Morten Johannes Lauridsen
born on 27/2/1943 in Colfax, WA, United States
Morten Lauridsen
Morten Lauridsen |
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Morten Johannes Lauridsen (born February 27, 1943) is an American composer. A National Medal of Arts recipient (2007),[1] he was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale (1994–2001)[2] and has been a professor of composition at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music for more than 40 years.[3]
Biography
A native of the Pacific Northwest, Lauridsen worked as a Forest Service firefighter and lookout (on an isolated tower near Mt. St. Helens) before traveling south to study composition at the University of Southern California with Ingolf Dahl, Halsey Stevens, Robert Linn, and Harold Owen.[4] He began teaching at USC in 1967 and has been on their faculty ever since.[3]
In 2006, Lauridsen was named an "American Choral Master" by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2007 he received the National Medal of Arts from the President in a White House ceremony, "for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical beauty, power and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide".
His works have been recorded on more than 200 CDs, five of which have received Grammy Award nominations, including O Magnum Mysterium by the Tiffany Consort, A Company of Voices by Conspirare, Sound The Bells by The Bay Brass, and two all-Lauridsen discs entitled Lux Aeterna by the Los Angeles Master Chorale led by Paul Salamunovich, and Polyphony with the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Stephen Layton. His principal publishers are Peermusic (New York/Hamburg) and Faber Music (London).
A recipient of numerous grants, prizes, and commissions, Lauridsen chaired the Composition department at the USC Thornton School of Music from 1990-2002 and founded the Schools Advanced Studies program in Film Scoring. He has held residencies as guest composer/lecturer at over seventy universities and has received honorary doctorates from Oklahoma State University, Westminster Choir College and Kings College, University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Lauridsen now divides his time between Los Angeles and his home in the San Juan Archipelago off the northern coast of Washington State.
Documentary
The 2012 documentary film Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen portrays the composer at his Waldron Island retreat and in rehearsals in California and Scotland. Commentaries about the composer by poet Dana Gioia, conductor Paul Salamunovich, composer/conductor Paul Mealor, composer Alex Shapiro and conductor Robert Geary, along with performances by the San Francisco Choral Society, University of Aberdeen Choral Society and Orchestra, Con Anima Chamber Choir and Volti, are featured. Works include O Magnum Mysterium, Lux Aeterna, Madrigali, Dirait-on, and Nocturnes, with soundtracks by Polyphony (choir) and Britten Sinfonia (conducted by Stephen Layton), The Singers:Minnesota Choral Artists (conducted by Matthew Culloton), and the Dale Warland Singers (conducted by Dale Warland).[5]
A Song Without Borders production directed by Michael Stillwater, the film premiered on February 7, 2012 at the American Documentary Film Festival in Palm Springs, CA, was voted Best Documentary at the DC Independent Film Festival (February 29, 2012), Best Documentary/International Subject at the Eugene Film Festival (2012); receiving the Audience Choice Award at the Friday Harbor Film Festival, (October 13, 2013), nominated Best Documentary at Cincinnati Film Festival (2012), receiving Bronze at Oregon Film Awards (2012) and Honorable Mention at the Los Angeles Movie Awards (2012). The NYC premiere (March 30, 2012), hosted by Distinguished Concerts International New York, opened a Lauridsen-tribute weekend at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. The film, produced with optional English and German subtitles, is screened at film festivals, cinema theaters and through choral organizations in America and internationally, as well as for DVD home-viewing. The first public television broadcast was in May, 2013, on KCET Southern California.
Compositions
His seven vocal cycles and two collectionsLes Chansons des Roses (Rilke), Mid-Winter Songs (Graves), A Winter Come (Moss), Madrigali: Six "FireSongs" on Italian Renaissance Poems, Nocturnes (Rilke, Neruda and Agee), Cuatro Canciones (Lorca), Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts, Five Songs on American Poems (Moss, Witt, Gioia and Agee) and Lux Aeternahis series of sacred a cappella motets (O Magnum Mysterium, Ave Maria, O Nata Lux, Ubi Caritas et Amor, and Ave Dulcissima Maria) and numerous instrumental works are featured regularly in concert by distinguished artists and ensembles throughout the world. O Magnum Mysterium, Dirait-on (from Les Chansons des Roses), O Nata Lux (from Lux Aeterna) and Sure On This Shining Night (from Nocturnes) have become the all-time best-selling choral octavos distributed by Theodore Presser, in business since 1783.[7]
His musical approaches are very diverse, ranging from direct to abstract in response to various characteristics (subject matter, language, style, structure, historical era, etc.) of the texts he sets. His Latin sacred settings, such as the Lux Aeterna and motets, often reference Gregorian chant plus Medieval and Renaissance procedures while blending them within a freshly contemporary sound while other works such as the Madrigali and Cuatro Canciones are highly chromatic or atonal. His music has an overall lyricism and is tightly constructed around melodic and harmonic motives.
Referring to Lauridsen's sacred music, the musicologist and conductor Nick Strimple said he was "the only American composer in history who can be called a mystic, (whose) probing, serene work contains an elusive and indefinable ingredient which leaves the impression that all the questions have been answered ...[8] From 1993 Lauridsen's music rapidly increased in international popularity, and by century's end he had eclipsed Randall Thompson as the most frequently performed American choral composer."[9]
Vocal works
Date | Composition/Song Cycle | Movements |
---|---|---|
2012 | Prayer (On a Poem by Dana Gioia) | |
2006 | Chanson Eloignee (Rilke) | |
2005 | Nocturnes | I. Sa Nuit d'Été (Rainer Maria Rilke)
II. Soneto de la Noche (Pablo Neruda) III. Sure on this Shining Night (James Agee) IV. Epilogue: Voici le soir (Rilke, added in 2008) |
2004 | Ave Dulcissima Maria (written for the Harvard Glee Club) | |
1999 | Ubi Caritas et Amor | |
1997 | Lux Aeterna[10] | I. Introitus
II. In Te, Domine, Speravi III. O Nata Lux IV. Veni, Sancte Spiritus V. Agnus Dei |
1997 | Ave Maria[10] | |
1994 | O Magnum Mysterium[10] | |
1993 | Les Chansons des Roses[10] (settings of poems by Rainer Maria Rilke) | I. En Une Seule Fleur
II. Contre Qui, Rose III. De Ton Rêve Trop Plein IV. La Rose Complète V. Dirait-on |
1987 | Madrigali: Six "Firesongs" on Italian Renaissance Poems | I. Ov'è, Lass', Il Bel Viso?
II. Quando Son Piu Lontan III. Amor, Io Sento L'alma IV. Io Piango V. Luci Serene e Chiare VI. Se Per Havervi, Oime |
1981 | Cuatro Canciones Sobre Poesias de Federico Garcia Lorca[11] | |
1980 | Mid-Winter Songs[10] (on poems by Robert Graves) | I. Lament for Pasiphaë
II. Like Snow III. She Tells Her Love While Half Asleep IV. Mid-Winter Waking V. Intercession in Late October |
1976 | Where Have the Actors Gone | |
1970 | I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes | |
1970 | O Come, Let Us Sing Unto the Lord | |
1967 | A Winter Come (on poems by Howard Moss) | I. When Frost Moves Fast
II. As Birds Come Nearer III. The Racing Waterfall IV. A Child Lay Down V. Who Reads By Starlight VI. And What Of Love |
Recordings
Lauridsen's works have been recorded on over 200 CDs, five of which have received Grammy nominations. In the 2009 movie Angels & Demons (film) noted film composer Hans Zimmer incorporated the Introitus opening of Lux Aeterna for the final scene.
Ten All-Lauridsen CDs:
CD | Artist/Ensemble | Conductor | Awards | Content | Label |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna | Los Angeles Master Chorale | Paul Salamunovich | Grammy nomination (1998) | Lux Aeterna (Orchestral Version), Les Chansons des Roses, Ave Maria, Mid-Winter Songs (Orchestral Version), O Magnum Mysterium | RCM |
Lauridsen: The Complete Choral Cycles | Choral Cross-Ties | Bruce Browne | several best-of-the-year lists | Mid-Winter Songs (Chamber Version), Madrigali, Les Chansons des Roses | Freshwater |
Lauridsen: Northwest Journey | The Portland, Oregon Chamber Chorus, Ralph Grierson, Jane Thorngren, Viklarbo Ensemble, Donald Brinegar Singers, Shelly Berg, Sunny Wilkinson, James Drollinger and Morten Lauridsen | various | Where Have the Actors Gone, Dirait-on (Duet Version), Ubi Caritas et Amor, A Winter Come, Variations, Cuatro Canciones, Madrigali and O Magnum Mysterium (Piano/Vocal Version) | RCM | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Nordic Chamber Choir / Europe | Nicol Matt | Madrigali, Lux Aeterna (Organ version), O Magnum Mysterium, Les Chansons des Roses | Hanssler Recordings | |
Lauridsen - Lux Aeterna | Polyphony (Choir) and Britten Sinfonia / UK | Stephen Layton | Grammy nomination (2005) | Lux Aeterna (Orchestral Version), Madrigali, Ave Maria, Ubi Caritas et Amor and O Magnum Mysterium | Hyperion Records |
Lauridsen Nocturnes | Polyphony (Choir) and Britten Sinfonia (with Morten Lauridsen, piano and Andrew Lumsden, organ) | Stephen Layton | Mid-Winter Songs on Poems by Robert Graves, Les Chansons des Roses (Rilke), I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes, O Come Let Us Sing Unto The Lord, Ave Dulcissima Maria and Nocturnes | Hyperion Records | |
Dialogues: Musical Conversations between Composer and Conductors | 3-CD set containing conversations between Morten Lauridsen and conductors Paul Salamunovich and James Jordan discussing Morten Lauridsens compositions, with demonstrations by Lauridsen at the piano. | GIA Publications | |||
Sure On This Shining Night | Voce and the Voce Chamber Artists /Hartford, CT | Mark Singleton | Movements from six vocal cycles plus four premiere CD recordings. Morten Lauridsen accompanies at the piano on several works. | Voce Recordings | |
Morten Lauridsen Choral Music | Elora Festival Singers / Canada | Noel Edison | several full cycles and motets | Naxos Recordings | |
Lauridsen Mid-Winter Songs | The Singers Minnesota Choral Artists | Matthew Culloton | the complete Nocturnes, Mid-Winter Songs, Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts and Les Chansons des Roses plus Three Psalm Settings. | The Singers Recordings |
Numerous additional national and international CD and LP recordings of Lauridsen compositions. Following is a sampling of these recordings:
Composition | Artist/Ensemble | Conductor | Album Title(s) | Label |
---|---|---|---|---|
O Magnum Mysterium | Robert Shaw Chamber Singers | Robert Shaw | Angels On High, O Magnum Mysterium, Sacred, Robert Shaw-Master of the The First Art, | Telarc |
When Frost Moves Fast and And What of Love | Paul Sperry and Irma Vallencillo | An American Sampler | Albany | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Canterbury Choir | A Canterbury Christmas | York | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Harvard University Singers | Jameson Marvin | Christmas in the Busch | Harvard University Singers Recordings |
O Love, Be Fed With Apples While You May | San Francisco Symphony Chorus | Vance George | Voices 1900/2000 | Delos |
Dirait-on | Los Angeles Guitar Quartet | Air & Ground | Sony | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Los Angeles Master Chorale | Paul Salamunovich | Christmas / A KDFC Classical Christmas | RCM / KDFC |
O Magnum Mysterium | Memphis Chamber Choir | In Every Corner Sing | Pro Organo | |
Lament for Pasiphae and De Ton Reve Trop Plein | University of Miami Chorale | Voices and Light | Albany | |
Dirait-on (Treble Voice Version) | Northwest Girlchoir | Echo In My Soul | Arsis | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Rhodes Singers | Timothy Sharp | Christmas at St. Marys | Rhodes College Singers Records |
