Janice Giteck facts for kids

Janice Giteck is an American composer born in New York on June 27, 1946. A composer is someone who writes music. Her music often blends different styles from around the world.

About Janice Giteck

Janice Giteck grew up in Hicksville, Long Island. When she was twelve, her family moved to Arizona. She went to Mills College and earned her Master's degree in 1969. There, she studied music with a famous composer named Darius Milhaud. Later, she also studied with Olivier Messiaen.

Janice Giteck was very interested in different kinds of music. She learned about Indonesian gamelan music with Daniel Schmidt. Gamelan is a traditional music style from Indonesia that uses many percussion instruments. She also studied percussion (instruments you hit, shake, or scrape) with Obo Addy.

Her music became well-known in the 1970s and 1980s. It was greatly influenced by world music, which means music from different cultures around the globe. She also drew inspiration from the music of Native Americans.

Janice Giteck has received several awards for her compositions. She won the National Endowment for the Arts Composer's award for her piece Breathing Songs from a Turning Sky. She also received the Norman Fromm Composers Award for Thunder, Like a White Bear Dancing.

In 1986, Janice Giteck went back to school and earned another Master's degree, this time in psychology. She worked in the mental health field for five years, from 1986 to 1991. Since 1979, she has been teaching at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle.

Her 1992 music collection, Home (Revisited), was released by New Albion. This album was dedicated to people facing serious health challenges. Janice Giteck's music is often described as being influenced by world music and music used in special ceremonies.

In 1999, Janice Giteck and another composer, Ann Sandifur, shared their thoughts in an interview. They said they focused on living a full life rather than just their careers. They wanted to be good at many things instead of specializing in just one area.

Music Albums

Here are some of the music albums featuring Janice Giteck's compositions:

• New Performance Group in Music (Mode Records, 1988)
• Home (Revisited) (New Albion, 1992)

List of Works

Here is a partial list of musical pieces composed by Janice Giteck:

• Thunder, Like a White Bear Dancing (1977)
• Callin' Home Coyote (1978)
• TREE (1981) – This piece was specially requested by the San Francisco Symphony.
• Soundtrack for Hopi:Songs of the Fourth World (1983)
• Breathing Songs from a Turning Sky (1980; revised 1984)
• Om Shanti (1986)
• Soundtrack for Hearts and Hands (1987)
• Tapasya (1987)
• Leningrad Spring (1992)
• Home (Revisited) (1992)
• Soundtrack for Rabbit in the Moon (1999)
• Soundtrack for Daddy & Papa (2002)
• Ishi (2004) – This piece was specially requested by the Seattle Chamber Players.
• Accompanying music for Rene Yung's art installation Four Dignities (2005)