Rorem, Ned, 1923-

Composer and author.

Commissioned by Nikolai Sokoloff and the Musical Arts Society of La Jolla, California. Composed 1956. First performance La Jolla, California, 5 August 1956, Nikolai Sokoloff conductor. Dedicated to Nikolai Sokoloff and the Musical Arts Society of La Jolla, California.--Cf. Fleisher Collection.

Commissioned by the Louisville Orchestra. Composed 1953. First performance Louisville, Kentucky, 28 May 1955, The Louisville Orchestra, Robert Whitney conductor.--Cf. Fleisher Collection.

Ned Rorem, a composer and writer, was born in Richmond, Ind. on Oct. 23, 1923. In addition to his music, he is well known for his writings, having published a number of his diaries and collections of other writings. During the 1940s he studied briefly at Northwestern, then at the Curtis Institute before enrolling at Juilliard where he received both his B.A. and M.A. in music. He lived In Paris from 1949-1958 where he mingled with the great cultural figures of the time. He returned to the United States in 1959 and served on the music teaching faculty at various universities eventually joining the faculty at the Curtis Institute in 1980 where he is now professor of composition emeritus. He continues to compose and write to this day.

Originally conceived as a Mass without words. Composed 1949. First performance Vienna, February 1951, Jonathan Sternberg conductor. Dedication: "To the memory of a dear friend."--Fleisher Collection.

American composer, pianist, and writer.

Epithet: American composer diarist and essayist