Albert, Stephen, 1941-1992

Stephen Albert (1941-1992) was an American composer and teacher. He began studying composition as a teenager with Elie Siegmeister, later studying with Darius Milhaud and George Rochberg. In 1962 he graduated with a BM from the Philadelphia Musical Academy. As a composition teacher, one of his most notable positions was at the Juilliard School. Albert received numerous commissions from orchestras and other organizations including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the National Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Library of Congress, and the Fromm and Ford Foundations, and from 1985-1988 he served as the composer in residence for the Seattle Symphony.

Alberts music is known for combining Romanticism with twentieth century compositional techniques. Inspiration for this style of composition came from Bartk, Stravinsky, and Sibelius. Four of Alberts later works were based on the writings of James Joyce, however much of Alberts later career was dedicated to composing instrumental music. Two of his most well known works include his Cello Concerto (1990), and his symphony RiverRun (1993-94). His Cello Concerto, written for Yo-Yo Ma, received a Grammy Award, while RiverRun received a Pulitzer Prize in 1985. At the time of his death Albert was working on his Symphony No. 2 for the 150th Anniversary of the New York Philharmonic.