Julia Wolfe (1958- )
Drawing
inspiration from folk, classical, and rock genres, Julia Wolfe's music
brings a modern sensibility to each while simultaneously tearing down
the walls between them. Wolfe's music is distinguished by an intense
physicality and a relentless power that pushes performers to extremes
and demands attention from the audience. In the words of the Wall
Street Journal, Wolfe has "long inhabited a terrain of [her] own, a
place where classical forms are recharged by the repetitive patterns of
minimalism and the driving energy of rock." Wolfe has written a major
body of work for strings, with pieces commissioned by the Lark, Ethel,
Kronos, and Cassatt quartets. Wolfe has also extended her talents to
theatre by composing for Anna Deveare Smith's House Arrest, and won an
Obie award for her score to Ridge Theater's Jennie Richie. She has
compiled a series of collaborative multimedia works with composers
Michael Gordon and David Lang, including Lost Objects, Shelter, and
The Carbon Copy Building.
Wolfe recently created the city-wide spectacle Travel Music with
architects DillerScofidio+Renfro in Bordeaux, France, filling the
streets of the old city with 100 musicians walking and riding in
pedi-cabs. Wolfe's music has been heard at
BAM, the Sydney Olympic Arts Festival, Settembre Musica (Italy),
Theatre de la Ville (Paris), Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and has
been recorded on Cantaloupe, Teldec, Point/Universal, Sony Classical,
and Argo/Decca. Wolfe has been a recipient of numerous grants,
including awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the
Foundation for Contemporary Performance Art, and a Fulbright to the
Netherlands. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan, Yale,
and Princeton. Wolfe joined the NYU Steinhardt School's composition
faculty in the fall of 2009.- Bang on a Can
COMPOSITIONS Julia Wolfe Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Julia Wolfe on Julia Wolfe
On Seven-Star-Shoes, flute/picc, oboe, clarinet/bass cl, bassoon and horn (1985)
Amber Waves of Grain, orchestra (1988)
The Vermeer Room, orchestra/large ensemble (1989)
Window of Vulnerability, orchestra (1991)
Four Marys, string quartet (1991)
Arsenal of Democracy, large ensemble (1993)
my lips from speaking, 6 pianos; or piano and audio playback (1993)
Early That Summer, string quartet (1993)
Tell Me Everything, orchestra/large ensemble (1994)
Lick, soprano sax, electric guitar, cello, double bass, piano and percussion (all amplified) (1994)
Steam, flute, electric organ and Harry Partch instruments (2 harmonic canons, 1 blo-boy) (1995)
Dig Deep, string quartet (1995)
East Broadway, toy piano and toy boombox (1996)
New York Composers: Searching for a New Music, film score (1997)
House Arrest, music for Anna D. Smith's play "House Arrest", cl, drum beats, str trio & sampled interviews on tape (1997)
Believing, cl, elec gtr, vc, db, kybd & perc (all amplified; all players sing, esp. cellist (1997) [also "expanded version"]
Mink Stole, violin and piano (1997)
Link, dance piece (1998) [in collaboration with David Lang]
Girlfriend, flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, cello, keyboard and percussion (all amplified) (1998)
The Carbon Copy Building, comic bk opera (1999) [libretto & drawings: Ben Katchor] [in collab. w/Michael Gordon & David Lang]
Democracy, tape (1999)
Keeper, 6 male voices and trumpet (2000)
Close Together, cello, percussion and tape (2000)
Earring, piano (2000)
Lost Objects, oratorio, soloists, chorus, DJ, elec ens. & Baroque orch (2001) [libretto: Artman] [in collab. w/M. Gordon & D. Lang]
Jennie Richee: The Life, History & Art of Henry Darger, multi-media theater work (2001)
Compassion, piano (2001)
Dark Full Ride, percussion quartet (4 drum sets) (2002)
