Luna Pearl Woolf facts for kids

Luna Pearl Woolf is a talented Canadian-American composer, producer, and dramaturg. This means she writes music, helps create recordings, and works on the stories and ideas behind musical performances.

She has written many different kinds of music, including opera (musical plays), chamber music (music for small groups of instruments), orchestra pieces (for large groups of instruments), and choral music (for choirs). She has even composed music for silent films and created musical stories!

Luna Pearl Woolf's music has been requested by famous places like Carnegie Hall and the Washington National Opera. She has also worked with amazing artists such as Jeremy Irons, Cornelia Funke, and Joyce DiDonato. In 2014, she was one of the first women composers to receive a special grant from Opera America.

About Luna Pearl Woolf

Luna Pearl Woolf was born in 1973 in Western Massachusetts. She loved music and studied it at Harvard University, where she graduated with top honors in music composition in 1996. She also earned a master's degree in music composition from Smith College.

Her main teachers for composing music were Mario Davidovsky, Augusta Read Thomas, Lewis Spratlan, and Don Wheelock. Luna Pearl Woolf has won several awards for her compositions, including the Ellen Taafe Zwilich Prize.

Her 2022 work, Contact, was part of the album Vagues et Ombres, which was named the #1 Classical Album of the year by Canada’s CBC Music. This album was also nominated for a JUNO award. Her 2021 album, LUNA PEARL WOOLF: Fire and Flood, was nominated for a GRAMMY-Award!

She helped start a company called Oxingale Productions, Inc., which includes Oxingale Records and Oxingale Music. She also produces recordings for various music labels. Today, she lives in Montréal, Canada.

Oxingale Records and Music

Luna Pearl Woolf and cellist Matt Haimovitz started Oxingale Records in 2000. It's a record label that releases music.

In 2010, they also launched Oxingale Music. This company publishes music by modern composers. It's a great place for cellists to find new music, including original pieces and new versions of traditional, Jazz, and rock songs.

Her Amazing Music

Number Our Days

Number Our Days is a special musical story that uses photographs. It's based on a project called "Photo of the Day" by Jamie Livingston. Luna Pearl Woolf wrote the music, and David Van Taylor created the story and idea. This work explores the human need for connection. It was first performed in April 2024.

Jacqueline

Jacqueline is an opera (a musical play) about the life of the famous cellist Jacqueline du Pré. An opera usually has many singers, but this one is special because it's for just one singer (a soprano) and a cello. It was nominated for five Dora Awards and won one for an outstanding performance.

The Pillar

The Pillar is a musical piece based on the book The Wizard of Lies, which tells the story of Bernie Madoff. Luna Pearl Woolf was one of the first people to receive a grant from Opera America in 2014 to help create this work.

Angel Heart, a music storybook

This is a children's story told with both words and music. It was first performed in 2014. The famous actor Jeremy Irons narrated the story, which was written by Cornelia Funke. The music adds feelings and different sounds to the story, making it even more special.

Entanglement

Entanglement is a unique piece for a cello and percussion (like drums). What makes it interesting is that the musicians also follow a series of choreographed movements while playing. One player bows the cello, and the other strikes and touches it.

Notable Works

Here are some of Luna Pearl Woolf's important musical works:

• Number Our Days (2024): A photographic oratorio based on Jamie Livingston's "Photo of the Day."
• Mar y sol (2023): For a contralto singer and piano.
• l'Inconnu.e bouleversant.e (2023): For solo violin, written for a competition.
• Contact (2021): For a group of string instruments.
• Diaphanous Grace (2020): For solo cello.
• Jacqueline (2019): An opera about cellist Jacqueline du Pré.
• To the Fire (1994/rev.2018): For six male voices or a choir without instruments.
• Act Without Words I (2017): A musical version of a silent play.
• Entanglement (2016): A piece for cello and percussion with choreographed movements.
• Better Gods (2015): An opera about the abdication of Queen Liliʻuokalani.
• The Pillar (2014): An opera based on the life of Bernard Madoff.
• Rumi: Quatrains of Love (2012): For a soprano or mezzo-soprano singer, cello, and piano.
• Angel Heart: A Musical Storybook (2011): A spoken-word piece with music, created with Cornelia Funke and narrated by Jeremy Irons.
• Après Moi, le Déluge (2006): For solo cello and a choir without instruments.

Discography

Luna Pearl Woolf's music has been released on many albums. Here are some of them:

• 1998 - Lemons Descending.
• 2003 - Anthem.
• 2005 - Goulash!.
• 2006 - Après Moi, le Déluge.
• 2008 - Vinyl/Cello.
• 2009 - And if the song be worth a smile.
• 2009 - Figment.
• 2013 - The Hours Begin to Sing. This album includes Rumi: Quatrains of Love.
• 2013 - Angel Heart, a music storybook. This album features the Angel Heart story.
• 2015 - DECEMBER CELEBRATION New Carols by Seven American Composers.
• 2015 - Orbit.
• 2016 - Overtures to Bach.
• 2018 - Angel Heart, a music storybook. Another release of the Angel Heart story.
• 2019 - Ein Engel in der Nacht. Another release of the Angel Heart story.
• 2019 - Cello ROCK.
• 2020 - Cello JAZZ.
• 2020 - LUNA PEARL WOOLF: Fire and Flood. This album was nominated for a 2021 GRAMMY-award!
• 2021 - PRIMAVERA I the wind. This album was nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Producer - Classical.
• 2022 - Vagues et ombres. This album includes her work Contact.