Singleton, Alvin (Elliot)

Singleton, Alvin (Elliot), black American composer; b. N.Y., Dec. 28, 1940. He took courses in composition and music education at N.Y.U. (B.M., 1967), then continued his study of composition with Powell and Wyner at Yale Univ. (M.M.A., 1971). He received a Fulbright fellowship to study with Petrassi in Rome at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia (1971–72), and in 1981 was awarded an NEA grant. From 1985 to 1988 he served as composer-in-residence of the Atlanta Sym. Orch.; in 1988 he was appointed composer-in-residence at Spelman Coll. in Atlanta.

Works

DRAMATIC: Opera: Dream Sequence ’76 (1976). ORCH.: Kwitana for Piano, Double Bass, Percussion, and Chamber Ensemble (1974); Again for Chamber Orch. (1979); A Yellow Rose Petal (1982); Shadows (1987); After Fallen Crumbs (1988); Sinfonia Diaspora (Portland, Ore., May 5, 1991); Even Tomorrow (Birmingham, Ala., Oct. 11, 1991); 56 Blows (Quis Custodiet Custodies?), based on the Rodney King beating by the Los Angeles police (1992; Philadelphia, Jan. 13, 1994); Blueskonzert for Piano and Orch. (Houston, Sept. 30, 1995). CHAMBER: Woodwind Quintet (1969); Argoru I for Piano (1970), III for Cello (1970), III for Flute (1971), IV for Viola (1978), V for Bass Clarinet (1984), and VI for Marimba (1989). VOCAL: Messa for Soprano, Chorus, Flute, 2 Guitars, Electric Organ, Cello, and Double Bass (1975); Necessity Is a Mother, wordless drama (1981); Between Sisters for Soprano, Piano, Alto Flute, and Vibraphone (1990).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire