Kernis, Aaron Jay

Kernis, Aaron Jay, American composer; b. Philadelphia, Jan. 15, 1960. He was a student of John Adams at the San Francisco Cons, of Music (1977–78), of Wuorinen and Elias Tanenbaum at the Manhattan School of Music in N.Y. (B.Mus., 1981), and of Druck-man, Amy, Rands, and Subotnick at the Yale Univ. School of Music (1981–83). He won the Rome Prize and was in residence at the American Academy in Rome in 1984-85. In 1985 he received the Joseph N. Beams Prize of Columbia Univ. In 1985-86 he held a Guggenheim fellowship. In 1988 he received the N.Y. Foundation for the Arts fellowship. In 1998 he won the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his 2^nd String Quartet, Musica Instrumentalis. The early influence of traditional music, impressionism, and minimalism on his output eventually led to a more personal style, noted for its accessible but still modern means of expression.

Works

orch.:Mirror of Heat and Light (1985); Invisible Mosaic III (1988); 3 syms.: No. 1, Symphony in Waves (1989; 1^stcomplete perf., N.Y., Nov. 9, 1991), No. 2 (1991; N.Y., Jan. 15, 1992), and No. 3, Garden of Light, for Soloists, Chorus, Boy’s Chorus, and Orch. (N.Y., Oct. 8, 1999); New Era Dances (1992); Colored Field, English horn Concerto (San Francisco, April 21, 1994).chamber:Meditation, in memory of John Lennon, for Cello and Piano (1981); Music for Trio: Cycle IV for Flute, Cello, and Piano (1982); Suite in 3 Parts for Guitar or Organ (1982); Passacaglia- Variations for Viola and Piano (1985); Invisible Mosaic I for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1986) and II for Chamber Ensemble (1988); Phantom Polka for Accordion (1987); Delicate Songs for Flute, Violin, and Cello (1988); 2 string quartets (Musica Celestis, 1990; Musica Instrumentalis, 1997); Mozart en Route:”a little traveling music” for Violin, Viola, and Cello (1991); 200 Greatest Dance Hits for Guitar and String Quartet (1993); Harlem River Reveille for Brass Quintet (1993); Still Movement with Hymn for Piano Quartet (1993); Hymn for Accordion (1993); Air for Violin and Piano (1995). Piano: Cycle II for Piano Duo (1979); Before Sleep and Dreams (1987–90); Superstar Etude No. 1 (1992). vocal:Stein Times 7 for Chorus and Piano (1980); Cycle III for Soprano, Baritone, and Chamber Ensemble (1981); Dream of the Morning Sky: Cycle V for Soprano and Orch. (1982); Morningsongs for Baritone and Orch. (1982–83); Américain) (Day) Dreams for Mezzo- soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1984); Love Scenes for Soprano and Cello (1987); Barbara Allen for Soprano and Orch. (1988); Songs of Innocents for High Voice and Piano (2 books, 1989); Brilliant Sky, Infinite Sky for Baritone, Violin, Percussion, and Piano (1991); La quattro stagioni dalla cucina futurismo for Narrator, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1991); Simple Songs for Soprano or Tenor and Orch. (1991); Goblin Market for Narrator and Ensemble (1995).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire