Amy Beth Kirsten (1972- )
Born
in Belleville, Illinois and raised in the suburbs of Kansas City and
Chicago, Amy Beth Kirsten received
degrees from Benedictine University (B.A.), the Chicago College of
Performing Arts at Roosevelt University (M.M.), and from Peabody
Conservatory (D.M.A.). She has taught on the faculties of Peabody
Conservatory, Towson University, Wesleyan University, and the
University of Connecticut. Kirsten received a 2011 Guggenheim
Fellowship and Levy Supplemental Stipend for music composition. She was
recently a finalist for the Rome Prize, received a Rockefeller
Foundation Artist Fellowship, and was named a 2011 Artist Fellow from
the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism. Summer composition
fellowships include those from Norfolk New Music Workshop, Bang on a
Can, Mizzou New Music Festival, Music10, and at École Normale de
Musique in Paris. In 2009-2010, Ms. Kirsten was named Missouri's First
Composer Laureate due to her close association with the state. Recent
performances include those by Dark in the Song, Vicki Ray, Alarm Will
Sound, Tim Munro, American Composers Orchestra—16th Annual Underwood
Reading, l’Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne, Harbor Opera
Company, San Francisco Cabaret Opera, Missouri Verses and Voices, and
the award-winning choir Volti. Upcoming projects include a new
orchestra work for Bowling Green New Music Festival (October 2011) and
a collaboration with the Grammy-winning ensemble eighth blackbird
(2011-2012).COMPOSITIONS Kirsten Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Kirsten on Kirsten
Oh That I Had Wings, chorus (1992)
Christmas in Space, children’s musical, soloists, chorus and recorded soundtrack (1996)
Arsenic and Old Lace, incidental music (2001)
Raven Suite, violin and piano (2002)
Song of Miriam, soprano, flute, clarinet, string quartet and percussion (2002; rev. 2007) [text: Amy Beth Kirsten]
Me, the Devil, and Other Friends, incidental music (2002)
Gone Like Dreams, 2 sopranos and piano (2003) [text: Amy Beth Kirsten]
Now Touch the Air Softly, chorus (2004; rev. 2006)
To See What I See, soprano and piano (2005) [text: Shakespeare]
Ophelia Forever, chamber opera (2005) [text by Shakespeare, Rossetti, Siddal, Rimbaud, and Baudelaire]
- One Face, 3 sopranos and piano (2005) [text: Christina Rossetti] [from "Ophelia Forever", 2005]
- Let Me Go On (Tango), soprano and piano (2005) [text: Charles Baudelaire] [from "Ophelia Forever", 2005]
- Never Doubt I Love, unaccomp. soprano (uses extended techniques) (2005) [text: Sidall & Shakespeare]
Strange Angel, orchestra (2006)
In the Black, chorus (2006)
Installation: Music from the Ice Forest, voice, marimba, bass drum, tam-tam, crystal glasses (2006)
[for Walters Art Museum as part of the "Courbet and the Modern Landscape" exhibit, Oct 2006 - Jan 2007]
Empty Shell Girl, marimba (2007)
For a Dream's Sake, coloratura soprano, violin, viola and cello (all parts vocalize) (2007) [text: Rossetti]
lightgirl (and the interference of her human shadow), chamber orchestra (2008)
Little Falling Red, soprano, baritone, cl, trom, pf, vln, db & perc (all parts vocalize) (2009) [text: Elisa Gonzalez and Jordan Jacks]
The Haunting of Mr. Wolf (2009) solo electric cello, two amp. sopranos, elec. str (vln, va, db) & 3 perc (all parts vocalize)
[text: from "Little Red Riding Hood"]
The Girl He Drew, orchestra (2009)
Hall of Waters, chorus and clarinet (2009) [in memoriam Nicholas Maw] [text: Walter Bargen, Missouri Poet Laureate]
Drink Me, chamber orchestra (2010)
(speak to me), piano (performer vocalizes) (2010)
L'ange pâle, soprano, flute and two percussion (all parts vocalize) (2010) [text: Amy Beth Kirsten]
e.t.e.r.n.i.t.y., orchestra (2011)
World Under Glass No. 1, bassoon quintet (5 bassoons) (2011)
World Under Glass No. 2, flute, violin, cello, and percussion (all parts vocalize) (2011)
joujou, solo percussion, voice, flute and guitar (2011)
Pirouette on a Moon Sliver, flute (performer vocalizes) (2011)
Harlequinade: Never My Heart, chamber opera (in progress)
WORKS BY GENRE Kirsten Links ~ ~ ~ Kirsten on Kirsten ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
