Graduate Composition Colloquium No. 5
- Anna Thorvaldsdottir -
WHEN: Wednesday, December 3rd, 10:30AM
WHERE: NYU Music Department
24 Waverly Place, Room 220, NY 10003
Abstract
In her music Anna Thorvaldsdottir frequently works with large sonic structures that tend to reveal the presence of a vast variety of sustained sound materials. Her approach to music composition can be said to reflect her sense of imaginative listening to landscapes and nature and the music tends to diseño de modas a flowing world of sounds with an enigmatic lyrical atmosphere.
In the presentation Anna will be talking about her music, inspirations, aesthetics, and compositional approach with regards to some recent projects.
Bio
Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s music is frequently performed in Europe and in the US, and has been featured at several major music festivals such as ISCM World Music Days, Nordic Music Days, Ultima Festival and Beijing Modern Music Festival. Her works have been nominated and awarded on many occasions, e.g. at the Icelandic Music Awards and the International Music Prize for Excellence in Composition. Anna is the recipient of the prestige Nordic Council Music Prize 2012 for her orchestral work Dreaming.
Some of the orchestras and ensembles that Anna has worked with include e.g. the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, BIT20, CAPUT Ensemble, Musiques Nouvelles, Either/Or Ensemble and the International Contemporary Ensemble.
Anna holds a PhD degree from the University of California in San Diego where she primarily worked with Rand Steiger and Lei Liang, as well as with Chinary Ung, Philippe Manoury, Roger Reynolds, and percussionist Steven Schick.
Anna’s debut portrait album – Rhízoma – was released in October 2011 through Innova Recordings. The album features three larger pieces for orchestra and chamber orchestra, and five shorter movements from a solo percussed piano work. In addition to being selected Classical/Contemporary Album of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards 2012, Rhízoma also appeared on a number of “Best of 2011” lists, e.g. at TimeOut New York and TimeOut Chicago. For more info: www.annathorvalds.com
