London, Edwin
London, Edwin
American conductor, teacher, and composer; b. Philadelphia, March 16, 1929. After training in horn at the Oberlin (Ohio) Coll. Cons, of Music (B.A., 1952), he studied conducting (M.F.A., 1954) and composition (Ph.D., 1961) at the Univ. of Iowa. He also received private instruction in composition from Dallapiccola, Schuller, Bezanson, Milhaud, and Clapp, and in conducting from Per lea and Solomon. From 1960 to 1969 he taught at Smith Coll. He was a prof. at the Univ. of 111. School of Music from 1968 to 1978, where he also was active as a conductor. In 1972–73 he was a visiting prof. of composition at the Univ. of Calif, at San Diego. He was a prof. (from 1978) and chairman of the music dept. (1978–86) at Cleveland State Univ. He was also founder-music director of the Cleveland Chamber Sym. (from 1980). In 1965, 1966, 1970, and 1974 he held MacDowell Colony fellowships. In 1969 he was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship. In 1973, 1974, and 1979 he received NEA grants. His stylistically diverse output includes theater scores, orch. music, chamber pieces, and vocal works.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire