Strilko, Anthony

Anthony Strilko was born on July 4, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When Strilko was in his teens, he moved to Manhattan to attend Julliard, where he eventually earned a B.S. and M.S. in Composition. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship which enabled him to attend the Paris Conservatory. While in Paris he studied with Darius Milhaud. Strilko received many awards in his youth, including a Fromm Foundation Award, an Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Prize, and the Joseph H. Bearns Prize from Columbia University. In a New York Times survey of prominent composers in 1957, Strilko was declared a “young hopeful”. Over the course of his career, he composed hundreds of works, primarily consisting of chamber music and sacred and secular choral works. Over the years, Strilko’s compositions were performed in Damrosch Park, the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall. In addition to composing, Strilko directed Apollo Music Services, a music preparation company that provided editing and copyist services for composers. His clients included Leonard Bernstein, Elliot Carter, and David Diamond. He was also the musical coordinator to the Rebekah Harkness Foundation, William Schuman, and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Strilko was interested in the spiritualist movement, and composed several works for spiritualist Christian churches. He died on June 22, 2000 at the age of 68 as a result of lung cancer.

From the guide to the Anthony Strilko papers, 1950-1991, (The New York Public Library. Music Division.)

Anthony Strilko (1931-2000) was a noted American composer who worked primarily with song cycles and sacred music.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Strilko moved to Manhattan in his teens to attend the Julliard School of Music, where he eventually earned degrees in composition. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship which enabled him to attend the Paris Conservatory. While in Paris, he studied with Darius Milhaud. Strilko received many awards in his youth, including a Fromm Foundation Award, an Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Prize, and the Joseph H. Bearns Prize from Columbia University. In a New York Times survey of prominent composers in 1957, Strilko was declared a "young hopeful." Over the course of his career, he composed hundreds of works, mainly consisting of chamber music, as well as sacred and secular choral works. In addition to composing, Strilko directed Apollo Music Services, a music preparation company that provided editing and copyist services for composers. His clients included Leonard Bernstein, Elliot Carter, and David Diamond. He was also the musical coordinator to the Rebekah Harkness Foundation, William Schuman, and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Strilko was interested in the spiritualist movement, and composed several works for spiritualist Christian churches.

From the description of Anthony Strilko papers, 1950-1991. (New York Public Library). WorldCat record id: 154318145