Judith Shatin (1949- )
Composer
Judith Shatin is a sonic explorer whose music spans chamber,
choral, dance,
electroacoustic, installation, multimedia and orchestral
genres. Her inspirations range from myth, poetry and her Jewish
heritage to the calls of the animals around us and the sounding
universe beyond. The Washington Post has called her music “highly
inventive … hugely enjoyable and deeply involving, with a constant sense
of surprise".
Shatin's music has been featured at festivals including the Aspen, BAM
Next Wave, Grand Teton, Havana in Spring, Moscow Autumn, Seal Bay,
Ukraine, Soundways (St. Petersburg) and West Cork. Orchestras that have
performed her music include the Denver, Houston, Illinois, Knoxville,
Minnesota, National and Richmond Symphonies. Her works have been
commissioned by groups including the Ash Lawn Opera, Barlow Foundation,
Core Ensemble, Garth Newel Chamber Players, Kronos Quartet, Library of
Congress, Music-at-LaGesse Foundation, National Symphony, newEar,
Hexagon Ensemble, Virginia Chamber Orchestra and Wintergreen Performing
Arts, the last through Americans for the Arts. Educated at
Douglass College, The Juilliard School and Princeton
University, Shatin is currently William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor
and Director of the Virginia Center for Computer Music, which she
founded at the University of Virginia in 1987. Also an advocate for
her fellow composers, she has served on the boards of the American
Composers Alliance, the League/ISCM, and the International Alliance for
Women in Music (IAWM). She also served as President of American Women
Composers, Inc. (1989-93). Shatin has been honored with four National
Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, as well as awards from the American
Music Center, Meet the Composer, the New Jersey State Arts Council and
the Virginia Commission for the Arts. A two-year retrospective of her
music, and the commission for her folk oratorio, COAL, was sponsored by
the Lila Wallace-Readers Digest Arts Partners Program. She has held
residencies at Bellagio (Italy), Brahmshaus (Germany), La Cité des Arts
(France), Mishkan Amanim (Israel) and in the US at MacDowell, the
Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, and Yaddo. Shatin's music is
published by Arsis Press, C.F. Peters, Colla Voce, E.C. Schirmer, Hal
Leonard and Wendigo Music. - California Summer Music at Sonoma State University
COMPOSITIONS Shatin Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Shatin on Shatin
Limericks, flute (1974)
When the Moon of Wildflowers is Full, flute and cello (1975)
Ruth, voice (1977)
Arche, viola and orchestra (1978)
Quatrain, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin and viola (1978)
Postlude, organ (1978, withdrawn)
Wind Songs, woodwind quintet (1980)
Lost Angels, trumpet, bassoon and piano (1980)
Follies and Fancies, opera, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass and piano (1981; w/fl, bsn, vln, vc and hpschd, 1982)
Gazebo Music, flute and cello (1981)
Study in Black, flute and perussion (1981)
Akhmatova Songs, mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1982)
The Passion of St. Cecilia, piano concerto (1983)
Werther, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1983)
Icarus, violin and piano (1983)
Widdershins, piano (1983)
Glyph, solo viola, string quartet (or string orch) and piano (1984; arr. for solo clarinet, str qt/or str orch and piano, 2008)
Aura, orchestra (1981-84)
Ruah, concerto for flute and chamber orchestra (1985)
Assembly Line #1, oboe (1985)
Sursum Corda, cello (1985)
Scirocco, piano (1985)
Commonwealth Salute, band (1986)
Monument in Brass, fanfare, brass quintet (1986)
View From Mt. Nebo, violin, cello and piano (1986)
Ignoto Numine, violin, cello and piano (1986)
L’étude du Coeur, viola (1983-87)
Fasting Heart, flute (1987)
Carreño, mezzo-soprano and piano (1987)
Wedding Song, soprano and English horn (or alto flute; or clarinet; or viola (1987)
Marvelous Pursuits, vocal quartet and piano 4-hands (1987)
Meridians, clarinet (1988)
Hearing Things, amplified violin, MIDI keyboard, computer running HMSL and electronic instruments (1989)
Round 3, trombone (1989)
Doxa, viola and piano (1989)
Gabriel’s Wing, flute and piano (1989)
Three Summers’ Heat, mezzo-soprano and tape (1989-90) [also arr. for soprano, flute, viola and harp, 2005)
Hosech Al P’ney HaTehom (Darkness Upon the Face of the Deep), computer-generated tape (1990)
Piping the Earth, orchestra (1990)
Secret Ground, flute, clarinet, violin and cello (1990)
Kairos, amplified flute, Mac computer running HMSL, VP-70 voice processor and quadraverb (1991)
- also arr. for flute and Max-Msp (2007)
Stringing the Bow, string orchestra (1991)
Hark My Love, chorus and piano (1991)
We Hold These Truths, chorus, brass quintet and timpani (1992)
1492, piano and percussion (1992)
