Eric Funk

Last updated
Eric Funk
Born
Deer Lodge, Montana
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s) Composer, conductor, teacher

Eric Funk is an American contemporary classical composer and conductor. [1] Originally from Deer Lodge, Montana, he currently resides in Bozeman, Montana, where he teaches music courses at Montana State University. [2]

Dr. Funk's considerable compositional output includes five symphonies, three operas, six ballet scores, three large works for chorus and orchestra, thirteen concertos, several orchestral tone poems, and numerous works for chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and vocal works. Among recent prominent premiers of his works include his one-act solo opera for contralto and ballet troupe, Akhmatova, based on key texts from the Russian poet's life, his Violin Concerto, and the song cycles Gongora (for baritone and chamber orchestra, on texts by the Spanish baroque poet) and Sequentia (contralto and 9-person chamber ensemble, on texts by Paul Celan).

Newly completed works include the massive Mandelshtam: A Valediction to the 20th Century, a work in 5 movements for large chorus, two orchestras, and amplified string quartet, based on poems by the Russian poet Osip Mandelshtam. The latter was commissioned by the Gallatin Performing Arts Center for their upcoming grand opening. Past performance venues for his works include Carnegie Hall, the Renda Theater, and the Gaudeamus International Interpreters of Contemporary Music Festival (Rotterdam); as well as numerous theaters and concert halls in the U.S. and Eastern Europe. His works have earned him numerous awards and commissions, including 13 ASCAP Standard Awards, the 2001 Governor's Award for the Arts (Montana), and three Arts Commission Fellowships. [3]

Numerous compositions of Dr. Funk have been recorded commercially. These include three releases on the MMC label, featuring three of his symphonies (Nos. 1, 3, and 4), as well as two concertos and a string quartet. His Symphony No. 5, "Dante Ascending" was recently released on the composer's own label, and recorded by the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and Opera Chorus, conducted by Terje Mikkelsen.

Dr. Funk was featured on the Charles Osgood CBS Sunday Morning show in October 1998, which in turn followed on the heels of a front-page story in the New York Times "Arts & Leisure" section (April 14, 1998). More recently, Dr. Funk was featured on the nationally syndicated NPR radio show, "Theme & Variations" (August 23–30, 2002). [4]

From 1994 to 2002, Eric was conductor of the Helena Symphony Orchestra in Helena, Montana. From 1994 to 1999, he was also the conductor of the Gallatin Chamber Orchestra in Bozeman, Montana.

Eric has also served as artistic director for 11th & Grant with Eric Funk , an Emmy Award-winning show broadcast on Montana PBS featuring local musicians. [5]

On December 15, 2023, Funk was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Arts from Montana State University. [6]

Related Research Articles

The 16th Annual Grammy Awards were held March 2, 1974, and were broadcast live on American television. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the year 1973.

The 9th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 2, 1967, at Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville and New York. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1966. The 9th Grammy Awards is notable for not presenting the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Frank Sinatra won 5 awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Édouard Lalo</span> French composer (1823–1892)

Édouard-Victoire-Antoine Lalo was a French composer. His most celebrated piece is the Symphonie Espagnole, a five-movement concerto for violin and orchestra that remains a popular work in the standard repertoire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esa-Pekka Salonen</span> Finnish conductor and composer (born 1958)

Esa-Pekka Salonen is a Finnish conductor and composer. He is the music director of the San Francisco Symphony and conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra in London and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tan Dun</span> Chinese-American composer and conductor (born 1957)

Tan Dun is a Chinese-born American composer and conductor. A leading figure of contemporary classical music, he draws from a variety of Western and Chinese influences, a dichotomy which has shaped much of his life and music. Having collaborated with leading orchestras around the world, Tan is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Grawemeyer Award for his opera Marco Polo (1996) and both an Academy Award and Grammy Award for his film score in Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). His oeuvre as a whole includes operas, orchestral, vocal, chamber, solo and film scores, as well as genres that Tan terms "organic music" and "music ritual."

Sea Pictures, Op. 37 is a song cycle by Sir Edward Elgar consisting of five songs written by various poets. It was set for contralto and orchestra, though a distinct version for piano was often performed by Elgar. Many mezzo-sopranos have sung the piece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James MacMillan</span> Scottish composer and conductor

Sir James Loy MacMillan, is a Catholic Scottish classical composer and conductor.

Samuel Hans Adler is an American composer, conductor, author, and professor. During the course of a professional career which ranges over six decades he has served as a faculty member at both the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. In addition, he is credited with founding and conducting the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra which participated in the cultural diplomacy initiatives of the United States in Germany and throughout Europe in the aftermath of World War II. Adler's musical catalogue includes over 400 published compositions. He has been honored with several awards including Germany's Order of Merit – Officer's Cross.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsy Jolas</span> Franco-American composer (born 1926)

Elizabeth Jolas is a Franco-American composer.

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate is a Chickasaw classical composer and pianist. His compositions are inspired by North American Indian history, culture and ethos.

Kevin Matthew Puts is an American composer, best known for his opera The Hours and for winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for his first opera Silent Night and a Grammy Award in 2023 for his concerto Contact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Paulus</span> American composer (1949–2014)

Stephen Paulus was an American Grammy Award winning composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His style is essentially tonal, and melodic and romantic by nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Jones (composer)</span> American composer and conductor (born 1935)

Samuel Jones is an American composer and conductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yannick Nézet-Séguin</span> Canadian conductor and pianist

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, CC is a Canadian conductor and pianist. He is currently music director of the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montréal), the Metropolitan Opera, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was the principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra from 2008 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ransom Wilson</span> American flutist and conductor (born 1951)

Ransom Wilson is an American flutist, conductor, and educator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin R. McMahon</span> American conductor, composer, orchestrator and violinist

Kevin R. McMahon is an American, orchestra/opera conductor, composer/orchestrator/arranger, clinician/adjudicator, and violinist.

Victoria Ellen Bond is an American conductor and composer in New York City.

Malcolm Cameron Peyton is an American composer, concert director, conductor, and teacher.

Thomas Ludwig is an American composer of classical music and a symphony conductor. His works have been performed and recorded with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the New York City Symphony, and have won prizes at the Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards in Washington, D.C. and the Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival.

References

  1. ↑ Harbinger Article
  2. ↑ "Eric Funk's MSU Faculty Profile". Archived from the original on 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  3. ↑ Listing of Works at Classical Music Archives
  4. ↑ Classical Archives Listing
  5. ↑ 11th & Grant With Eric Funk
  6. ↑ "MSU News | Montana State University". www.montana.edu. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.