Erica Muhl

Erica Muhl (born October 26, 1961) is an American composer and conductor currently serving as associate dean and professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles.[1]

She received an Award in Music from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1999.[2]

Early life

Erica Muhl grew up in Los Angeles, where her father Edward Muhl was the head of Universal Pictures, and her mother, Barbara, an author and opera singer.[3] She trained as both a composer and a conductor, with much completed in Europe. At sixteen she was invited for private composition study with Nadia Boulanger in Paris.[1]

She returned from Europe in order to complete a Bachelor of Music, but upon completion she once again travelled while undergoing graduate studies at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. This was followed by the completion of a Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Southern California in 1991.[1]

Career

Muhl's elegy for string orchestra Disinherited Souls, in remembrance of the victims of the Shoah, was commissioned by the New Jewish Chamber Philharmonic Dresden.[4] Its premiere concert was at the Rykestrasse Synagogue in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, in November 2010.[5]

Another commission, Burn the Box, also premiered in 2010, at a private gala in celebration of the inauguration of USC President C. L. Max Nikias.[6] Further recent premieres have included the concert overture Smoke and Mirrors, for large orchestra, conducted in Los Angeles by the Memphis Symphony's music director, Mei-Ann Chen;[7] and two new chamber works. 2009 saw the Dresden and Berlin premieres of her Trucco for String Orchestra.[8] In 2005, the premiere of her chamber work, ...to a Thin Edge (commissioned and performed by the Orchestra of St. Luke's in New York City) was performed.[9] Other recent appearances include the premiere of her symphonic work, Fleet, which she conducted at Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles as part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's "Sounds About Town" series.[10]

Muhl has served as Assistant Conductor for Los Angeles Opera Theater, for Seattle Opera's regular season, and the Seattle Pacific Northwest Wagner Festival’s complete Der Ring des Nibelungen.[1]

Recordings

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Erica Muhl", Thornton School of Music: Faculty Profiles, University of Southern California. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ "American Academy of Arts and Letter honors composers". American Music Teacher  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . 1 August 1999. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  3. ↑ Simer, Randy. "Music and Motherhood – Both From The Heart". Elite Magazine (Santa Clarita Valley). Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Recent concerts". New Jewish Chamber Philharmonic Dresden. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Gedenkkonzert "Musik der Erinnerung"" (in German). Sächsische Staatskanzlei. Retrieved 25 November 2012.
  6. ↑ Calbi, Evan (October 11, 2010). "Pulling Out All the Stops". USC News. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Meet the Dean". Roski School of Fine Arts, University of Southern California. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  8. ↑ "News". Neue Jüdische Kammerphilharmonie Dresden. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Music Listings". The New York Times. March 21, 2004. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Fleet (world premiere)". Music and Musicians Database. The Los Angeles Philharmonic. Retrieved April 10, 2012.

External links