Beetles, Monsters and Roses, 4 songs, female chorus and elec playback (1993) [ClickBeetle, Someone, I Am Rose, The Wendigo]
COAL, folk oratorio, chorus, Appalachian instruments (banjo, fiddle, gtr, dulcimer, 2 Appalachian singers), synthesizer and
electronic playback (1993-94)
The Janus Quartet, string quartet (1994)
Ruah, flute and piano (1994)
Sister Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, soprano and viola (1994)
Elijah’s Chariot, string quartet and electronic playback (1995)
Adonai Ro'i, chorus (1995)
- Adonai Ro'i, chorus and string orchestra (1996; fp 1999)
Hearing the Call, 2 trumpets and 2 snare drums (1995)
Coursing Through the Still Green, flute (1995)
Chai Variations on Eliahu HaNavi, piano (1995)
Baruch HaBa, voice (male or female) (1995)
Nun, Gimel, Hei, Shin, 3-part chorus (1996)
Dreamtigers, flute and guitar (1996)
Fantasy on St. Cecilia, piano (1996)
Sea of Reeds, clarinet and live electronics (1997)
Spin, flute, clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola and cello (1997)
Songs of War and Peace, chorus and piano (1998)
Aseret Makot, passover round, 3-part chorus, flute, cello and piano (1998)
Fantasìa Sobre El Flamenco, brass quintet (1998)
Houdini, Memories of a Conjurer, cello, piano and percussion (1999)
Shapirt Y’fehfiah, treble chorus (2000)
Calling, cello, piano and percussion (2000)
Ockeghem Variations, woodwind quintet and piano (2000)
Fledermaus Fantasy, violin and piano (2000)
- Fledermaus Fantasy, solo violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano (2003)
Grito del Corazón (2001) [video by Kathy Aoki] [inspired by Goya's "Black Paintings"]
- flute, violin, cello and keyboards (2001)
- clarinet, violin, piano and percussion (2001?)
- soprano saxophone, electronic sounds and video (2001)
- cello and electronic playback
- 2 saxophones, bassoon, clarinet, electric bass, voice, piano and organ
- may also be played as a DVD
Allelulia, chorus (2001)
Run, violin, viola, cello and piano (2001)
Penelope’s Song, amplified viola and electronic playback (2003; rev. 2005)
- also arr. for clarinet and electronics (2005)
- also arr. for violin plus electronics (2005)
- also arr. for soprano sax and electronic playback (2007)
Singing the Blue Ridge, mezzo-soprano, baritone, orchestra and electronics made from wild animal calls (2002)
Tongue Twisters, treble chorus and piano (2003)
Tree Music, interactive installation (2003)
Glimmerings, electronic playback (2003)
Cherry Blossom and a Wrapped Thing: After Hokusai, clarinet and multichannel audio (stereo version also available) (2004)
Penelope’s Loom, electronic playback (2004)
Amulet, female chorus (2004)
Opinion is Power, chorus (2004)
Ki Koleich Arev, soprano, flute and piano (2004)
Civil War Memories, electronic playback (2005) [Clear Cut; Inside Out; Farewell; Raining Heavily; Cry Freedom]
- Civil War Memories: Inside Out, computer music video (2007) [video by Lydia Moyers]
For the Birds, amplified cello and electronic playback (2005)
Clave, flute, clarinet, saxophone, violin, viola, cello, percussion and piano (2005; rev. 2008)
The Jabberwocky, male chorus (2006)
Teruah, Shofar, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, 3 horns and timpani (2006)
Time to Burn, oboe and 2 percussion (2006)
Penelope’s Dream, cello (2006)
Cinnamon, film score (2006)
Honey Sweet Pomegranate Seeds, dance piece, elec plybk (2007) [chor/Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp; video/Richard Robinson]
Why the Caged Bird Sings, chorus and piano (2007)
Songs of War and Peace, chorus and chamber orchestra (2008)
Tower of the Eight Winds, violin and piano (2008)
Rotunda, computer music video (2009) [video by Robert Arnold]
Spring Tides, amplified flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and interactive electronics (2009)
Jefferson, In His Own Words, narrator and orchestra (2010)
Selah, female chorus (2011) [text: the Psalms]
Respecting the First, amplified string quartet and electronics (2011)
Sic Transit, live percussionist and 6 percussion robots (2011)
Light Touch, computer music video (2011)
WORKS BY GENRE Shatin Links ~ ~ ~ Shatin on Shatin ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
Follies and Fancies, opera, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass and piano (1981; w/fl, bsn, vln, vc and hpschd, 1982)
Honey Sweet Pomegranate Seeds, dance piece, elec plybk (2007) [chor/Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp; video/Richard Robinson]
Orchestra
Aura, orchestra (1981-84)
Piping the Earth, orchestra (1990)
Stringing the Bow, string orchestra (1991)
Jefferson, In His Own Words, narrator and orchestra (2010)
Band
Commonwealth Salute, band (1986)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra Ensemble
Arche, viola and orchestra (1978)
The Passion of St. Cecilia, piano concerto (1983)
Glyph, solo viola, string quartet (or string orch) and piano (1984; arr. for solo clarinet, str qt/or str orch and piano, 2008)
