Rand Steiger
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Composer/conductor Rand Steiger was born in New York City in 1957. His compositions have been performed at international festivals and by many ensembles including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, Speculum Musicae, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, and the New York New Music Ensemble. He has received a Rome Prize, a National Endowment for the Arts Composers Fellowship, and commissions from the Fromm Foundation, Ircam, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony, the National Flute Association, Meet the Composer (for Steven Schick and Maya Beiser) and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he served as Composer Fellow from 1987 through 1989. His compositions and performances are recorded on the Centaur, CRI, Crystal, Einstein, Koch, Mode, New Albion, New World and Nonesuch labels.
Continuing his long-standing interest in computer music, he recently completed a new work Ecosphere for large chamber ensemble with real-time audio signal processing developed during residencies at Ircam and premiered by the Ensemble Intercontemporain at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Previously he worked with Miller Puckette and Vibeke Sorensen on the creation of a system for networked, real-time computer graphics and music, (supported by a three year grant from the Intel Research Council.)
Steiger regularly conducts the Ensemble Sospeso in New York City, including their recent critically acclaimed concert of music by Brian Ferneyhough. Steiger has also conducted the Arditti Quartet, Aspen Chamber Ensemble, CalArts Twentieth-Century Players, Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, New York New Music Ensemble, Sonor, and the California EAR Unit, of which he was the founding artistic director. He has conducted recordings of operas by Hilda Paredes and Anthony Davis, and other works including those by Carter, Reynolds, Stockhausen, Subotnick, and Xenakis. He has also conducted many U.S., west coast, and world premiere performances including works of Andriessen, Babbitt, Carter, Ferneyhough, Harvey, Kernis, Martirano, Newton, Nono, Reynolds, Riley, Rudders, Saariaho, Scelsi, Subotnick, Takemitsu, Tavener, and Tuur.
Steiger was a member of the Faculty of California Institute of the Arts from 1982 through 1987, and is currently a Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at the University of California San Diego.
