Crockett, Donald
Crockett, Donald
Crockett, Donald , American composer, conductor, and teacher; b. Pasadena, Calif., Feb. 18, 1951. He studied composition at the Univ. of Southern Calif, in Los Angeles (B.M., 1974; M.M., 1976) and at the Univ. of Calif, at Santa Barbara (Ph.D., 1981). From 1981 to 1984 he was composer-in- residence of the Pasadena Chamber Orch. In 1981 he joined the faculty of the Univ. of Southern Calif, as an asst. prof., and subsequently was named an assoc. prof, in 1984 and a prof. of composition in 1994. He also was made music director of its Contemporary Music Ensemble in 1984. From 1991 to 1997 he was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Chamber Orch. In 1992 he became artistic director and conductor of Xtet. In 1991 he received a Kennedy Center Friedheim Award, in 1994 the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 1998 the Aaron Copland Award of the Copland Soc. As a conductor, Crockett has championed the cause of contemporary music.
Works
ORCH Melting Voices (1986; N.Y., March 2, 1990); Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble (1988; Los Angeles, March 8, 1989); Wedge (1990; Los Angeles, April 26, 1991); Antiphonies for Chamber Orch. (1992; Los Angeles, March 19, 1993); Cello Concerto (1993; Chatham, N.J., May 6, 1994); Roethke Preludes (1994; Los Angeles, Feb. 2, 1995); Aubade (1996; Los Angeles, Feb. 26, 1997, composer conducting); Island for Wind Ensemble (East Lansing, Mich., Nov. 21, 1998). CHAMBER: Trio for Flute, Cello, and Harp (1980; Boston, May 10, 1981); Four Songs of a Nomad Flute for Harpsichord (N.Y., Nov. 7, 1984); The Melting Voice for 17 Instruments (1986; Los Angeles, March 10, 1987); two string quartets: No. 1, Array (1987; San Francisco, Jan. 12, 1989) and No. two (1993; Palo Alto, Calif., March 12, 1994); Pilgrimage for Piano (San Diego, Oct. 9, 1988); to be sung on the water for Violin and Viola (1988; Basel, March 1989); Still Life with Bell for 14 Instruments (Los Angeles, April 3, 1989); Celestial Mechanics for Oboe and String Quartet (1990; Los Angeles, March 15, 1991); Short Stories for Flute, Viola, and Harp (1995; Eugene, Ore., May 4, 1997); Extant for Bassoon and 8 Instruments (Pittsburgh, Sept. 22, 1997); Scree for Cello, Piano, and Percussion (Bowling Green, Ohio, Oct. 15, 1997); Whistling in the Dark for Chamber Ensemble (Los Angeles, May 12, 1999); Horn Quintet, La Barca (Angel Fire, N.Mex., Sept. 3, 1999). VOCAL: Occhi dell’alma mia for High Voice and Guitar (1977; Los Angeles, March 31, 1978); Lyrikos for Tenor and Orch. (Pasadena, May 29, 1979; also for Tenor and 8 Instruments, Los Angeles, Oct. 15, 1985); The Pensive Traveller for High Voice and Piano, after Thoreau (1981; Los Angeles, April 1982); Vox in Rama for Double Chorus and Orch. (Los Angeles, Oct. 23, 1983); White Night for Chorus (1984; Portland, Ore., May 1985); The Tenth Muse for Soprano and Orch. (Pasadena, June 17, 1986); Ecstatic Songs for High Voice and Piano, after Whitman (Part 1, Los Angeles, July 3, 1989; Part 2, 1995, Los Angeles, Feb. 28, 1996; Part 3, 1995, Los Angeles, Feb. 28, 1996); The Cinnamon Peeler for Mezzo-soprano and Chamber Ensemble, after Michael Ondaatje (1993; Los Angeles, Feb. 7, 1994).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire