WorldView Episode 68: Augusta Read Thomas
Welcome back to another episode of WorldView, brought to you on charlottesvilleclassical.org! In this hour, we’ll hear works by Tchaikovsky and two modern-day composers: Anna Clyne and Augusta Read Thomas. The latter is known in part for being the longest serving Mead Composer-in-Residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1997 - 2006).
Thomas was born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1964. She studied with various composers at Northwestern, Yale, and the Tanglewood Music Center before serving as a fellow at various universities. In 1994, Thomas married fellow composer Bernard Rands; shortly thereafter, she joined the faculty of the Eastman School of Music. While Composer-in-Residence with the Chicago Symphony, Thomas composed her work “Astral Canticle.” The work for flute, violin, and orchestra was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in Music.
In 2010, Thomas was named University Professor of Composition at the University of Chicago, where she founded the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition. During this time, she also composed several of her more well-known works, including a cello concerto (“Legend of the Phoenix - 2013) and “Hemke Concerto: Prisms of Light (2014)”. Thomas has also written two operas, including “Sweet Potato Kicks the Sun”, which features beat-box artist Nicole Paris. In this episode of WorldView, the Lincoln Trio (also heard in episode fifty-nine) performs Thomas’s work “Moon Jig”. The piece was written in 2005. Enjoy!
WorldView Episode Sixty-Eight Playlist:
Augusta Read THOMAS, “Moon Jig”, {The Lincoln Trio} - Cedille Recordings
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY, “Suite No. 1 in D Major”, {National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Stefan Sanderling} - Naxos
Anna CLYNE, “Prince of Clouds”, {Curtis 20/21 Ensemble} - Cedille
Note: In this episode, Thomas’s middle name is mispronounced (correct pronunciation: ‘reed’). This will be corrected in future airings. Thank you!
WorldView is a classical music radio show featuring composers from everywhere in the world - except Western Europe. Tune in to hear works by lesser-known artists such as Jennifer Higdon and Sergio Assad, and widen your knowledge of classical music. Hinke Younger hosts each week’s episode of WorldView on Mondays at 4AM, 9AM and 6PM (with rebroadcasts Saturdays at 2PM and 7PM) on Charlottesvilleclassical.org.