En Une Seule Fleur and Contre Qui Rose | Phoenix Chamber Choir (Canada) | Live in Copenhagen | PCC | |
Lux Aeterna (Organ Version) | Donald Brinegar Singers | Donald Brinegar | Eternal Light | DBSR |
Dirait-on | Kasilag Guitar Quartet | Kasilag Recordings | ||
O Magnum Mysterium | St. Georges Choir | Christmas at St. Georges | Pro Organo | |
O Nata Lux | Magnum Chorum | Light Everlasting | MC Collections | |
La Rose Complete | Ars Nova Singers | All Sky | New Art Recordings | |
Madrigali and Les Chansons des Roses | USC Chamber Choir | USC Recordings | ||
O Magnum Mysterium | The Trinity Choir (Boston) | Radiant Light | Dorian | |
A Winter Come | Elin Carlson | And What Of Love | Singularity Records | |
Dirait-on (Voice/Guitar) | Chvatal and S. Kritzer | Songs of the Americas | Miramont | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Dallas Symphony Chorus | Dallas Christmas Gala | Delos | |
Be Still, My Soul, Be Still | Yoav Ensemble | Yoav Chamber Ensemble | Orion | |
O Magnum Mysterium | The New York Concert Singers | Judith Clurman | A Seasons Promise | New World Recordings |
Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts, Psalm 29 and Mid-Winter Songs | USC Chamber Singers | Rodney Eichenberger | Opus Records | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Dale Warland Singers | Dale Warland | American Favorites | Gothic Records |
O Magnum Mysterium | The Bach Choir: Choristers of Winchester Cathedral | Noel! | Priory Records LTD (UK) | |
Madrigali: Six FireSongs on Italian Renaissance Poems | Seattle Pro Musica | Karen Thomas | Alnight by the Rose | SPM Recordings |
O Magnum Mysterium | Loyola Marymount Singers | A Christmas Gala | Delos | |
Dirait-on | Los Angeles Guitar Quartet | Summer Guitars | FM Recordings | |
Mid-Winter Songs and O Magnum Mysterium | Antioch Chamber Ensemble | Joshua Copeland | Winter Songs | ACE Recordings |
O Magnum Mysterium | Handel and Haydn Society Chorus | Peace | AVI | |
Mid-Winter Songs and Les Chansons des Roses | Donald Brinegar Singers | Donald Brinegar | DBSR | |
O Magnum Mysterium (Concert Band Version) | University of Michigan Symphony Band | Michael Haithcock | Equalibrium | |
O Magnum Mysterium | San Francisco Chamber Singers | Island In Space | Ososke | |
When Frost Moves Fast | Juliana Gondek and Roger Vignoles | Phillip-Pateck | ||
O Magnum Mysterium | Magnum Chorum | Wonderful Mystery | MC Recordings | |
Madrigali | University of Alberta Madrigal Singers | L. Ratzlaff | Arktos | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Choir of the West | Richard Sparks | Rejoice and Sing | PLU Recordings |
Dirait-on (Solo Voice and Piano Version) | Hillary Hight Daw and Barbara Efird | Americans in Paris | ACA | |
O Magnum Mysterium | National Lutheran Choir | René Clausen | A Holy Solemnity | National Lutheran Choir Records |
Fanfare for Brass Sextet and O Magnum Mysterium | San Francisco Bay Brass | |||
O Magnum Mysterium | Princeton Singers | Steven Sametz | PSR | |
Les Chansons des Roses | Los Angeles Chamber Singers | Peter Rutenberg | Romancero Gitano | RCM |
O Magnum Mysterium | South Bend Singers | Christmas at Loretto | Pro Organo | |
Dirait-on | Tim Seelig/Turtle Creek Chorale | Tim Seelig (and vocalist) | Two Worlds | TCC Records |
O Magnum Mysterium | Cleveland Orchestra Chorus | Robert Porco | Christmas at Severance Hall | Cleveland Orchestra/Musical Arts |
Ave Maria | Rhodes Singers | Timothy Sharp | Christmas at St. Marys | Rhodes College Singers Records |
O Magnum Mysterium (solo version) | Janeanne Houston, soprano | Living Mysteries | Elmgrove Productions | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Chicago a cappella (ensemble) | Jonathan Miller | Holidays-a cappella Live! | Chicago a cappella Records |
O Nata Lux and O Magnum Mysterium | Cheyenne Chamber Singers | CCS Records | ||
O Magnum Mysterium (TTBB Version) | Turtle Creek Chorale | Timothy Seelig | One World | TCC Records |
O Nata Lux | KantoreI | Richard Larson | Pillars of Light | Kantorel |
O Magnum Mysterium | The Choral Project | Water and Light | Clarion | |
