Composer Bruce Lazarus studied composition at Juilliard with Vincent Persichetti and Andrew Thomas, and earned his B.M. and M.M. in music composition. Fascinated by structure and musical roots, he went on to earn his Ph.D in music theory at Rutgers University.
Lazarus’ most recent commissions include choral works for the Juilliard PreCollege Chorus, the Cantabile Chamber Chorale, and the Mens Chorus of South Florida; chamber works for the Storm King Music Festival, the Haydn Society of Florida, Rasia, Downtown Music Productions; ballet and modern dance scores for the New World School of the Arts, Northwestern University, and the New Jersey Ballet; the soundtrack forThe Book of What Remains and musical logo forTechnology Today. Recognition for his work include residencies at Yaddo, and composition awards and fellowships from Meet the Composer, American Guild of Composers, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
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"I describe my music as melodic, concise, driven, tart, at once neo-classical and exotic, subtly allied to jazz and rock, occasionally meditative but more often exuberant.
"I live in search of musical themes which will stick in people’s minds, available for enjoyable recall minutes, hours, days, even years after the piece is first heard. Nothing gratifies me more than overhearing someone casually hum or sing something I’ve written, with the thought that my idea will be remembered pleasurably by that person for a long time. To me, this is the essence of musical communication.
"Deeply interested in science, and astronomy in particular, I give my pieces titles such as StarSongs,Guide to the Winter Sky, and Alpha Centuri in the hope that others will share my sense of connection to distant planets, stars, galaxies, and the universe - a connection that is an ongoing spiritual experience for me, one of awe and wonder."
Bruce Lazarus
b.1956 Brooklyn, New York
to contact:
brucelazarus2k@yahoo.com