Big, Beautiful, Dark and Scary, clarinet, cello, double bass, electric guitar, piano and percussion (all amplified) (2002)
My Beautiful Scream, concerto, amplified string quartet and orchestra (2003)
Cruel Sister, string orchestra (2004)
Shelter, staged oratorio (2005) [libretto: Deborah Artman] [in collaboration with Michael Gordon and David Lang]
Impatience, large ensemble (2005) [for film by 1920s film experimentalist Charles De Keukeleire]
True Love, accordian concerto, accordian with large ensemble (2006)
FUEL, string orchestra (2007) [with film by Bill Morrison]
LAD, 9 bagpipes (2007) [also for solo bagpipe and audio playback]
Thirst, orchestra (2008)
Strong Hold, 8 double basses (2008) [also for solo double bass and audio playback]
singing in the dead of night, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion (2008)
Traveling Music, 100+ musicians of any type (2009)
Steel Hammer, 3 singers, Appalachian and traditional instruments, and ensemble (2009)
With a Blue Dress On, violin/voice and 8 recorded tracks (2010)
WORKS BY GENRE Julia Wolfe Links ~ ~ ~ Julia Wolfe on Julia Wolfe ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
House Arrest, music for Anna D. Smith's play "House Arrest", cl, drum beats, str trio & sampled interviews on tape (1997)
The Carbon Copy Building, comic bk opera (1999) [libretto & drawings: Ben Katchor] [in collab. w/Michael Gordon & David Lang]
Lost Objects, oratorio, soloists, chorus, DJ, elec ens. & Baroque orch (2001) [libretto: Artman] [in collab. w/M. Gordon & D. Lang]
Jennie Richee: The Life, History & Art of Henry Darger, multi-media theater work (2001)
Shelter, staged oratorio (2005) [libretto: Deborah Artman] [in collaboration with Michael Gordon and David Lang]
Dance
Link, dance piece (1998) [in collaboration with David Lang]
Orchestra
Amber Waves of Grain, orchestra (1988)
The Vermeer Room, orchestra/large ensemble (1989)
Window of Vulnerability, orchestra (1991)
Tell Me Everything, orchestra/large ensemble (1994)
Cruel Sister, string orchestra (2004)
FUEL, string orchestra (2007) [with film by Bill Morrison]
Thirst, orchestra (2008)
Large Ensemble
The Vermeer Room, orchestra/large ensemble (1989)
Arsenal of Democracy, large ensemble (1993)
Tell Me Everything, orchestra/large ensemble (1994)
Impatience, large ensemble (2005) [for film by 1920s film experimentalist Charles De Keukeleire]
Traveling Music, 100+ musicians of any type (2009)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra or Ensemble
My Beautiful Scream, concerto, amplified string quartet and orchestra (2003)
True Love, accordian concerto, accordian with large ensemble (2006)
Steel Hammer, 3 singers, Appalachian and traditional instruments, and ensemble (2009)
Choral
Keeper, 6 male voices and trumpet (2000)
Chamber
On Seven-Star-Shoes, flute/picc, oboe, clarinet/bass cl, bassoon and horn (1985)
Four Marys, string quartet (1991)
my lips from speaking, 6 pianos (1993) [also for piano and audio playback]
Early That Summer, string quartet (1993)
Lick, soprano sax, electric guitar, cello, double bass, piano and percussion (all amplified) (1994)
Steam, flute, electric organ and Harry Partch instruments (2 harmonic canons, 1 blo-boy) (1995)
Dig Deep, string quartet (1995)
Believing, cl, elec gtr, vc, db, kybd & perc (all amplified; all players sing, esp. cellist (1997) [also "expanded version"]
Mink Stole, violin and piano (1997)
Girlfriend, flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, cello, keyboard and percussion (all amplified) (1998)
Close Together, cello, percussion and tape (2000)
Dark Full Ride, percussion quartet (4 drum sets) (2002)
Big, Beautiful, Dark and Scary, clarinet, cello, double bass, electric guitar, piano and percussion (all amplified) (2002)
LAD, 9 bagpipes (2007) [also for solo bagpipe and audio playback]
