Barbara Kolb
Barbara Kolb (b. Hartford, Connecticut, February 10, 1939) is an American composer. Her music uses sound masses and often creates vertical structures through simultaneous rhythmic or melodic units (motifs or figures). She was the first American woman composer to win the Rome Prize. She received her B.M. (cum laude) and M.M. degrees from the Hartt College of Music (now The Hartt School) at the University of Hartford, and studied with Arnold Franchetti and Gunther Schuller.[1]
Her compositions include All in Good Time (1993), commissioned for the 150th Anniversary of the New York Philharmonic, and Voyants (1991), a concerto for piano and chamber orchestra dedicated to the memory of Aaron Copland. Voyants was most recently performed by Kathleen Supove with the Rhode Island College Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Edward Markward on October 16, 2006 in Providence, RI. Discs devoted solely to the music of Ms. Kolb have been released by CRI and New World Records. Her orchestral composition All in Good Time was recorded by the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Carlos Kalmar, along with works by John Corigliano, Aaron Jay Kernis, John Harbison and Michael Hersch on a CD released by Cedille Records in the summer of 2006. Her music is published exclusively by Boosey and Hawkes.
Selected compositions
- Millefoglie, for chamber orchestra and computer generated tape
- Extremes, duo for flute and cello
- Chromatic Fantasy, for narrator and six instruments
- Solitaire, for piano and two-channel tape and vibraphone
- Cavatina for violin or viola solo (1983, revised 1985)
- Related Characters for viola and piano (1982)
Discography
All Barbara Kolb discs
- Barbara Kolb: Millefoglie and Other Works (1992). Music Today and Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. Includes Kolb's Millefoglie for orchestra & tape (1984-5), Extremes for cello & flute (1988-9), Chromatic Fantasy for narrator & 6 instruments (1979), and Solitaire for piano and pre-recorded tape (1971) (New World Records 80422-2).
- Barbara Kolb: Soundings and Other Works (1990). Ensemble InterContemporain conducted by Arthur Tamayo; Igor Kipnis - harpsichord; Jay Gottlieb - piano, etc.; includes Kolb's Soundings (1971–72), Toccata (1971), Apello (1976), Looking for Claudio (1975), and Spring River Flowers Moon Night (1974–75) (Composers Recordings Inc. CD 576, available from New World Records).
Others
- Related Characters - featuring Bill Perconti, James March, and Iowa Brass Quintet - includes Barbara Kolb's Related Characters for alto saxophone and piano (1982) (Centaur).
- American Orchestra Works - featuring the Grant Park Orchestra conducted by Carlos Kalmar - includes Barbara Kolb's All In Good Time (1993) (Cedille).
References
- ↑ Ammer, Christine (2001). Unsung: A History of Women in American Music. Amadeus Press. p. 224.
External links
- Barbara Kolb's page on the American Music Center's Online Library
- Barbara Kolb's page on the Boosey & Hawkes website
- Barbara Kolb's page on the Boston Modern Orchestra Project website
- A short essay written by Barbara Kolb in response to the question, "When did first you know that you would be a composer and what is the earliest work that you still acknowledge?" from July 2001, published on NewMusicBox
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