Jay Greenberg

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Jay Greenberg (born December 13, 1991 in New Haven (Connecticut) ) is an American composer and symphonist . He is considered a musical “ child prodigy ”.

biography

Jay Greenberg dealt unusually early with music in theory and practice. He began to play the cello at the age of three and to compose regularly. The reasons for this are probably only partly due to Greenberg's parents: Greenberg's father is a pianist by profession, but works as a linguist for Slavic languages. Greenberg's mother has no musical background.

One of Greenberg's mentors, Antony John , reports in the booklet for Greenberg's first CD release by Sony BMG Masterworks that Greenberg “managed in his gentle and persistent way that he could repeatedly listen to a collection of Beethoven LPs at a friend's house. He taught himself the basics of theory by comparing what he had heard with what he saw in the score . ”In the next few years, Greenberg composed numerous symphonic works and developed his work at an enormous speed.

The music world became aware of Jay Greenberg through Juilliard professor Samuel Zyman , who introduced Greenberg on November 28, 2004 in the program 60 Minutes on CBS News with the words: “We are talking about a child prodigy who has the same skills in the field of composition how great child prodigies history has. I mean composers like Mozart , Mendelssohn and Saint-Saëns . "

At the age of 12, Greenberg was the first young student and scholarship holder to be admitted to a specially set up full-time course in composition at the Juilliard School. There he studies under the guidance of the composer Samuel Adler . In addition, he continues to complete a regular school education.

Jay Greenberg designs his works - similar to Shostakovich , for example - initially completely in his mind; To write it down, he uses a computer and a special notation program that makes it possible to make the written sound immediately.

Greenberg is the youngest composer of all time to sign a record deal with a major label: the Sony BMG Masterworks label released Greenberg's first CD on August 15, 2005. It features Greenberg's Fifth Symphony, played by the London Symphony Orchestra under José Serebrier , as well as his string quintet, played by the Juilliard string quartet and cellist Darrett Adkins .

Greenberg answers questions about his future planning openly: “I will study music, but probably not a major. I'm trying to choose between philosophy and one of the natural sciences - probably chemistry or physics. Or maybe psychology. ”When asked about his very young age, Greenberg notes,“ Yes, but that's not the point. The point is that I write music, not that I write music of a certain age. "

He is currently doing a PhD in music at the University of Auckland , New Zealand.

Works (selection)

  • Symphony No 1 (2001)
  • Symphony No 2 (2001)
  • Symphony No 5 (2003 to 2005)
  • Overture to 9/11 (2003)
  • The Storm (2004)
  • String Quartet (2004)
  • Short Stories (2005)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Greenberg's website at the University of Auckland , accessed January 4, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Greenberg, Jay
BRIEF DESCRIPTION american composer
DATE OF BIRTH December 13, 1991
PLACE OF BIRTH New Haven (Connecticut)