Ruah, concerto for flute and chamber orchestra (1985)
Singing the Blue Ridge, mezzo-soprano, baritone, orchestra and electronics made from wild animal calls (2002)
Sic Transit, live percussionist and 6 percussion robots (2011)
Chorus w/Orchestra
Adonai Ro'i (Psalm 23), chorus and string orchestra (1996) [from work for a capella chorus, 1995]
Songs of War and Peace, chorus and chamber orchestra (2008)
Choral
Hark My Love, chorus and piano (1991)
We Hold These Truths, chorus, brass quintet and timpani (1992)
Beetles, Monsters and Roses, 4 songs, female chorus and elec playback (1993) [ClickBeetle, Someone, I Am Rose, The Wendigo]
COAL, folk oratorio, chorus, Appalachian instruments (banjo, fiddle, gtr, dulcimer, 2 Appalachian singers), synthesizer and
electronic playback (1993-94)
Adonai Ro'i (Psalm 23), chorus (1995) [also arr. for chorus and string orchestra, 1996/fp 1999)
Nun, Gimel, Hei, Shin, 3-part chorus (1996)
Songs of War and Peace, chorus and piano (1998)
- And How My Brother is Cain
- The Rain is Ready to Fall
- Peace is a Sea
- Peace Poem After a Ugarithic Inscription
Aseret Makot, passover round, 3-part chorus, flute, cello and piano (1998)
Shapirt Y’fehfiah, treble chorus (2000)
Allelulia, chorus (2001)
Tongue Twisters, treble chorus and piano (2003)
Amulet, female chorus (2004)
Opinion is Power, chorus (2004)
The Jabberwocky, male chorus (2006)
Why the Caged Bird Sings, chorus and piano (2007)
Selah, female chorus (2011) [text: the Psalms]
Chamber
When the Moon of Wildflowers is Full, flute and cello (1975)
Quatrain, clarinet, bass clarinet, violin and viola (1978)
Wind Songs, woodwind quintet (1980)
Lost Angels, trumpet, bassoon and piano (1980)
Gazebo Music, flute and cello (1981)
Study in Black, flute and perussion (1981)
Werther, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1983)
Glyph, solo viola, string quartet and piano (1984; arr. for solo clarinet, string quartet and piano, 2008)
Monument in Brass, fanfare, brass quintet (1986)
View From Mt. Nebo, violin, cello and piano (1986)
Ignoto Numine, violin, cello and piano (1986)
Hearing Things, amplified violin, MIDI keyboard, computer running HMSL and electronic instruments (1989)
Secret Ground, flute, clarinet, violin and cello (1990)
1492, piano and percussion (1992)
The Janus Quartet, string quartet (1994)
Elijah’s Chariot, string quartet and electronic playback (1995)
Hearing the Call, 2 trumpets and 2 snare drums (1995)
Dreamtigers, flute and guitar (1996)
Spin, flute, clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola and cello (1997)
Fantasìa Sobre El Flamenco, brass quintet (1998)
Houdini, Memories of a Conjurer, cello, piano and percussion (1999)
Calling, cello, piano and percussion (2000)
Ockeghem Variations, woodwind quintet and piano (2000)
Run, violin, viola, cello and piano (2001)
Fledermaus Fantasy, solo violin, viola, cello, double bass and piano (2003)
Clave, flute, clarinet, saxophone, violin, viola, cello, percussion and piano (2005; rev. 2008)
Teruah, Shofar, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, 3 horns and timpani (2006)
Time to Burn, oboe and 2 percussion (2006)
Spring Tides, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and interactive electronics (2009)
Respecting the First, amplified string quartet and electronics (2011)
Sic Transit, live percussionist and 6 percussion robots (2011)
Solo Instrument
Limericks, flute (1974)
Icarus, violin and piano (1983)
L’étude du Coeur, viola (1983-87)
Assembly Line #1, oboe (1985)
Sursum Corda, cello (1985)
Fasting Heart, flute (1987)
Meridians, clarinet (1988)
Round 3, trombone (1989)
Doxa, viola and piano (1989)
Gabriel’s Wing, flute and piano (1989)
Kairos, amplified flute, Mac computer running HMSL, VP-70 voice processor and quadraverb (1991)
- also arr. for flute and Max-Msp (2007)
Ruah, flute and piano (1994)
Coursing Through the Still Green, flute (1995)
Sea of Reeds, clarinet and live electronics (1997)
Fledermaus Fantasy, violin and piano (2000)
Penelope’s Song, amplified viola and electronic playback (2003; rev. 2005)
- also arr. for clarinet and electronics (2005)
- also arr. for violin plus electronics (2005)
- also arr. for soprano sax and electronic playback (2007)
Cherry Blossom and a Wrapped Thing: After Hokusai, clarinet and multichannel audio (stereo version also available) (2004)
For the Birds, amplified cello and electronic playback (2005)
Penelope’s Dream, cello (2006)
Tower of the Eight Winds, violin and piano (2008)
Piano/Organ
Postlude, organ (1978, withdrawn)
Widdershins, piano (1983)
Scirocco, piano (1985)
Chai Variations on Eliahu HaNavi, piano (1995)
Fantasy on St. Cecilia, piano (1996)
Vocal
Ruth, voice (1977)
Akhmatova Songs, mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1982)
Carreño, mezzo-soprano and piano (1987)
Wedding Song, soprano and English horn (or alto flute; or clarinet; or viola (1987)
Marvelous Pursuits, vocal quartet and piano 4-hands (1987)
Three Summers’ Heat, mezzo-soprano and tape (1989-90) [also arr. for soprano, flute, viola and harp, 2005)
Sister Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, soprano and viola (1994)
Baruch HaBa, voice (male or female) (1995)
Singing the Blue Ridge, mezzo-soprano, baritone, orchestra and electronics made from wild animal calls (2002)
Ki Koleich Arev, soprano, flute and piano (2004)
Film/Incidental Music
Tree Music, interactive installation (2003)
Cinnamon, film score (2006)
Civil War Memories: Inside Out, computer music video (2007) [video by Lydia Moyers]
Rotunda, computer music video (2009) [video by Robert Arnold]
Light Touch, computer music video (2011)
Electronic, Electroacoustic and Digital Media
Hearing Things, amplified violin, MIDI keyboard, computer running HMSL and electronic instruments (1989)
Three Summers’ Heat, mezzo-soprano and tape (1989-90)
Hosech Al P’ney HaTehom (Darkness Upon the Face of the Deep), computer-generated tape (1990)
Kairos, amplified flute, Mac computer running HMSL, VP-70 voice processor and quadraverb (1991)
Beetles, Monsters and Roses, 4 songs, female chorus and electronic playback (1993)
Elijah’s Chariot, string quartet and electronic playback (1995)
Sea of Reeds, clarinet and live electronics (1997)
Grito del Corazón (2001) [video by Kathy Aoki] [inspired by Goya's "Black Paintings"]
- flute, violin, cello and keyboards (2001)
- clarinet, violin, piano and percussion (2001?)
- soprano saxophone, electronic sounds and video (2001)
- cello and electronic playback
- 2 saxophones, bassoon, clarinet, electric bass, voice, piano and organ
- may also be played as a DVD
Penelope’s Song, amplified viola and electronic playback (2003; rev. 2005)
Tree Music, interactive installation (2003)
Glimmerings, electronic playback (2003)
Cherry Blossom and a Wrapped Thing: After Hokusai, clarinet and multichannel audio (stereo version also available) (2004)
Penelope’s Loom, electronic playback (2004)
Civil War Memories, electronic playback (2005) [Clear Cut; Inside Out; Farewell; Raining Heavily; Cry Freedom]
For the Birds, amplified cello and electronic playback (2005)
Penelope’s Song (Version "2"), clarinet and electronics (2005)
Penelope’s Song (Version "3"), violin plus electronics (2005)
Kairos (Version "2"), flute and Max-Msp (2007)
Penelope’s Song (Version "4"), soprano sax and electronic playback (2007)
Civil War Memories: Inside Out, computer music video (2007) [video by Lydia Moyers]
Honey Sweet Pomegranate Seeds, dance piece, elec plybk (2007) [chor/Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp; video/Richard Robinson]
Rotunda, computer music video (2009) [video by Robert Arnold]
Spring Tides, amplified flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and interactive electronics (2009)
Respecting the First, amplified string quartet and electronics (2011)
SHATIN LINKS Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Shatin on Shatin ~ top of page ~
All About Cinnamon (picturepalacepictures.com)
Checking in With UVA's Judith Shatin (C-Ville Weekly)
COAL (Shepherd College, americansforthearts.org)
Collaborative Dance Concert Brings Together Students and Faculty (UVA Today)
A Conversation with Judith Shatin (New Music Connoisseur)
Electroacoustic and Choral Music of Judith Shatin (Sequenza21)
Jefferson’s Own Words, Set to Shatin’s Own Music (David A. Maurer, Charlottesville Daily Progress)
Judith Shatin Celebrates 30 Years at University of Virginia (Jane Ford, McIntire Dept of Music Newsletter)
Judith Shatin: Penelope’s Song (timsummers.org)
Judith Shatin: Talking Music - An Interview with J. Michele Edwards (IAWM Journal)
Lydia Moyer / Civil War Memories (Inside/Out) (Acid Rain Productions)
The Mind of an Artist (The Library of Congress)
Music by Judith Shatin/Chile Concert
Mythic Dramas By Judith Shatin (hasseborup.com)
The Nature Project (Madeline Shapiro, NewMusicBox)
Playing the Shofar: An Ancient Sound Finds a New Voice (Lana Gersten, The Jewish Daily Forward)
Premiere of COAL (Anna Larson, ILWC Journal)
Rotunda: The Movie (University of Virgina Magazine)
Setting the Themes (BLC, New Music Connoisseur)
Shatin Pioneers Computer Music (Elizabeth Wilkerson, Arts & Sciences Magazine)
Shatin's Jefferson-Inspired Piece Makes East Coast Premiere (UVa Today)
Shatin's Music Ranges from Jeffersonian Ideals to Coal Mines (University of Virginia)
Sounding Off - The Virginia Center for Computer Music is Making Noise (Laura Parsons, The University of Virginia Magazine)
Tree Music (Jane Ford, Arts & Sciences Magazine)
Wednesday Night at the Improv (Vance R. Koven, The Boston Musical Intelligencer)
World Premiere of Judith Shatin's 'Jefferson: In His Own Words' (Hemsing Associates, MusicalAmerica)
Composer's website . . . contact Judith Shatin: here
Judith Shatin: What's New . . .
Shatin @ Wikipedia
Shatin @ American Composers Forum
Shatin @ American Music Center
Shatin @ Answers.com
Shatin @ Arsis Press
Shatin @ ARTISTdirect
Shatin @ California Summer Music at Sonoma State University
Shatin @ Center for New Music/University of Iowa
Shatin @ Classical Archives
Shatin @ Classical Composers Database
Shatin @ Da Capo Chamber Players
Shatin @ Downtown Music Gallery
Shatin @ EMF Productions
Shatin @ Facebook
Shatin @ Influxdance Company
Shatin @ Innova Recordings
Shatin @ InstantEncore
Shatin @ Jeffrey James Arts Consulting also here
Shatin @ Kalvos & Damian
Shatin @ The Kennedy Center also here
Shatin @ LAIM
Shatin @ LinkedIn
Shatin @ Milken Archive of American Jewish Music
Shatin @ multimediasaxophone.com
Shatin @ Musical Heritage Society
Shatin @ MusicWeb International
Shatin @ MySpaceMusic
Shatin @ Naxos
Shatin @ E.C. Schirmer
Shatin @ Sequenza21
Shatin @ Sigma Alpha Iota
Shatin @ University of Texas Electronic Music Studios
Shatin @ University of Virginia also here
Shatin @ University of Virginia/Art Museum
Shatin @ VA Book!
Shatin @ Vox Novus
Publisher
Shatin @ Composer's website
Shatin @ American Composers Alliance
Shatin @ Arsis Press
Shatin @ Colla Voce Music
Shatin @ Dorn Publications
Shatin @ Laureate Music Press [MMB Music]
Shatin @ Lawson-Gould Music Publishers
Shatin @ MMB Music
Shatin @ Edition Peters
Shatin @ Plymouth Music Co.
Shatin @ E.C. Schirmer
Shatin @ Wendigo Music
Streaming Audio
Shatin @ Composer's website (check under individual work listings)
Shatin @ Classical Archives
Shatin @ last.fm
Shatin @ The Milken Archive of American Jewish Music
Shatin @ MySpaceMusic
Shatin @ Noizepunk and Krooner/Interview
Shatin @ Rhapsody
Recordings
Shatin @ ArkivMusic
Shatin @ Aucourant Records
Shatin @ Capstone Records
Shatin @ ClassicsOnline
Shatin @ Discogs
Shatin @ Innova Recordings
Shatin @ New World Records
Fantasìa Sobre El Flamenco (Sonora Productions)
Sea of Reeds and Three Summers Heat (Centaur CRC 2454)
Video
Shatin @ YouTube
Shatin @ Google Video
Shatin @ Vimeo
Shatin @ 60X60 Dance
Shatin @ The Mind of an Artist (The Library of Congress)
Shatin @ The Nature Project/Madeleine Shapiro/NewMusicBox
Shatin @ ReasearchChannel/Gateways
~ top of page ~
Shatin on Shatin: The Mind of an Artists/Library of Congress Webcasts (VIDEO)
Composers
Speak on the Web at Pytheas~ click on composer picture to listen ~
~ top of page ~
Shatin on Shatin: A Composition Springing from West Virginia’s Coal Fields/Gateways (VIDEO)
Composers
Speak on the Web at Pytheas~ click on composer picture to listen ~
(note: interview begins in 2nd half of program @ 13:24)
. . . you can also access this video at VideoWired here
~ top of page ~
Judith Shatin - An Interview @ Pytheas with Vinny Fuerst
Composer Judith
Shatin is a sonic explorer whose
music spans chamber, choral, dance, electroacoustic, installation,
multimedia and orchestral genres. Her inspirations range from myth,
poetry and her Jewish heritage to the calls of the animals around us
and the sounding universe beyond. The Washington Post has called her
music “highly inventive . . . hugely enjoyable and deeply
involving, with a
constant sense of surprise." She sat down with us to talk about her
life as a composer, her current compositions and activities, technology
and music, and her thoughts on contemporary music . . .Vinny Fuerst: Thank you so much for joining us here at Pytheas. I'd like to start with a question about your musical roots. Did you come from a musical family, and when did you know you wanted to become a composer?
Judith Shatin: My family was not especially musical; my father was a clinical psychologist and my mother a bacteriologist. While they both enjoyed music, they were both more drawn to visual art. But they noticed how much time I spent at the piano, and arranged for me to take lessons starting when I was 5 (in Albany, NY). They also encouraged my playing flute in the school band, and later in the orchestra (in South Orange, NJ). I also loved singing and belonged to choruses at various points. I composed some small pieces as a teenager, but it was not until my undergraduate study with composer Robert Moevs, across campus from Douglass College at Rutgers University, that I decided to become a composer. I petitioned the music faculty at Douglass to give a senior composition recital, rather than the expected one for piano. They reluctantly agreed, but only on the condition that I perform at least one of my own pieces, find the other performers, and arrange all of the rehearsals. It was the first composition recital in the history of the school, and I loved every minute of it! From there, I became ever more focused on composition, studying at Juilliard (MM) and Princeton (PhD), as well as summer stints at the Aspen Music Festival and at Tanglewood, where I was a Margaret Lee Crofts composition fellow.
VF: You appear to be is in the midst of a wonderfully creative period in your life, with your music receiving many performances and recordings. Can you talk a bit about all that's happening with your life and music?
JS: This has been a strange period – wonderfully exciting and fulfilling, and at the same time quite challenging. There is always a whirlwind feeling – trying to balance composing, teaching, traveling for collaborations and performances, and finding time for my home life, which I happily share with my husband, cognitive psychologist Michael Kubovy. And there are constant reminders in the ebb and flow of how unpredictable our lives are, and how fortunate I am to live with such joy in music. I find it increasingly impossible to keep current events from affecting my music, with the results showing in pieces such as Time to Burn, for oboe and two percussionists. It is quite a dark piece, though it contains small flashes of light. On the musical side, this year has seen the release of four recordings: Tower of the Eight Winds, a disk of my violin/piano/electronics music, recorded by the Borup-Ernst Duo and released on Innova (#770); Cherry Blossom and a Wrapped Thing; After Hokusai, for amplified clarinet and electronics, commissioned and recorded by F. Gerard Errante on his CD Delicate Balance on the Aucourant label (AUREC 1001); Ockeghem Variations, for wind quintet and piano, commissioned and recorded by the Dutch Hexagon Ensemble, on their CD The Dutch
Connection, on the Etcetera label; and Penelope’s Song (version for amplified soprano sax), released on Susan Fancher’s In Two Worlds CD, also on Innova (#776). Working closely with all of these performers has delighted me, as have their wonderful performances on the recordings! And, as you mention, a rich assortment of soloists and ensembles has performed my music
this season. In addition to the orchestras mentioned below, recent and upcoming performances include virtually all of the genres that entice me. Some examples: electroacoustic performances at the Bowdoin International Festival, the Juilliard Beyond the
Machine, by Da Capo Chamber Players and at the New York Electroacoustic Festival; solos by clarinetist Don Oehler, sax player Michael Straus and bassoonist Dana Dessen, violist Kathryn Luchtenberg and cellist Madeleine Shapiro; chamber music by the Borup-Ernst Duo, Fear No Music, the Deering Estate Living Artist Chamber Series (Miami), and Wintergreen Performing Arts, in nearby Nelson County; and choral music by Concerto Della Donna (Montreal), the Meredith Chorale (Raleigh), the Pappert Women’s Chorus (Pittsburgh) and the Virginia Chorale (Williamsburg). Sometimes I think that it would be better to focus on one genre, but I’m too curious and too excited about working with different instrumental/digital combinations to restrict myself. And the possibilities of both acoustic and digital media are so rich! I urge those starting out to explore both. During this period I also composed acoustic pieces, such as Jefferson, In His Own Words, a 25- minute, four-movement piece for narrator and orchestra (described in detail below); and The Jumblies, a setting of the Lear poem of the same name, commissioned by The Peninsula
Women’s Chorus, conducted by Martin Benvenuto. Often my projects make a social and/or environmental statement. My earliest project in this vein was Coal, an evening-length folk oratorio scored for chorus, Appalachian heritage instruments, electronics and synthesizer. Sponsored by the Lila Wallace – Readers Digest Arts Partners Program, this piece involved fascinating travel in West Virginia, from harvesting sounds in Eagles Nest Mine in Twilight, WV, to stints in archives around the state to meetings with miners, company owners and a huge variety of other people. Proceeds from the premiere went to the National Black Lung Association. It was an indelible experience. I was so moved when a miner told me that my work gave hers dignity! Another piece with both a social and ecological connection is Singing the Blue Ridge (mezzo, baritone, orchestra, and electronics made from the calls of indigenous wild animals). It was commissioned by Wintergreen Performing Arts as part of a project called Preserving the Rural Soundscape. I participated in a wide range of activities, including working with community
groups to raise awareness of their individual soundscapes. I also led soundwalks to help people become more aware of their sonic surroundings, and offered classes on improvisation for school children as well as for more advanced students to enliven their sense of the social connections of making music.
