Robert Aldridge (composer)

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Robert Livingston Aldridge
BornSeptember 7, 1954
Notable workElmer Gantry, opera
SpousePaula Stark
ChildrenMicaela Aldridge (b. 1994)

Robert Livingstone Aldridge (September 7, 1954 in Richmond, VA) [1] is an American composer, professor, and current Head of Composition professor, and former Director of Music at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. He has written over eighty works for orchestra, opera, musical theater, dance, and various chamber ensembles that have been performed in the United States, Europe, and Japan. [2] He is widely known for his opera Elmer Gantry , based on Sinclair Lewis's 1927 novel of the same name. [3] which was completed in 2007 and won Best Engineered Album (Classical) and Best Contemporary Classical Composition in the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.

Contents

Biography

Aldridge holds degrees in both composition and English literature. [4] Aldridge received a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master's degree in composition from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a doctorate in composition from the Yale School of Music in 2000.

In November 2007, an opera titled Elmer Gantry by Robert Aldridge and with a libretto by Herschel Garfein premiered in the James K. Polk Theater in Nashville. [5]

Parables also with a libretto by Herschel Garfein was a work commissioned by the Topeka Symphony. It premiered in May 2010.

He was professor of composition at Montclair State University in New Jersey. He was appointed director of the music department of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 2012. [6]

Robert Aldridge currently lives in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife Paula Stark, a landscape artist. They have one daughter, Micaela Aldridge (b.1994).

Honors and awards

He has received numerous fellowships and awards for his music from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Massachusetts Artist's Foundation, the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Fund, Meet the Composer, the American Symphony Orchestra League, the New Jersey Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Works

Works
YearWorkInstrumentationPremiere Performer
1983Combo PlatterMarimolin
1984SummerdanceChamber ensembleBeth Soll Dance Company
1986Fanfare and MarchMarching bandBlackstone High School
Concerto for Violin and PercussionPercussion ensemble New England Conservatory
1987ThreedanceViolin, marimba, and tablasMarimolin
Parable of the BlindChamber ensembleThe American Dance Festival
GhostsString quartetBoston Composer's String Quartet
1988From my little IslandMarimbaNancy Zeltsman
1989Quartet for an Outdoor FestivalChamber ensembleLincoln-Center-Out-of-Doors
1992The Concord TrioClarinet, horn, and pianoConcord Community Music School
1993Three FolksongsClarinet and string quartetPacific Serenades
1996String Quartet no. 2 The Kucharsky Quartet
1997Larger Than LifeMusicaldeveloped by Manhattan Theatre Club
1998Music from 'The Third Person'Betty Buckley (with Herschel Garfein)
Ecstatic OvertureOrchestraNorwalk Symphony & Boston Civic Orchestra
Concerto for Violin and OrchestraTopeka Symphony
1999Celebration OvertureOrchestraThe Gulf Coast Symphony
SoundMovesBluesSoundMoves
2000A Prayer, for a MusicOregon Festival Chorale
2001Trio for Violin, Cello, and PianoThe Gramercy Trio
The Third PersonMusicalThe York Theatre Company
2002War StoriesConcert bandMonclair State University Concert Band
2003Leda and the SwanOrchestraThe New Jersey Symphony
2004Clarinet Concerto LA Chamber Orchestra
2007 Elmer Gantry OperaNashville Opera
2010ParablesOratorioTopeka Symphony Orchestra
2011Three WaltzesPiano SoloVivian Wang
2016 Sister Carrie operaMilwaukee

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References

  1. Giraudet, Jean-Paul (May 30, 2007). "Robert Livingston Aldridge". musicalics.com (in French). Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  2. "Robert Aldridge Biography". Robert Aldridge. Retrieved December 4, 2022. "Robert Aldridge, Composer, Biography". Robert Aldridge, Composer. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  3. Frederick, Kaimann. "Sampling an opera in progress." Star-Ledger, The (Newark, NJ) April 3, 2004: 37. NewsBank - Archives. Web. July 25, 2014.
  4. Carman, Judith. "Lovesongs. Fifteen Songs For High Voice And Piano." Journal of Singing 69.1 (2012): 106. Education Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. July 25, 2014.
  5. Green, Jesse (January 20, 2008). "Behold! An Operatic Miracle". The New York Times . Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  6. "Alum Robert Aldridge appointed director of music department at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers". Yale School of Music. April 13, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2014.