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Libby Larsen

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“Music exists in an infinity of sound. I think of all music as existing in the substance of the air itself. It is the composer’s task to order and make sense of sound, in time and space, to communicate something about being alive through music.” -- Libby Larsen Libby Larsen (b. 24 December 1950, Wilmington, Delaware) is one of America’s most prolific and most performed living composers. She has created a catalogue of over 200 works spanning virtually every genre from intimate vocal and chamber music to large-scale orchestral and choral scores. Her music has been praised for its dynamic, deeply inspired, and vigorous contemporary American spirit. Constantly sought after for commissions and premieres by major artists, ensembles, and orchestras around the world, Libby Larsen has established a permanent place for her works in the concert repertory. Larsen has been hailed as “the only English-speaking composer since Benjamin Britten who matches great verse with fine music so intelligently and expressively” (USA Today); as “a composer who has made the art of symphonic writing very much her own” (Gramophone); as “a mistress of orchestration” (Times Union); and for “assembling one of the most impressive bodies of music of our time” (Hartford Courant). Her music has been praised for its “clear textures, easily absorbed rhythms and appealing melodic contours that make singing seem the most natural expression imaginable” (Philadelphia Inquirer). “Libby Larsen has come up with a way to make contemporary opera both musically current and accessible to the average audience” (The Wall Street Journal). “Her ability to write memorable new music completely within the confines of traditional harmonic language is most impressive” (Fanfare). In April 2003, the Library of Congress announced Libby Larsen’s appointment as the first holder of the Harissios Papamarkou Chair in Education and Technology in the John W. Kluge Center. She has received numerous awards and accolades, including a 1994 Grammy as producer of the CD: "The Art of Arlene Augér," an acclaimed recording that features Larsen’s "Sonnets from the Portuguese." The first woman to serve as a resident composer with a major orchestra, she has held residencies with the California Institute of the Arts, the Arnold Schoenberg Institute, the Philadelphia School of the Arts, the Cincinnati Conservatory, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony, and the Colorado Symphony. Larsen’s many commissions and recordings are a testament to her fruitful collaborations with a long list of world-renowned artists, including The King’s Singers, Benita Valente, Eugenia Zukerman, and Frederica von Stade, among others. The Library of Congress commissioned her opera, "Barnum's Bird," to celebrate its Bicentennial in 2002. Her works are widely recorded on such labels as Angel/EMI, Nonesuch, Decca, and Koch International. Among recent releases on Koch International are "Love After 1950," performed by mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer (for whom the song cycle was written) with Craig Rutenberg, piano; and an album of her orchestral works, including the world premiere recording of "Solo Symphony," performed by the Colorado Symphony under the direction of Marin Alsop. Libby Larsen is a vigorous, articulate champion of the music and musicians of our time. In 1973, she co-founded (with Stephen Paulus) the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composers Forum, which has been an invaluable advocate for composers in a difficult, transitional time for American arts. Larsen’s commitment to the wider issue of music in society has led her to activity on a national level: she has served on the boards of the American Symphony Orchestra League, Meet the Composer, and on the Music Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. She has also been Vice President of the American Music Center and a director of the College Music Society. Constantly sought-after as a leader in the generation of millenium thinkers, Libby Larsen’s music and ideas have refreshed the concert music tradition and the composer’s role in it. More information about Libby Larsen can be found at www.libbylarsen.com.

