Curtis OB Curtis-Smith
Curtis Otto Bismarck Curtis-Smith (* 1941 in Walla Walla , Washington ; † October 10, 2014 in Kalamazoo , Michigan ) was an American composer .
Life
Curtis-Smith studied at Whitman College with David Burge , Northwestern University with Alan Stout , the University of Illinois with Ken Gaburo and in Tanglewood with Bruno Maderna . From 1968 until his retirement in 2011 he taught at the School of Music at Western Michigan University , where he was professor of piano and composition. In 1979 he was the youngest faculty member to date to receive the highest academic honor, the WMU's Distinguished Faculty Scholar Award. His numerous other awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship , the Koussevitzky Prize and the Prix du Salabert .
One focus of Curtis-Smith's compositional work was the piano. Building on John Cage , for example , he also used the techniques of prepared piano . Performers such as the pianist Leon Fleisher or the conductors Neeme Järvi and Dennis Russell Davies have incorporated works by Curtis-Smith into their repertoire.
Curtis-Smith passed away on October 10, 2014.
literature
- Matthias Warzecha: CD booklet Mediaphon MED 72.155 (including Curtis-Smith: Sextett for Piano and Wind Quintet , Dennis Russell Davies, Stuttgarter Bläserquintett)
Web links
- Information from the School of Music, WMU ( Memento from August 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- Information at americancomposers.org (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Longtime WMU music professor, internationally known composer dies - WMU News - Western Michigan University. In: wmich.edu. October 13, 2014, accessed February 12, 2017 .
- ↑ Linda S. Mah: WMU composer and pianist C. Curtis-Smith, 72, had a long affiliation with Gilmore Festival. In: mlive.com. October 14, 2014, accessed February 12, 2017 .
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Curtis-Smith, Curtis OB |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Curtis-Smith, Curtis; Curtis-Smith, Curtis Otto Bismarck |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American composer |
DATE OF BIRTH | 1941 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Walla Walla (Washington) |
DATE OF DEATH | October 10, 2014 |
Place of death | Kalamazoo |