McTee, Cindy

McTee, Cindy, American composer and teacher; b. Tacoma, Feb. 20, 1953. She studied composition at Pacific Lutheran Univ. in Tacoma (graduated, 1976), and also was an exchange fellow in composition at the State Higher School of Music in Krakow (1974–75), where she studied with Penderecki and Stachowski. She then pursued training in composition with Druckman at the Yale Univ. School of Music (M.A., 1978) before completing her studies at the Univ. of Iowa (doctorate, 1981). In 1984 she joined the faculty of the Univ. of North Tex. at Denton, where she became a full prof. in 1995. In 1992 she received the Goddard Lieberson Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. McTee’s wind-sym. scores are especially notable for their cross-rhythms and sharply colored percussive sounds.

Works

orch.: Music for 48 Strings, Percussion, and Piano (1975); Unisonance (1978); On Wings of Infinite Night (1985); Circuits (1990; also for Winds); The Twittering Machine for Chamber Orch., after the Klee painting (Pittsburgh, Nov. 1, 1993; also as California Counterpoint: The Twittering Machine for Winds); Elegy for Strings (1994); Pathfinder (1999); Timepiece (1999; Dallas, Feb. 17, 2000; also for Winds). winds:Sonic Shades (1977); Circuits (1990; also for Orch.); California Counterpoint: The Twittering Machine (1993; also as The Twittering Machine for Chamber Orch.); Soundings (1995). chamber: 3 Miniatures for Clarinet (1973); Trio for Flute, Cello, and Harpsichord (1975); String Quartet No. 1 (1976); Chord for Flute (1977); Wind Quintet No. 1 (1981); Octonal Escalade for 20 Trumpets (1985); Images for Horn and Piano (1987); Circle Music I for Viola and Piano (1988), II for Flute and Piano (1988), III for Bassoon and Piano (1988), IV for Horn and Piano (1988), and V for Trombone and Tape (1992); 8 Etudes for 4 Instruments and Tape (1991); Capriccio for Krzysztof Penderecki for Violin (1993); Fantasia for Organ and Percussion (1993); Changes for Cello and Double Bass (1996); Einstein’s Dreams for 6 Instruments (1996). vocal:Dialogue for Soprano and Male Vocalist (1976); Gloria for Chorus and Ensemble (1981); Songs of Spring and the Moon for Soprano and 8 Instruments (1983).

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire