip Schuessler.
Her Music Career
Daria Semegen has had a very successful career in music. This field was, and still is, often led by men. She has received many important awards and honors. For example, she has won six grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. She was also chosen as a Fulbright fellow. This is a special award that helps people study or teach in other countries.
She has also received fellowships from places like the MacDowell Colony, Tanglewood, the Chautauqua Institution, and Yaddo. These are places where artists can go to focus on their work.
Today, she is a professor at Stony Brook University. She teaches composition, music theory, and electronic music. She also leads the Electronic Music Studio at the university.
Her most famous piece is probably Electronic Composition No. 1, which she created in 1971. Another important work, Arabesque, was first performed in 1992.