Dirait-on | Rose Wynde | Distant Ayres | Sunridge | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Cincinnati May Festival Chorus | Christmas with the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus | CSO | |
Sonata for Trumpet and Piano | Roy Poper/Brian Pezzone | |||
O Magnum Mysterium | Lumen Valo | Mysterium | LVCD (Finland) | |
O Magnum Mysterium (Concert Band Version) | Northwestern University Concert Band | Mallory Thompson | Summit Records | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Los Angeles Master Chorale | LA Master Chorale Live from Walt Disney Concert Hall | ||
Sa Nuit dEte and two Madrigali | Seattle Pro Musica | American Masterpieces | SPM | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Octarium | Hodie | Soundtrack | |
Lux Aeterna | Sacramento Choral Society | European Horizons | SCS Recordings | |
O Nata Lux | Samford University Choir | How Can I Keep From Singing | SU | |
Dirait-on | Spivey Hall Childrens Choir | Ill Be Seeing You | ACA Recordings | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Anam Cara | Innisfree | GIA | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Richard Zielinski Singers | American Voices | RZR | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Tiffany Consort | Nicholas White | O Magnum Mysterium (Grammy Nominee, 2006) | MSR Classics |
Ove, Lass, Il Bel Viso? | U of Miami Chorale | What Dreams May Come | Albany | |
Contre qui, rose | Chicago a cappella (ensemble) | Jonathan Miller | Electric | Centaur |
O Magnum Mysterium and O Nata Lux | Faber Singers | Simon Halsey | Adoro Te | Faber Music Unlimited |
Soneto de la Noche | Santa Fe Desert Chorale | Linda Mack | Passion | Clarion |
Ubi Caritas et Amor | The Abbey Schoo Choir, Twekesbury | Benjamin Nicholas | Light of the World | Signum Classics |
O Magnum Mysterium | Columbus State University Wind Ensemble | Velocity | Summit | |
Contre Qui, Rose, O Nata Lux and O Magnum Mysterium | Sacred Treasures IV: Choral Masterworks | Heart of Space Records | ||
Ubi Caritas et Amor | Trinity Choir, Trinity Church, Boston | Brian Jones | Sounds of Light | Gothic Records |
O Magnum Mysterium | Coro | The Lovers Ghost | Dal Segno | |
Ave Dulcissima Maria | Cantus | Cantus | Cantus Recordings | |
Four Madrigals on Renaissance Texts, O Magnum Mysterium and Nocturnes | USC Chamber Singers | Legacy | USC Recordings | |
Lux Aeterna | Olympia Choral Society | Light and Joy | Chinook Wind Records | |
O Magnum Mysterium | United States Coastguard Band | Holiday Fanfare | USCGA | |
Mid-Winter Songs | USC Chamber Choir | USC Thornton Chamber Choir in Taipei | USC | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Stellenbosch Libertas Choir | Christmas with the Stellenbosch Libertas Choir | SLC Records | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Polyphony (choir) | A Christmas Present from Polyphony | Hyperion | |
Nocturnes | Amedeus-Chor | Nicol Matt | Amerikanische Chormusik | ARS |
O Magnum Mysterium | Dale Warland Singers | Dale Warland | Lux Aurumque | Gothic Records |
Se Per Havervi, Oime | Schola Cantorum and Nordic Voices | Audiens | Lindberg | |
Contre Qui, Rose | Octarium | Modern Masters | Blackwood Recordings | |
Ave Maria | Schola Cantorum of Oxford | Sweet is the Memory | Faber Recordings | |
Soneto de la Noche and Sure On This Shining Night | Conspirare | Craig Hella Johnson | A Conspiracy of Voices (Grammy Nominee, 2010) | Conspirare |
Sure on this Shining Night | The Voices of Anam Cara | Angels in the Architecture | GIA | |
Fanfare for Brass Sextet and O Magnum Mysterium | The Bay Brass | Sound The Bells! | Harmonia Mundi | |
O Magnum Mysterium | Davis High School Madrigals | Karen Gardias | Madrigals Italy/Wales 2010 |
Sheet music sales and performances
Morten Lauridsen is currently one of Americas most performed composers,[12] with hundreds of performances each year throughout the world in venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Vatican, Sydney Opera House and Westminster Abbey. Over one million copies of his scores have been sold and his Dirait-on, O Magnum Mysterium and O Nata Lux have become the all-time best selling octavos distributed by the Theodore Presser Co., in business since 1783.
Recordings of Morten Lauridsens compositions are featured regularly on radio broadcasts throughout the United States, and he is a frequent interview guest on radio and television programs, including a recent KCET Life and Times program, the oft- repeated national broadcast of A Portrait of Morten Lauridsen on the First Art and a nationally-broadcast, Christmas Day feature on NPRs Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. He has been profiled in several extended printed articles, including those in the Los Angeles Times Calendar, Seattle Times, Choral Journal, Choir and Organ, Chorus Americas Voice, Fanfare Magazine and the Wall Street Journal. He has received over four hundred commission requests, most recently from Harvard University, the American Choral Directors Association and the Pacific Chorale, and is a frequent guest lecturer and Artist/Composer-in-Residence.
His principal publishers are Peermusic (New York/Hamburg) and Peer's affiliate, Faber Music (London).
Teaching life
Years | Program | Position |
---|---|---|
1968-69 | Jascha Heifetz Master Classes | Theory Instructor |
1966 | USC Music Preparatory Department | Established Theory Program |
1970-90 | Thornton School of Music Undergraduate Theory Program | Coordinator |
1972Present | USC Thornton School of Music | Full-Time Faculty |
Scoring for Motion Pictures and TV Advanced Studies Program, Thornton School of Music, USC | Founder | |
1990-2002 | Composition department at the USC Thornton School of Music | Chair |
Current | USC Thornton School of Music | Distinguished Professor of Composition |
In addition to these positions, Lauridsen has served as Artistic Advisor on the Boards of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Dale Warland Singers, I Cantori (New York), USC Scoring for Films/TV Program, National Childrens Chorus, Creative Kids Education Foundation, Volti (San Francisco Chamber Singers), New York City Master Chorale, Jacaranda, and Angeles Chorale.
Residencies/Guest lectureships
In offering residencies for choral singers and composition students, Lauridsen has travelled extensively throughout America, also with visits to the UK and Europe over the years. These residencies have included the following schools and choral organizations.
University of Arizona | University of Minnesota | University of New Mexico | King College, Tenn. |
University of California, Berkeley | University of Kansas | Washington State University | Azusa Pacific University |
University of Nevada, Reno | Portland State University (2x) | Miami University of Ohio | Trinity University (Texas) |
Colorado State University | University of Kentucky | Boise State University | Morehead State University |
Lewis & Clark College | University of California, Los Angeles | Pasadena City College (2x) | Volti Choral Institute |
University of Arkansas | Houston Baptist College (2x) | Portland Symphony Chorus | Portland Liederkranz |
Phillips Academy, Andover | San Francisco Chamber Singers (3x) | Los Angeles Chamber Singers | Indianapolis Master Chorale |
Paso Robles Master Chorale | Consortium of Churches, Dallas | University of Northern Illinois | Southern Illinois University |
University of Georgia | Seattle Choral Company (2x) | Consortium of Churches, Detroit | Angeles Chorale |
ACDA National Convention, Austin | California Institute of the Arts | National Master Chorale (D.C.) | Arizona Liederkranz |
Los Angeles Choral Composers Consortium | Westminster Choir College (2x) Rowan University | The Singers Minnesota Choral Artists | University of Denver |
Choral Cross-Ties, Portland, Meet The Composer Grant | Oklahoma State University | Central Bucks High School West Choirs (2x) | Voce and the Voce Chamber Artists, Hartford |
Composers Forum, USC Thornton School of Music | Kings College, Aberdeen University, Scotland (3x) |
Seattle Pro Musica NEA American Master Composer Grant || Composer-in-Residence, Los Angeles Master Chorale, 1995-2001 |
|
Pacific Chorale NEA American Master Composer grant | World Choir Games, Cincinnati |
Awards, prizes, commissions and honorary degrees
