Ahlstrom, David

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Ahlstrom, David

Ahlstrom, David, American composer; b. Lancaster, N.Y., Feb. 22, 1927; d. San Francisco, Aug. 23, 1992. He studied with Cowell, Bernard Rogers, and Haridas Chaudhuri, and at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. (Ph.D. in composition, 1961). After teaching at Northwestern Univ. (1961–62), Southern Methodist Univ. (1962–67), and Eastern 111. Univ. (1967–76), he settled in San Francisco. He wrote the operas 3 Sisters Who Are Not Sisters, after Gertrude Stein (San Francisco, Sept. 17, 1982), Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, after Stein (San Francisco, Oct. 29, 1982), and America, I Love You, after e.e. cummings (San Francisco, June 25, 1983, composer conducting), a number of theater pieces employing dance and electronics, syms., and chamber music.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire