Julia Wolfe facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the American composer. For the British mathematician, see Julia Wolf. For the British composer, see Julia Woolf.

Quick facts for kids Julia Wolfe
Wolfe in 1982
Born	(1958-12-18) December 18, 1958 (age 66) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Michigan Yale University Princeton University
Occupation	Composer, Professor of Music
Spouse(s)	Michael Gordon (m. 1984)
Children	2

Julia Wolfe, born on December 18, 1958, is a talented American composer. She also teaches music at New York University. People say her music is special because it mixes classical styles with the strong, repeating rhythms of rock music.

In 2015, Julia Wolfe won the famous Pulitzer Prize for Music for her work called Anthracite Fields. This piece is like a big musical story for a choir and instruments. She also received the Herb Alpert Award in 2015. In 2016, she became a MacArthur Fellow, which is a special award for very creative people.

Julia Wolfe's Early Life and Education

Julia Wolfe was born in Philadelphia. She has a twin brother and an older brother. When she was a teenager, she learned to play the piano. But she only started studying music seriously later on.

She took a music class at the University of Michigan. There, she earned a degree in music and theater in 1982. In her early twenties, Julia wrote music for a theater group made up of only women.

How Julia Wolfe Started Her Music Career

During a trip to New York, Julia Wolfe met two other music students. Their names were Michael Gordon and David Lang. They had both studied at the Yale School of Music. They encouraged Julia to apply there too.

She went to Yale in 1984 and studied with Martin Bresnick. She also married Michael Gordon that same year. After getting her master's degree in 1986, Julia, Michael, and David started something amazing.

Founding Bang on a Can

In 1987, Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, and David Lang created a new music group called Bang on a Can. This group has grown a lot since then. It now has concert series, tours, and a summer festival. The festival helps new composers and performers.

In 1993, the three friends also started a company called Red Poppy Music. This company publishes printed music. Later, in 2001, they founded a record label called Cantaloupe Music.

Julia Wolfe received a special scholarship called a Fulbright Scholarship in 1992. This allowed her to travel to Amsterdam. In 2012, she earned her PhD in music composition from Princeton University.

Since 2009, Julia Wolfe has been a music professor at New York University. Before that, she taught at the Manhattan School of Music for seven years. In 2018, she received an honorary degree from Drew University. Julia Wolfe and Michael Gordon are still married and have two children. They live in New York City.

Julia Wolfe's Unique Musical Style

Julia Wolfe has written many pieces for string instruments. These include music for small groups and for full orchestras. The New Yorker magazine said her string quartets are exciting. They combine the strong energy of rock music with calm, repeating patterns. They use the four string instruments like a big guitar.

Exploring Different Themes in Music

Julia Wolfe's piece Cruel Sister is for a string orchestra. It was inspired by an old English song about two sisters who are rivals in love. Another piece, My Beautiful Scream, was written after the events of September 11, 2001. It was inspired by the idea of a slow-motion scream.

Her works like The Vermeer Room, Girlfriend, and Window of Vulnerability create clear musical pictures. Girlfriend uses sounds like skidding cars and breaking glass. The Vermeer Room was inspired by a painting by Johannes Vermeer that had a hidden figure.

Pop Culture and Labor History in Music

You can hear the influence of pop music in many of Julia Wolfe's works. Lick is based on parts of funk music. My Lips From Speaking for six pianos was inspired by the beginning of Aretha Franklin's song "Think." Her piece Dark Full Ride explores the drum set. Lad is a unique piece for nine bagpipes.

Julia Wolfe also uses history in her music. For her Pulitzer Prize-winning piece Anthracite Fields, she learned about the lives of coal miners. She used stories, interviews, and local rhymes from her home state of Pennsylvania. This piece is about the coal mining community.

Her interest in labor history also inspired Steel Hammer. This piece was about the legend of John Henry, a strong man who raced against a machine. It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2010.

Music for Body Percussion and Important Events

Julia Wolfe also wrote riSE and fLY. This is a concerto for a body percussionist named Colin Currie. It means the musician makes music using only their body.

Her piece Fire in my mouth premiered in 2019. It was based on a lot of research about the terrible Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Her most recent piece, unEarth, uses scientific information about climate change. It premiered in 2023.

Music for Film and Theater

Julia Wolfe has also created music for films. This includes Fuel for a film by Bill Morrison. She also made music for old 1920s experimental films.

She has worked with many artists, including theater artist Anna Deavere Smith and filmmaker Bill Morrison. Her music has been performed at famous places like the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Carnegie Hall.

Julia Wolfe won an Obie Award for her music for Ridge Theater's Jennie Richie. She has also worked with Michael Gordon and David Lang on multimedia projects. These include Lost Objects and Shelter. They also created The Carbon Copy Building with comic-book artist Ben Katchor.

In Bordeaux, France, Julia Wolfe created a city-wide event called Traveling Music. One hundred musicians walked and rode in special bikes, filling the streets with music.

Bang on a Can: A Music Collective

Julia Wolfe is one of the founders and leaders of Bang on a Can. This group is famous for its Marathon Concerts. During these concerts, many different types of music are played for many hours. People can come and go as they like.

For their twentieth anniversary, Bang on a Can held a twenty-six-hour concert. It was at the World Financial Center in New York City. In 1992, Bang on a Can also started a smaller music group called the Bang on a Can All-Stars.

Early Bang on a Can events included performances by John Cage. They also featured large symphonies for electric guitars by Glenn Branca.

Sometimes, Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, and David Lang work together on big musical projects. They often don't say who wrote which parts. Their opera The Carbon Copy Building won an Obie Award in 2000. It had a comic strip that went along with the singers.

Another project they worked on was Lost Objects. They also created Shelter, a multimedia work. This piece explored themes like the power of nature and the safety of a new home. Both Shelter and Carbon Copy Building were staged by Ridge Theater. In 2017, they wrote Cloud River Mountain with Chinese singer Gong Linna. They also premiered Road Trip in 2017, celebrating Bang on a Can's 30-year journey.

List of Works

Orchestra Music

Pretty (2023) – for full orchestra
Fountain of Youth (2019)
Fuel (2007) – for string orchestra
Cruel Sister (2004) – for string orchestra
Tell me everything (1994)
Window of Vulnerability (1991)
The Vermeer Room (1989)
Amber Waves of Grain (1988)

Music for Soloists and Orchestra

unEarth (2023) — for chorus, female voice, and orchestra
Her Story (2022) — for 10 female voices and orchestra
Flower Power (2020) — for amplified ensemble and orchestra
Fire in my mouth (2018) – multimedia oratorio for 146 female voices and orchestra
riSE and fLY (2012) – for body percussion and orchestra
Steel Hammer (2009) – for 3 singers, Appalachian and traditional instruments
My Beautiful Scream (2003) – for amplified string quartet and orchestra

Music for Large Ensembles (7 or more players)

Anthracite Fields (2014) – for chorus and mixed instruments
You breathe (2013) – for chorus and string quartet
Combat de Boxe (2011)
Guard My Tongue (2009) – for chorus
Traveling Music (2009) – for 100+ musicians of any type
Thirst (2008) – for chorus and mixed ensemble
Stronghold (2008) – for 8 Double Basses
Lad (2007) – for Nine bagpipes
Impatience (2005)
Steam (1995)
Arsenal of Democracy (1993)
Girlfriend (1988) – for amplified mixed chamber ensemble and recorded sound

Music for Soloist(s) and Large Ensemble

Accordion Concerto (True Love) (2005) – for Accordion and Orchestra

Music for 2–6 Players

Retrieve (2016) – for cello and double bass
Splendid hopes (2016) – for string quintet
Blue Dress for string quartet (2015) – for string quartet
Cha (2015) – for saxophone quartet
Reeling (2012)
With a blue dress on (2010, revised 2014) – for 5 violins/voice
singing in the dead of night (2008)
Big Beautiful Dark and Scary (2002) – for amplified sextet
Dark Full Ride (2002) – for four drum sets
Close Together (2000) – for cello, percussion, electronic tape
Believing (1997) – for amplified sextet
Mink Stole (1997) – for violin, piano
Dig Deep (1995) – for string quartet
Lick (1994) – for amplified sextet
my lips from speaking (1993) – for 6 pianos
Early That Summer (1993) – for string quartet
Four Marys (1991) – for string quartet
On Seven-Star-Shoes (1985)

Solo Music

Spinning (2018) – for Cello
Spinning Jenny (2016) – for Violin
Emunah (2015) – for Cello
Lass (2014) – for Flute
Iron Maiden (2011) – for Percussion
Compassion (2001) – for Piano
Earring (2001) – for Piano
East Broadway (1996) – for Toy piano, toy boombox

Collaborative Works

Road Trip (2017) – Music by Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe.
Cloud-River-Mountain (2015) – Music by Michael Gordon, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Lao Luo.
Water (2008) – Music and text by Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe.
Shelter (2005) – Music by Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe. Text by Deborah Artman.
Lost Objects (2001) – Music by Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe. Text by Deborah Artman.
The Carbon Copy Building (1999) – Music by Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe. Text by Ben Katchor.

Arrangements

Music for Airports (1998)

Film

New York Composers: Searching for a New Music (1997). Directed by Michael Blackwood.

Selected Recordings

Anthracite Fields by Julia Wolfe with the Choir of Trinity Choir Wall Street and the Bang on a Can All-Stars (2015)
Steel Hammer by Julia Wolfe with Trio Mediæval and the Bang on a Can All-Stars (2014)
Cruel Sister by Julia Wolfe with Ensemble Resonanz (2011)
Dark Full Ride by Julia Wolfe (2009)
Julia Wolfe: The String Quartets (2003)
Arsenal of Democracy by Julia Wolfe (2003)
Lost Objects with artists Michael Gordon, David Lang, Deborah Artman, and Concerto Köln (2001)

Images for kids

Wolfe with composers John Cage, David Lang, and Michael Gordon in 1982