VF: Your "Jefferson, In His Own Words" has been performed by both the Illinois and Charlottesville & University Symphonies since you completed it in early 2010, and is scheduled for performance by the Richmond Symphony on 11/13-14. Is there a connection between your time at the University of Virginia (UVa) and your choice of words for this piece?
JS: My time at the University of Virginia, where I started teaching in 1979, has certainly heightened my awareness – and admiration – of Jefferson, and has resulted in three pieces to date. The first, We Hold These Truths, for chorus, brass quintet and tympani, is a setting of a substantial portion of the Declaration of Independence. It was commissioned by UVA for Jefferson’s 250th birthday. The second, Rotunda, is a collaboration (2006-09) with filmmaker Robert Arnold, discussed below. The third Jefferson, In His Own Words, resulted from the serendipitous intertwining of commissioner interest, my desire to honor my friend Gerald Morgan – a devoted music patron and a Jefferson descendent residing in Richmond – and my concern for the threats to many of the freedoms that Jefferson believed in and fought for so passionately. Jefferson wrote prodigiously on a vast number of topics. I delved into his letters and his Farm Book, and worked closely with my wonderful poet friend Barbara Goldberg. We held many animated discussions on what passages to include as well as how to shape the whole. From the start, I knew that I wanted to create an intimate portrait rather than focus solely on Jefferson’s statesmanship and most uplifting writings. I organized the piece in four movements: Political Passions, Head and Heart, Justice Cannot Sleep, and Freedom of Reason. The first focuses on his political self; the second movement draws on a letter to his daughter and a dialogue he wrote, titled Head and Heart, that was inspired by his infatuation with Maria Cosway; the third juxtaposes his abolitionist statements with his mundane Farm Book
references to his slaves; the last speaks of his founding of the University of Virginia, and his hope that “light and liberty will be on steady advance.”
VF: Another work of yours that is tied to UVa is your "Rotunda", dealing with the UVa landmark filmed over the course of a year. What was your collaboration with filmmaker Robert Arnold on "Rotunda" like?
JS: My collaboration with Robert Arnold was both extensive and intense! We met when we were fellows at the Rockefeller Center at Bellagio. When I first conceived of the project, I immediately thought of him because his films often deal with aspects of time. Happily, when I approached him with the idea of creating the film from images/sounds we would collect over the course of a year, he was eager to learn more. And, once I found the camera/computer combination that would work, he jumped in with both feet. We routed the images to a hard drive in my office and to his where he was then working at Boston University. By the end of the year (2006-2007), we had over a terabyte of images, and I had collected hundreds of sounds, as well as live interviews with a wide variety of people. After we agreed on the idea of the shape of the film – with one day unfolding over the course of a year – we both got to work. Bob asked for and I sent some initial musical ideas to help inspire his visual sense. And I visited him several times to go through hundreds of small video passages he had created from the 300,000 + images. It was very exciting, though
there were many images that we loved that didn’t make the final cut. He had to take into account many elements, including the movement of light, and everything had to fit in the fifteen minutes that we had decided would be the right length for the piece. In addition to the visits, we were in regular email contact, trading segments as we went along. It took a long time before we were both satisfied, not finishing the project until 2009. But we are both very happy with the result and feel that it was worth the major commitment.
VF: Do you experience the Rotunda at UVa differently now that you've spent so much time working on your piece?
JS: I do. I’m more enthusiastic about it than ever, in a way that I never dreamed possible. I even miss the continual record of time-lapse photos on the computer in my office, even though it was my window view of the Rotunda and Lawn that inspired the piece in the first place! The beauty and majesty of the Rotunda and Lawn, the diverse activities and the gorgeous transformations that unfold by changes in weather feel even more immediate to me now. The photos revealed all kinds of scenes, ranging from hot-air balloons floating across the sky, to pictures of students sitting in rings around their instructors, to frisbee games, picnics, holiday lighting of the Rotunda and Lawn and so much more. And as I learned more about Jefferson’s original plans for the Rotunda and the founding of the University, I was most impressed by the focus on the Rotunda as the home of the library, rather than on a religious element as the basis of the institution.
VF: How do you bring music and technology together in your compositions?
JS: I should start by saying that my early compositions were all acoustic; computer music was just in its infancy at the time. I did some early work with the Buchla Synthesizer and later on mainframe computers, but it was not until I founded the Virginia Center for Computer Music at the UVa in 1987-88 that I became very active in the application of new technologies to music. At this point, the combination of acoustic and digital media completely depends on the type of piece I’m composing. I often combine amplified acoustic instruments with electronic playback or interactive media. A recent example is Spring Tides, commissioned and premiered by Da Capo Chamber Players. It is scored for amplified flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and interactive electronics. That piece was inspired by the flow of the highest tides, when both the moon and sun are perpendicular to the earth. I’ve also composed solo electronic pieces as well as interactive installations. For installation pieces, I am interested in inscribing the music with sonic traces of some aspect of the installation location. In short, I suit the technology to the piece.
VF: What are the challenges of writing for electronic media?
JS: For me the greatest challenge in composing for electronic media is the rate of technological change, in both hardware and software. It’s great that we have such immediate feedback, and I do not for one second miss the long hours between running the program on the computer and converting it to an analogue signal. But it is hard to deal with continually changing techniques. It is more important to determine compositional goals rather than spend inordinate amounts of time on the technology. I am pleased, however, that we can now do so much processing in software. Also, it is exciting to explore interactive possibilities, and the installations that such quick data exchange rates support.
VF: Do you feel there is a different aesthetic approach regarding feelings and emotion when you are writing acoustic vs. electronic music?
JS: There is absolutely no difference in my aesthetic approach to acoustic and electronic music! In fact, while I was first drawn to electronic/digital media because of the seemingly limitless compositional options, it is precisely those shivers of emotion and feeling that I experience while composing and in response to particular sound qualities that caused me to delve deeper in this area. While there are many dead ends, and the time commitment is massive, the sonic surprises, the lovely noise/pitch results that hover between the worlds of pitch and noise make it all worthwhile. And no matter what medium I am working in, the process involves timbral exploration and development and then the design of structures built around them.
VF: What are the challenges of a commission? And when do you find the time to compose?
JS: The greatest challenge of a commission is to create music that engages the particular musicality of the soloist or ensemble. If possible, I begin with a collaborative process of exploration. Examples of this include Sea of Reeds (amplified clarinet and live electronics) for F. Gerard Errante; For the Birds (amplified cello and electronics made from processed birdsong from the Yellowstone region); and the soprano sax version of Penelope’s Song for Susan Fancher. I have wonderful memories of working with each of these artists, and the sense of play involved. In the case of ensembles, I try to hear live performances and also study recordings. My favorite composing time is the quiet of the early morning, but when I’m working on a tight deadline any time is fair game.
VF: Was there ever a time when the writing of a composition turned out to be much more work than you had expected?
JS: The quick answer is always! Because I want to find ways to make the music particular both to the group and to the timbral world of the ensemble, there is always an extensive period of experimentation. In addition, I am someone who typically works through multiple drafts. So, it is always difficult to predict the amount of time it will take to create a piece. That said, of course piece duration plays a part, as does the deadline!
VF: It must be exciting and satisfying to have so many ensembles and performers choosing to play and record your works. What are your feelings about hearing one of your pieces played or recorded by an ensemble you haven't worked with? Do you
wish you were involved? Are you able to "let go"?
JS: It’s always fascinating to hear performances of my music by ensembles and performers with whom I have not worked. I love the element of surprise, though of course it can vary widely between great pleasure and sharp disappointment. In recent years, I’ve generally been quite pleased. It also helps me to understand whether my notation conveys what I want, and whether my imagined pacing feels correct in performance. I do not wish I were always involved; I’m happy that my music can transcend my presence. In that way, I am able to let go. But I am strongly drawn to the process of rehearsal, and greatly enjoy collaborating with soloists and ensembles.
VF: How do you view contemporary non-pop music and its context in the greater society?
JS: I view contemporary non-pop music with a combination of guarded optimism and concern. On the positive side, there are so many talented composers creating in such diverse media! Among those who have come through or are currently in our PhD program in Composition and Computing Technologies at UVa are, to name just a few, Juraj Kojs, working with physical modeling and making music from everyday objects and unusual uses of acoustic instruments; Scott Barton, Steve Kemper and Troy Rogers, creating robotic instruments to put the physical back into the digital; Aurie Hsu, Steve Kemper and Peter Swendsen working in interactive dance; Peter Traub creating net art, with his “It Space” piece living on Facebook. I find all of these contributions wonderfully encouraging for the future. I also find the multifaceted combinations of new media and traditional instruments pointing in directions that are engaging and participatory for audiences. Further, I remain convinced that people will continue to love performing in choruses, orchestras, bands and other ensembles, as well as performing on their own instruments and making their own music with new technologies. I am of course concerned that many ensembles, especially orchestras, perform so little new music, and would like to find additional ways to change that. However, given the inventiveness I see, and the new distribution channels, I remain convinced that there is room for a wide variety of musical contributions.
VF: Thank you for your time and all your creative energy.
JS: You're very welcome. Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts with the Pytheas community.
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