Recipient, 2007 National Medal of Arts from the President in a White House ceremony for his composition of radiant choral works combining musical beauty, power, and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide. Designated an American Choral Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, 2006; National Endowment for the Arts Meet the Composer Grant;
Organization/Award | Composition/Commission |
---|---|
Los Angeles Master Chorale Commission | O Magnum Mysterium |
Phi Kappa Phi Award for Creative Writing | Mid-Winter Songs |
Board of Governors of the Los Angeles Music Center Commission | Lux Aeterna |
Harvard University Glee Commission | Ave Dulcissima Maria |
Composers of California Composition Prize | A Winter Come |
Pasadena Chamber Orchestra Commission | Mid-Winter Songs, orchestral version |
USC Centennial Commission | Mid-Winter Songs, chorus/piano version |
Chorus America Grant | LA Master Chorale performance of Mid-Winter Songs |
Piedmont Childrens Choir Commission | SA version of Dirait-on |
Loyola/Marymount University Commission | Ubi Caritas et Amor |
Yoav Chamber Ensemble Commissions | Cuatro Canciones and Be Still, My Soul |
ACDA Raymond Brock Commission | Nocturnes |
Victoria Scholars Commission | O Magnum Mysterium, TTBB version |
San Francisco Bay Brass Commission | O Magnum Mysterium for Brass Ensemble |
Pacific Chorale Commission | Chanson Eloignee--Distant Song |
Jimmy McHugh Composition Prize | For Symphony I |
The Choral Project Commission | Orchestral version of Sure on this Shining Night |
ASCAP Standard Award | Each year for over 30 years |
Thornton School of Music Deans Award | For Professional Accomplishment, 2007/2010 |
Alpha Lambda Delta Citation | For Teaching Excellence |
USC Thornton School of Music Ramo Award | For Outstanding Professor |
USC Thornton School of Music Outstanding Alumnus Award | |
Alchin and Cole Porter/Samuel Stark Fellowships | |
Elected to Phi Kappa Phi | |
Phi Kappa Phi Lifetime Achievement Award | 2008 |
Fellow, Los Angeles Institute for the Arts | 2009- |
Honorary Board Member | Los Angeles Master Chorale and New York City Master Chorale |
Articles by the composer
Its a Still Life That Runs Deep: The Influence of Zurbarans Still Life With Lemons, Oranges and a Rose on Morten Lauridsens Composition O Magnum Mysterium, Wall Street Journal, February 21, 2009
Foreword to the book, Evoking Sound, by James Jordan, GIA Publications, 2009
Morten Lauridsen on Composing Choral Music, a chapter in the book Contemporary Choral Music Composers, GIA Publications, 2007
Liner notes for the CD Randall ThompsonThe Peaceable Kingdom, Schola Cantorum of Oxford, Hyperion Records
Remembering Halsey Stevens, National Association of Composer Journal, 1990
References
- National Endowment for the Arts Website
- Los Angeles Master Chorale Website
- 3.0 3.1 Thornton School of Music Profile
- Oram, Thomas biography, AllMusic Website
- The Best Composer You've Never Heard Of, Wall Street Journal review by Terry Teachout.
- Tom Wine, et al. (2007). Composers on Composing for Choir Graphite Publishing. Pg. 69-70.
- Shrock, Dennis. "Choral Literature." New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. p. 751-752.
- Strimple, Nick. "Choral Music in the Twentieth Century" Amadeus Press, 2003.
- Wine, Tom et al. (2007). Composers on Composing for Choir Graphite Publishing. Pg. 69-70.
- 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Morten Lauridsen. Lux Aeterna. RCM, 1998
- [Morten Lauridsen at All Music Guide Morten Lauridsen's biography at www.allmusic.com]
- Wine,Tom et al. (2007). Composers on Composing for Choir Graphite Publishing. Pg. 69-70.
External links
- mortenlauridsen.net Composer's Website
- Peermusic Classical: Morten Lauridsen Composer's Publisher and Bio
- Los Angeles Master Chorale bio
- Morten Lauridsen interview by Bruce Duffie
- A Choral Master's Grass-Roots Appeal, Wall Street Journal Review by Bruce Campbell
- The Best Composer You've Never Heard Of Wall Street Journal Review by Terry Teachout
- Song Without Borders Film, Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen Film publisher's website
This article uses material from the article Morten Lauridsen from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.