Kernis, Aaron Jay
Kernis, Aaron Jay
Kernis, Aaron Jay, American composer; b. Philadelphia, Jan. 15, 1960. He was a student of John Adams at the San Francisco Cons, of Music (1977–78), of Wuorinen and Elias Tanenbaum at the Manhattan School of Music in N.Y. (B.Mus., 1981), and of Druck-man, Amy, Rands, and Subotnick at the Yale Univ. School of Music (1981–83). He won the Rome Prize and was in residence at the American Academy in Rome in 1984-85. In 1985 he received the Joseph N. Beams Prize of Columbia Univ. In 1985-86 he held a Guggenheim fellowship. In 1988 he received the N.Y. Foundation for the Arts fellowship. In 1998 he won the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his 2nd String Quartet, Musica Instrumentalis. The early influence of traditional music, impressionism, and minimalism on his output eventually led to a more personal style, noted for its accessible but still modern means of expression.
Works
orch.:Mirror of Heat and Light (1985); Invisible Mosaic III (1988); 3 syms.: No. 1, Symphony in Waves (1989; 1stcomplete perf., N.Y., Nov. 9, 1991), No. 2 (1991; N.Y., Jan. 15, 1992), and No. 3, Garden of Light, for Soloists, Chorus, Boy’s Chorus, and Orch. (N.Y., Oct. 8, 1999); New Era Dances (1992); Colored Field, English horn Concerto (San Francisco, April 21, 1994).chamber:Meditation, in memory of John Lennon, for Cello and Piano (1981); Music for Trio: Cycle IV for Flute, Cello, and Piano (1982); Suite in 3 Parts for Guitar or Organ (1982); Passacaglia- Variations for Viola and Piano (1985); Invisible Mosaic I for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1986) and II for Chamber Ensemble (1988); Phantom Polka for Accordion (1987); Delicate Songs for Flute, Violin, and Cello (1988); 2 string quartets (Musica Celestis, 1990; Musica Instrumentalis, 1997); Mozart en Route:”a little traveling music” for Violin, Viola, and Cello (1991); 200 Greatest Dance Hits for Guitar and String Quartet (1993); Harlem River Reveille for Brass Quintet (1993); Still Movement with Hymn for Piano Quartet (1993); Hymn for Accordion (1993); Air for Violin and Piano (1995). Piano: Cycle II for Piano Duo (1979); Before Sleep and Dreams (1987–90); Superstar Etude No. 1 (1992). vocal:Stein Times 7 for Chorus and Piano (1980); Cycle III for Soprano, Baritone, and Chamber Ensemble (1981); Dream of the Morning Sky: Cycle V for Soprano and Orch. (1982); Morningsongs for Baritone and Orch. (1982–83); Américain) (Day) Dreams for Mezzo- soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1984); Love Scenes for Soprano and Cello (1987); Barbara Allen for Soprano and Orch. (1988); Songs of Innocents for High Voice and Piano (2 books, 1989); Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky for Baritone, Violin, Percussion, and Piano (1991); La quattro stagioni dalla cucina futurismo for Narrator, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1991); Simple Songs for Soprano or Tenor and Orch. (1991); Goblin Market for Narrator and Ensemble (1995).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire