Melinda Wagner facts for kids

Melinda Jane Wagner (born in 1957 in Philadelphia) is an American composer. She is well-known for creating beautiful and interesting music. In 1999, she won the very famous Pulitzer Prize for music, which is a huge honor for artists.

Melinda Wagner studied music at several universities. She earned her first degree from Hamilton College. Later, she continued her studies at the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania. She also spent time as a special "Composer-in-Residence" at places like the University of Texas at Austin and the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. This means she was a composer who worked closely with these institutions, often teaching or creating new music there. Some of her teachers were famous composers like Richard Wernick and George Crumb.

A Composer's Journey

Melinda Wagner lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey. She won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for her piece called Concerto for Flute, Strings and Percussion. A concerto is a piece of music usually written for a solo instrument and an orchestra.

Famous Musical Works

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, a very important orchestra, has asked Melinda Wagner to write three major pieces for them. These include Falling Angels (written in 1992) and Extremity of Sky (written in 2002). Extremity of Sky is a piano concerto, which means it features a piano as the main solo instrument. The famous pianist Emanuel Ax has performed this piece with many orchestras around the world.

Another important work is Proceed, Moon (written in 2016). The Chicago Symphony Orchestra first performed this piece in 2017. Other orchestras and music groups have also performed her music. These include the New York New Music Ensemble and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players.

Awards and Recognition

Melinda Wagner has received many awards and honors for her music. She was given a Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. This is a special award that helps artists and scholars work on their projects. She also received awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The ASCAP also gave her three Young Composer awards early in her career.

Hamilton College, where she first studied, also gave her an honorary degree. This is a special award given to people who have achieved great things. She also received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Pennsylvania.

Teaching and Inspiring Others

Melinda Wagner is also a dedicated teacher. She has taught music at The Juilliard School since 2016. Juilliard is one of the most famous music schools in the world. She has also taught at other universities like Brandeis University, Smith College, and Syracuse University. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and passion for music with young musicians.

She has also given lectures at many other schools, including Yale University and Cornell University. Melinda Wagner continues to live in New Jersey with her husband, James Saporito, who is a percussionist.

List of Musical Pieces

Here are some of the musical pieces Melinda Wagner has composed:

• Falling Angels (1992)
• Concerto for Flute, Strings, and Percussion (This piece won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999!)
• Extremity of Sky (a piano concerto from 2002)
• Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra (2007)
• Arabesque for Solo Guitar
• Noggin: Four Pieces for Piano
• Tintinnabulum for Piano
• Brass Quintet No. 1
• Concertino for Harpsichord and String Quintet
• Four Settings for Soprano and Ensemble
• My Tioga for String Quartet
• Pan Journal for Harp and String Quartet
• Proceed, Moon for orchestra (2016)
• Romanze With Faux Variations Piano Trio No. 2
• Scritch for Oboe and String Quartet
• Sextet for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, Piano
• Seven Muses Contemporary Anthology for Flute and Piano
• Sleep Awake: Two Songs for Mezzo-soprano, Clarinet, and Piano
• Wick for Chamber Ensemble
• Wing and Prayer for Clarinet, violoncello, percussion, and piano
• Ancient Music SABTA Acapella
• From a Book of Early Prayers for SATB Acapella
• 57/7 Dash Overture for Timpani, Percussion, and orchestra
• Little Moonhead three tributaries to Bach
• Scamp for Wind Ensemble

Awards and Honors

Melinda Wagner has received many important awards throughout her career:

• 2003: Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Pennsylvania
• 2001: Honorary degree from Hamilton College
• 2000: Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
• 1999: Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Concerto for Flute, Strings, and Percussion
• 1991: MacDowell Colony Resident Fellowship
• 1988: Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship
• 1988: MacDowell Colony Resident
• 1986: MacDowell Colony Resident
• 1986: Yaddo Resident Fellowship
• 1984, 1985, 1987: ASCAP Young Composer Awards

See also

In Spanish: Melinda Wagner para niños