Russell Peck

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Russell Peck was an American composer born in Detroit on January 25, 1945 to Thorland (Tom) and Margaret (Carlson) Peck. [1] He died in Greensboro, North Carolina on March 1, 2009, at the age of 64. [2]

Contents

Life and career

Peck's early music education was grounded in Mozart and Beethoven, [3] but also heavily influenced by the soul music emerging from Detroit during his formative years. Peck was the youngest of three children, and doted on by his two older sisters, Jean and Joyce. His father, Tom, sang in the Detroit Symphony Chorus in the late 1930s–early 1940s for their Ford Symphony Hour national radio broadcasts, [4] and later in his life was active with barbershop quartets. Tom was a proponent of Russell's interest in classical music, and encouraged him in his studies. From early on, Peck wanted to compose and began learning piano in fifth grade. Later, in high school, he played trombone in band and orchestra. The Motown sound inspired Peck to compose with melodic flow, engaging rhythm, and rich harmonies. The marriage of these two musical worlds is the backdrop of Peck's compositions, and is his trademark.

Peck is a well-known American composer of music for the symphony. His compositions have been included in thousands of performances by hundreds of orchestras in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa, including more than a dozen major orchestras such as the London Symphony, Montreal Symphony, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as regional orchestras throughout the U.S. His most popular works include the percussion concerto, [5] The Glory and the Grandeur, Signs of Life II for string orchestra, and The Thrill of the Orchestra, a narrated demonstration piece for orchestra. In 2000-2001 a consortium of 39 American orchestras commissioned Peck's Timpani Concerto, Harmonic Rhythm. The premiere performances began with the Louisville Orchestra and proceeded with orchestras throughout the country.

Education

Russell Peck was a cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan (1966), where he also received Master and Doctoral degrees in composition (1967 and 1972). His teachers included Clark Eastham, Leslie Bassett, Ross Lee Finney, Gunther Schuller, and George Rochberg.

Russell Peck received the coveted Koussevitsky Prize in 1966 awarded through his association with the Tanglewood Music Center, two Ford Foundation Fellowships, grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, several states' arts councils, and ASCAP awards. Peck's artist residencies include the Gaudeamus Contemporary Music Festival in the Netherlands and a two-year appointment as composer-in-residence for the city of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Symphony. Peck served on the faculty of Northern Illinois University, Eastman School of Music, and the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Beginning in the fall of 1974 through 1976 Peck was an assistant Professor of Music Theory at Northern Illinois University. In January 1977 he accepted an interim position teaching music composition at the Eastman School of Music. In the fall of 1977, he began teaching various aspects of the study of music, including music history and music theory, at the North Carolina School of the Arts. In 1979 Peck chose not to continue teaching in order to pursue his increasing interest in the cause of ending world starvation. Peck's altruistic concerns dominated his time for several years until he re-emerged with the popular orchestra piece, Signs of Life, in 1983.

Symphonic works

Concertos

Orchestral

Educational and family pieces

Chamber music

Band/wind ensemble

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References

  1. ↑ "Obituary of Russell James Peck". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
  2. ↑ "Reflection of Russell Peck - North Carolina NPR News".
  3. ↑ DRAM: Notes for "Russell Peck: Orchestral Works"
  4. ↑ "Detroit Symphony Orchestra - History of the DSO". Archived from the original on 2018-11-17. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
  5. ↑ SSO marches to beat of a talented drummer
  6. ↑ NewMusicBox » Commissioning Consortia: Banding Together in the Name of New Music
  7. ↑ WASHINGTON TALK: Briefing; Alabama Stars - New York Times
  8. ↑ http://nrcom.xnetweb03.nrinteractive.com/content/2009/07/27/article/emf_to_honor_composer_russell_peck#nrcAnc_Middle2_Jump [ dead link ]
  9. ↑ Sunday marks Gosling's finale as conductor | savannahnow.com | Savannah Morning News
  10. ↑ Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search
  11. ↑ The Milwaukee Journal - Google News Archive Search
  12. ↑ Symphony presents: The Thrill of the Orchestra | The Sierra Vista Herald
  13. ↑ The News - Google News Archive Search
  14. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2012-11-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ↑ 5 MUSICAL WORKS ECHO NEW THEORY - Simultaneity Is Rally Point of Avant-Garde Program - Article - NYTimes.com
  16. ↑ Oklahoma State University Wind Ensemble Cave of The Winds Russell Peck
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