Strong Hold, 8 double basses (2008) [also for solo double bass and audio playback]
singing in the dead of night, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion (2008)
Solo Instrument
LAD, solo bagpipe and audio playback (2007) [also for 9 bagpipes]
Stronghold, solo double bass and audio playback (2008) [also for 8 double basses]
With a Blue Dress On, violin/voice and 8 recorded tracks (2010)
Piano
my lips from speaking, 6 pianos; or piano and audio playback (1993)
East Broadway, toy piano and toy boombox (1996)
Earring, piano (2000)
Compassion, piano (2001)
Vocal
Steel Hammer, 3 sopranos, clarinet, cello, double bass, guitar, piano and percussion (2009)
Incidental/Film
New York Composers: Searching for a New Music, film score (1997)
House Arrest, music for Anna D. Smith's play "House Arrest", cl, drum beats, str trio & sampled interviews on tape (1997)
Impatience, large ensemble (2005) [for film by 1920s film experimentalist Charles De Keukeleire]
FUEL, string orchestra (2007) [with film by Bill Morrison]
Electronic
Democracy, tape (1999)
JULIA WOLFE LINKS Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Julia Wolfe on Julia Wolfe ~ top of page ~
Bang On A Can/Interview - May 1999 (In the First Person, Frank J. Oteri, NewMusicBox)
Composer Fuses Classical and Rock at Miller (Cydney Hedgpeth, Columbia Spectator)
Composer Portrait: Julia Wolfe (Lily Icangelo, BWOG)
The Composer Who Should Have Won the Pulitzer Prize (David Hajdu, The New Republic)
eMusic Q&A: Bang On A Can (Jayson Greene, eMusic)
Julia Wolfe (David Krasnow, BOMB Magazine)
Julia Wolfe - A Short Analysis of Style (Paul Nelson)
Julia Wolfe - After Minimalism (Evan Ziporyn, Sequenza21)
Julia Wolfe Looks to Her Composer Portrait at Miller (Underdogs and Optimists)
Post-Minimalism and Folk Ballads Fuel a Composer (Allan Kozinn, The New York Times)
Who's Afraid of Julia Wolfe (Sequenza21)
Composer's website . . . contact Julia Wolfe: here
Julia Wolfe @ Wikipedia
Julia Wolfe @ American Music Center
Julia Wolfe @ Answers.com
Julia Wolfe @ Bang on a Can
Julia Wolfe @ Cantaloupe Music
Julia Wolfe @ Classical Archives
Julia Wolfe @ Classical Composers Database
Julia Wolfe @ ClassicsToday
Julia Wolfe @ The Ensemble Sospeso
Julia Wolfe @ Facebook
Julia Wolfe @ Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Julia Wolfe @ InstantEncore
Julia Wolfe @ Los Angeles Philharmonic and Hollywood Bowl
Julia Wolfe @ Manhattan School of Music
Julia Wolfe @ Mills Music Now
Julia Wolfe @ Modern Classical
Julia Wolfe @ MSN Music
Julia Wolfe @ MusicWeb International
Julia Wolfe @ Naxos
Julia Wolfe @ The New York Times
Julia Wolfe @ NYU Steinhardt
Julia Wolfe @ Other Minds
Julia Wolfe @ PITH Music
Julia Wolfe @ Quintet of the Americas
Julia Wolfe @ G. Schirmer
Julia Wolfe @ Sound and Music (SAM: The Collection)
Julia Wolfe @ 21c Liederabend
Julia Wolfe @ United Phoenix Records
Julia Wolfe @ University of Florida Performing Arts
Julia Wolfe @ The Village Voice
Publisher
Julia Wolfe @ Chester Novello
Julia Wolfe @ Red Poppy Music
Julia Wolfe @ Red Poppy Music/G. Schirmer
Streaming Audio
Julia Wolfe @ Composer's website
Julia Wolfe @ blogtalkradio/ColumbiaJournalism
Julia Wolfe @ Classical Archives
Julia Wolfe @ last.fm
Julia Wolfe @ Other Minds
Julia Wolfe @ radiOM
Julia Wolfe @ Rhapsody.com
Recordings
Julia Wolfe @ Composer's website
Julia Wolfe @ ArkivMusic
Julia Wolfe @ Bang on a Can
Julia Wolfe @ Cantaloupe Music
Julia Wolfe @ ClassicsOnline
Julia Wolfe @ Discogs
Julia Wolfe @ United Phoenix Records
Video
Julia Wolfe @ YouTube
Julia Wolfe @ Google Video
Julia Wolfe @ Vimeo
~ top of page ~
Wolfe on Wolfe: Composer Portrait/Miller Theatre (VIDEO)
Wolfe on Wolfe: Meet Composer Julia Wolfe/ColumbiaJournalism (streaming audio)
Composers
Speak on the Web at Pytheas~ click on composer picture to listen ~
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