Julia Adolphe facts for kids

Julia Adolphe (born May 16, 1988) is an American composer. She writes many different kinds of music. This includes music for choirs, orchestras, operas, and smaller groups of instruments.

Julia first became well-known in November 2016. This was when her piece for viola and orchestra, called Unearth, Release, was performed in New York. The New York Philharmonic orchestra helped to create this piece. Julia studied music at Cornell University and the USC Thornton School of Music. She is also the niece of another composer, Bruce Adolphe.

About Julia Adolphe's Music

Julia Adolphe writes what is called contemporary classical music. This means it's new classical music written in our time. She uses many different sounds and ideas in her pieces. Her music can be exciting, thoughtful, or even a bit mysterious.

What is a Viola Concerto?

A viola concerto is a special piece of music. It features one instrument, the viola, as the main star. The viola plays a solo part, and a whole orchestra plays along with it. It's like the viola is having a conversation with the rest of the orchestra. Julia's Unearth, Release is a famous example of her concertos.

Awards and Recognitions

Julia Adolphe has won several awards and grants for her music. These awards help composers to create new works. They also show that her music is highly respected. Some of the awards she has received include:

• Morton Gould Young Composer Award
• Theodore Front Prize
• Jimmy McHugh Composition Prize
• American Composers Forum Grant
• New Music USA Grant

Julia Adolphe's Compositions

Julia Adolphe has written many different types of musical pieces. Here are some examples of her works:

Operas

Julia has composed operas, which are plays set to music.

• Sylvia (2012)
• A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears (currently being worked on)

Orchestral Works

These are pieces written for a full orchestra.

• Dark Sand, Sifting Light (2014)
• Unearth, Release (2016) – for viola and orchestra
• Shiver and Bloom (2017) – for a smaller chamber orchestra
• White Stone (2017)

Choral Works

These pieces are written for choirs, which are groups of singers.

• Sea Dream Elegies (2016) – for choir, oboe or English horn, and cello
• Whispers of Jasmine (2016) – for choir
• Equinox (2017) – for choir

Chamber Music

Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments.

• White Flag (2009) – for solo cello
• Between the Accidental (2010) – for string quartet (two violins, a viola, and a cello)
• Wordless Creatures (2013) – for many different instruments like flute, clarinet, trumpet, percussion, harp, and piano
• Veil of Leaves (2014) – for string quartet
• Footsteps (2016) – for soprano singer, harp, viola, and a Persian drum called a daf

Art Songs

Art songs are pieces for a singer and usually a piano.

• If Only She (2008) – for mezzo-soprano singer and piano
• I Wish it Were T. S. Eliot (2009) – for tenor singer and piano
• Noon, Not a Sound (2012) – for mezzo-soprano and piano