Ellen Taaffe Zwilich facts for kids

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (born April 30, 1939) is an American composer. She made history as the first woman to win the famous Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Her early music explored a style called atonal, which means it didn't always follow traditional musical scales. But later, in the 1980s, her style changed. It became more postmodernist and neoromantic. This means her music started to sound more emotional and connected to older, romantic styles, but with a modern twist. Many people consider her one of America's most popular living composers. In 1994, she was honored by being added to the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. She has also been a special professor at Florida State University.

About Ellen Zwilich

Ellen Taaffe was born in Miami, Florida. She started her musical journey by learning to play the violin. She earned her first music degree from Florida State University in 1960.

After college, she moved to New York City. There, she played the violin with the American Symphony Orchestra. Later, she went to the Juilliard School, a very famous music school. In 1975, she became the first woman at Juilliard to earn a special degree called a doctor of musical arts in composition. This degree is for people who write music. Her teachers included famous composers like Elliott Carter.

Ellen Zwilich first became well-known when a famous conductor, Pierre Boulez, chose to perform her piece called Symposium for Orchestra in 1975.

Some of her early music was written for her husband, Joseph Zwilich. He was a violinist in the Metropolitan Opera orchestra. Sadly, he passed away in 1979. After this, Ellen Zwilich decided to make her music more direct. She wanted it to connect more easily with musicians and listeners. This led her to create a softer, less sharp musical style.

Her Major Achievements

Her Symphony No. 1 (also known as Three Movements for Orchestra) was first performed in 1982. It was played by the American Composers Orchestra. This symphony won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize. Winning this award made her very popular. It also brought her many requests to write new music. This meant she could focus on composing full-time.

From 1995 to 1999, she held a special position at Carnegie Hall. She was the first person to be the "Composer's Chair." While there, she started a concert series called "Making Music." This series features performances and talks by living composers. It is still happening today.

Ellen Zwilich has received many other awards and honors. These include the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Chamber Music Prize and the Arturo Toscanini Music Critics Award. She also won an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She was given a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. She has also been nominated for four Grammy Awards.

She was chosen to be a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She also joined the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1999, she was named "Composer of the Year" by Musical America. She has taught as a professor at Florida State University. For many years, she helped guide the BMI Foundation, Inc. In 2009, she became the head of the BMI Student Composer Awards. She has also received six honorary doctorates, which are special degrees given to honor her achievements.

In 2023, a recording of her Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra was chosen for a special honor. The Library of Congress selected it for the United States National Recording Registry. This means it is considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Her Musical Style and Works

Ellen Zwilich's music often starts with a small musical idea. Then, she builds the entire piece from that idea. This includes the main structure, the melodies, and the harmonies.

Besides large orchestral works, she has written many concertos. A concerto is a piece of music for a solo instrument and an orchestra. She has written concertos for many instruments, including the trombone, flute, oboe, bassoon, horn, trumpet, and clarinet. She has also written some pieces for choirs and song cycles.

Her major breakthrough came after winning the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for her Symphony No. 1. After this, she was asked to write two more symphonies. One was for the San Francisco Symphony. The other was for the New York Philharmonic's 150th anniversary. Her piece Symbolon has been performed all over the world.

Symphonies

• Symphony No. 1 Three Movements for Orchestra (1982, won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1983)
• Symphony No. 2 Cello Symphony (1985)
• Symphony for Winds (1989)
• Symphony No. 3 (1992)
• Symphony No. 4 The Gardens for chorus, children's chorus and orchestra (1999)
• Symphony No. 5 Concerto for Orchestra (2008)

Other Symphonic Works

• Symposium (1973)
• Passages (1982)
• Prologue and Variations, for String orchestra (1983)
• Tanzspiel, a ballet in four scenes (1983)
• Celebration for Orchestra (Overture) (1984)
• Concerto Grosso 1985 (written to celebrate 300 years since George Frideric Handel's birth)
• Symbolon (1988)
• Ceremonies for Concert Band (1988)
• Fantasy for orchestra (1993)
• Jubilation Overture (1996)
• Upbeat! (1998)
• Openings (2001)

Concertante Works (Concertos)

• Piano Concerto (No. 1) (1986)
• Images for two pianos and orchestra (1986)
• Trombone Concerto (1988)
• Concerto for bass trombone, strings, timpani and cymbals (1989)
• Flute Concerto (No. 1) (1989)
• Oboe Concerto (1990)
• Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra (1991)
• Bassoon Concerto (1992)
• Concerto for horn and string orchestra (1993)
• Romance for violin and chamber Orchestra (or for violin and piano) (1993)
• American Concerto for trumpet and orchestra (1994)
• Triple Concerto for piano, violin, cello and orchestra (1995)
• Peanuts Gallery, six pieces for piano and chamber orchestra (1996)
• Violin Concerto (No. 1) (1997)
• Millennium Fantasy (Piano Concerto No. 2) (2000)
• Partita (Violin Concerto No. 2) for violin and string orchestra (2000)
• Clarinet Concerto (2002)
• Rituals for five percussion players and orchestra (2003)
• Shadows (Piano Concerto No. 3) (2011)
• Commedia dell'Arte (Violin Concerto No. 3) for violin and string orchestra (2012)
• Concerto Elegia for flute and string orchestra (2015)
• Pas de Trois (Piano Trio, 2016)
• Cello Concerto (2020)
• Saxophone Concerto for alto saxophone and wind ensemble (2022)

Chamber Music

• Violin Sonata in Three Movements (1973–74)
• String Quartet No. 1 (1974)
• Clarinet Quintet (1977)
• Chamber Symphony for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano (1979)
• Passages (1981)
• String Trio (1982)
• Divertimento for flute, clarinet, violin and cello (1983)
• Intrada (1983)
• Concerto for trumpet and five instruments (1984)
• Double Quartet for strings (1984)
• Piano Trio (1987)
• Clarinet Quintet (1990)
• Romance for violin and piano (1993)
• String Quartet No. 2 (1998)
• Lament for cello and piano (2000)
• Episodes for violin and piano (2003)
• Quartet for oboe and strings (2004)
• Quintet for alto saxophone and string quartet (2007)
• Episodes for soprano saxophone and piano (2007)
• Septet for piano trio and string quartet (2008)
• Quintet for violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano (2010)
• Voyage (String Quartet No. 3) (2012)

See also

In Spanish: Ellen Zwilich para niños