Title	Ensemble Type	Composed	Duration	Media
Dancing solo	Solo instrument, non-keyboard		00:25:00
Overture for the end of a century	Orchestra		00:06:00
Songs from letters : Calamity Jane to her daughter Jane	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble		00:13:00
Marima concerto : After Hampton	Unknown		00:25:00
Love songs : five songs on texts by women poets	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices		00:00:00
Slang	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice		00:00:00
Beloved, thou hast brought me many flowers : a collecti	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble		00:15:00
Songs of youth and pleasure	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices		00:13:00
Welcome Yule	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices		00:06:00
Pinions	Orchestra		00:15:00
Creely collection, A	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices		00:09:00
Traige	Solo instrument, non-keyboard		00:12:00
Double joy	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices		00:05:30
Overture--Parachute dancing	Orchestra		00:06:45
Sonata in one movement on Kalenda Maya	Keyboard		00:00:00
Ringeltaenze	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices		00:15:00
Welcome Yule [from] Ringeltaenze	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices		00:15:00
Weaver's song and jig	Orchestra	2006	00:09:30
Womanly Song of God	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	2004	00:08:00
My Antonia	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2004	00:19:00
This Unbearable Stillness: Songs from the Balcony	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2004	00:17:00
On a Day of Bells	Keyboard	2004	00:08:00
Eine Kleine Snail Music	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	2003	00:03:00
Sky Concerto	Orchestra	2003	00:15:00
May Sky	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	2002	00:06:00
Dreaming Blue	Opera/Theater	2002	01:00:00
The Ballerina and the Clown	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	2002	00:17:00
Notes Slipped Under the Door	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2002	00:15:00
Fanfare: Sizzle	Orchestra	2001	00:07:00
If I Can Stop One Heart from Breaking	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	2001	00:03:00
Barn Dances	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2001	00:13:00
Trio	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2001	00:20:00
Viola Sonata	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	2001	00:20:00
Mephisto Rag	Keyboard	2000	00:08:00
Love After 1950	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2000	00:15:00
Still Life with Violin	Orchestra	2000	00:13:00
Jack's Valentine	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	2000	00:02:00
Lord, Before This Fleeting	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	2000	00:03:00
Try Me, Good King: Last Words of Wives of Henry VIII	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	2000	00:15:00
Psalm 121	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	2000	00:09:00
Witches' Trio	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	2000	00:04:00
Barnum's Bird	Opera/Theater	2000	01:30:00
A Salute to Louis Armstrong	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1999	00:04:00
Day Song	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1999	00:04:00
Is God our Endless Day	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1999	00:03:00
String Symphony (No. 4)	Orchestra	1999	00:25:00
Solo Symphony (No. 5)	Orchestra	1999	00:27:00
Songs of Light and Love	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1998	00:18:00
Holy Roller	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1998	00:11:00
Ring the Bells	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1998	00:02:00
Sweet and Sour Nursery Rhymes	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1998	00:09:00
Eric Hermannson's Soul	Opera/Theater	1998	01:45:00
Reasons for Loving the Harmonica	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1997	00:04:00
Love Songs	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1997	00:18:00
I Find My Feet Have Further Goals	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1997	00:03:00
Prelude on Veni creator spiritus	Keyboard	1997	00:02:00
Roll Out the Thunder	Orchestra	1997	00:06:00
Holy Roller	Band	1997	00:11:00
Short Symphony	Band	1996	00:13:00
Concert Dances	Band	1996	00:16:00
Fanfare: Strum	Band	1996	00:04:00
Blue Fiddler	Orchestra	1996	00:12:00
Blessed Be the Tie that Binds	Keyboard	1996	00:03:00
Margaret Songs	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1996	00:30:00
Black Birds, Red Hills	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1996	00:11:00
Blue Third Pieces	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1996	00:06:00
Brass Flight	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1996	00:11:00
Eleanor Roosevelt	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1996	00:35:00
So Blessedly it Sprung	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1996	00:23:00
Seven Ghosts	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1995	00:23:00
Today, This Spring	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1995	00:08:00
Fanfare and Alleluia	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1995	00:02:00
I Will Sing and Raise A Psalm	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1995	00:05:00
Invitation to Music	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1995	00:05:00
Ring of Fire	Orchestra	1995	00:12:00
Seven ghosts	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1995	00:23:00
Overture for the End of a Century	Orchestra	1994	00:06:00
Mary Cassatt	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1994	00:30:00
Slang	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1994	00:13:00
Dancing Solo	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	1994	00:25:00
Fanfare for the Women	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	1994	00:02:00
Beloved, Thou Hast Brought Me Many Flowers	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1994	00:20:00
I Just Lightning	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1994	00:07:00
Canticle of Mary	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1994	00:09:00
Song-Dances To The Light	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1994	00:19:00
Concert Piece	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1993	00:06:00
The Atmosphere as a Fluid System	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1992	00:12:00
Missa gaia = Mass for the earth	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1992	00:23:00
Sonnets from the Portugese	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1991	00:20:00
String Quartet: Schoenberg, Schenker, Schillinger	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1991	00:21:00
Xibalba	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1989	00:10:00
Songs from Letters	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1989	00:13:00
Sonnets from the Portugese [sic]	Orchestra	1989	00:25:00
Sonnets from the Portuguese	Orchestra	1989	00:25:00
ME (Brenda Ueland)	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1987	00:37:00
Me : a song cycle	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1986	00:37:00
Me : a cycle	Voice, Solo or With Chamber or Jazz Ensemble	1986	00:37:00
Symphony : Water music	Orchestra	1984	00:21:00
Deep summer music	Orchestra	1983	00:08:00
Four on the Floor	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1983	00:05:00
Overture-Parachute Dancing	Orchestra	1983	00:08:00	Overture-Parachute Dancing
Aubade	Solo instrument, non-keyboard	1982	00:05:00
In a winter garden	Unknown	1982	00:40:00
Black roller	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1981	00:12:00
Dance set	Chorus, with or without Solo Voices	1980	00:09:00
Ulloa's ring	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1980	00:15:00
Tumbledown Dick, or, The taste of the time : an opera i	Opera/Theater	1980	00:00:00
Bronze veils	Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice	1979	00:09:00
Silver fox, The : an opera for young people	Opera/Theater	1978	00:00:00
Tom Twist : a musical narrative : version II	Orchestra	1978	00:09:00
Tom Twist	Orchestra	1975	00:09:00

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Libby Larsen