Christmas in Space, children’s musical, soloists, chorus and recorded soundtrack (1996)
Ophelia Forever, chamber opera (2005) [text by Shakespeare, Rossetti, Siddal, Rimbaud, and Baudelaire]
Harlequinade: Never My Heart, chamber opera (in progress)
Orchestra
Strange Angel, orchestra (2006)
lightgirl (and the interference of her human shadow), chamber orchestra (2008)
The Girl He Drew, orchestra (2009)
Drink Me, chamber orchestra (2010)
e.t.e.r.n.i.t.y., orchestra (2011)
Choral
Oh That I Had Wings, chorus (1992)
Now Touch the Air Softly, chorus (2004; rev. 2006)
In the Black, chorus (2006)
Hall of Waters, chorus and clarinet (2009) [in memoriam Nicholas Maw] [text: Walter Bargen, Missouri Poet Laureate]
Chamber
Raven Suite, violin and piano (2002)
World Under Glass No. 1, bassoon quintet (5 bassoons) (2011)
World Under Glass No. 2, flute, violin, cello, and percussion (all parts vocalize) (2011)
joujou, solo percussion, voice, flute and guitar (2011)
Solo Instrument
Empty Shell Girl, marimba (2007)
Pirouette on a Moon Sliver, flute (performer vocalizes) (2011)
Piano
(speak to me), piano (performer vocalizes) (2010)
Vocal
Song of Miriam, soprano, flute, clarinet, string quartet and percussion (2002; rev. 2007) [text: Amy Beth Kirsten]
Gone Like Dreams, 2 sopranos and piano (2003) [text: Amy Beth Kirsten]
To See What I See, soprano and piano (2005) [text: Shakespeare]
One Face, 3 sopranos and piano (2005) [text: Christina Rossetti] [from "Ophelia Forever", 2005]
Let Me Go On (Tango), soprano and piano (2005) [text: Charles Baudelaire] [from "Ophelia Forever", 2005]
Never Doubt I Love, unaccomp. soprano (uses extended techniques)(2005)[text: Sidall & Shakespeare][from "Ophelia Forever"]
For a Dream's Sake, coloratura soprano, violin, viola and cello (all parts vocalize) (2007) [text: Rossetti]
Little Falling Red, soprano, baritone, cl, trom, pf, vln, db & perc (all parts vocalize) (2009) [text: Elisa Gonzalez and Jordan Jacks]
The Haunting of Mr. Wolf (2009) solo electric cello, two amp. sopranos, elec. str (vln, va, db) & 3 perc (all parts vocalize)
[text: from "Little Red Riding Hood"]
L'ange pâle, soprano, flute and two percussion (all parts vocalize) (2010) [text: Amy Beth Kirsten]
joujou, solo percussion, voice, flute and guitar (2011)
Incidental/Film
Arsenic and Old Lace, incidental music (2001)
Me, the Devil, and Other Friends, incidental music (2002)
Electronic
Installation: Music from the Ice Forest, voice, marimba, bass drum, tam-tam, crystal glasses (2006)
[for Walters Art Museum as part of the "Courbet and the Modern Landscape" exhibit, Oct 2006 - Jan 2007]
KIRSTEN LINKS Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Kirsten on Kirsten ~ top of page ~
Amy Beth Kirsten Is Finally Convinced That She’s a Composer (Donna Doherty, New Haven Register)
College of DuPage Graduate Amy Beth Kirsten Named Guggenheim Fellow (DailyHerald.com)
Composer's website . . . contact Amy Beth Kirsten: here
Kirsten @ American Composers Forum
Kirsten @ American Composers Orchestra
Kirsten @ American Music Center
Kirsten @ Classical Composers Database
Kirsten @ College of DuPage
Kirsten @ Contemporary Composers Index
Kirsten @ Emerging Voices Project also here
Kirsten @ Facebook
Kirsten @ John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Kirsten @ Harbor Opera
Kirsten @ highSCORE Festival
Kirsten @ InstantEncore
Kirsten @ MAP Fund
Kirsten @ Mizzou New Music Initiative News also here
Kirsten @ Mizzou New Music Summer Festival
Kirsten @ The New York Times
Kirsten @ No Extra Notes
Kirsten @ Peabody Opera Project
Kirsten @ Sonic Festival
Kirsten @ Verses and Voices
Kirsten @ WQXR
Publisher
Kirsten @ Composer's website
Kirsten @ Tweet Street Publishing
Streaming Audio
Kirsten @ Composer's website also here
Kirsten @ No Extra Notes/Interview
Kirsten @ SoundCloud
Kirsten @ WQXR
Recordings
[none at the moment]
Video
Kirsten @ Composer's website
Kirsten @ YouTube
Kirsten @ Google Video
~ top of page ~
Kirsten on Kirsten: Named Guggenheim Fellow (VIDEO)
Kirsten on Kirsten: Interview at No Extra Notes (streaming audio)
Composers
Speak on the Web at Pytheas~ click on composer picture to listen ~
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