Steiger, Rand

Steiger, Rand, American composer and conductor; b. N.Y., June 18, 1957. He attended N.Y.’s H.S. of Music and Art (1972–75), then studied percussion and composition (with Tanenbaum) at the Manhattan School of Music (B.Mus., 1980); attended the Calif. Inst. of the Arts, where he studied with Brown, Mosko, Powell, and Subotnick (M.F.A., 1982); also studiedat Yale Univ. with Carter, Druckman, Jolas, and Martino (1981) and at IRCAMin Paris (1982). He taught at the Univ. of Costa Rica (1984–85), the Calif. Inst. of the Arts (1982–87), and the Univ. of Calif, at San Diego (from 1987). He was the first Composer Fellow of the Los Angeles Phil. (1987–88). His works include Dialogues II for Marimba and Orch. (1979–80); Brave New World for Voices and Electronics (1980); Quintessence for 6 Instruments (1981); Currents Caprice, electronic film score (1982); Kennedy Sketches for Marimba and Vibraphone (1982); In Nested Symmetry for 15 Instruments and Electronics (1982); Hexadecathlon for Horn and 7 Instruments (1984); Fanfare erafnaF for Double Chamber Orch. (1985); Tributaries for Chamber Orch. (1985); Tributaries for Nancarrow for 6 Computer controlled Pianos (1987); Double Concerto for Piano, Percussion, and Double Chamber Orch.(1987); Druckman Tributary for 11 Instruments (1988); ZLoops for Clarinet, Piano, and Percussion (1989); Mozart Tributary for Clarinet Quintet (1991); The Burgess Shale for Orch. (1991). Steiger has conducted and directed new music performances by SONOR of the Univ. of Calif, at San Diego and the Los Angeles Phil. New Music Group. He is perhaps best known as a member of the Calif. E.A.R. Unit, a highly respected new-music ensemble established at the Calif. Inst. of the Arts in 1981. Other members include cellist Erika Duke Kirkpatrick (b. Los Angeles, Aug. 1, 1956), who studied with Cesare Pascarella (1971–82) and at the Calif. Inst. of the Arts (B.F.A., 1978; M.F.A., 1982), where she later taught (from 1987); among composers who have written works for her are Subotnick, La Barbara, Powell, and Mosko; she performed as a soloist and in ensembles in the U.S., South America, and Europe. Pianist Lorna Ellen Eder (b. Aberdeen, Wash., April 2, 1953) studied at the Univ. of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. (1971–73), Wash. State Univ. in Pullman (B.Mus., 1975), with Leonid Hambro at the Calif. Inst. of the Arts (M.F.A., 1980), and with Bruno Seidlhofer in Vienna (1975–77). She was a staff accompanist at the Calif. Inst. of the Arts (1980–84); played with the Santa Clarita Chamber Players (1985–90) and in duo recitals with Eugene Fodor (1984–86). Composer, percussionist, and performance artist Art(hur) Jarviven (b. Ilwaco, Wash., Jan. 27, 1956) studied at Ohio Univ. (B.Mus., 1978) and the Calif. Inst. of the Arts (M.F.A., 1981); had percussion lessons from Guy Remonko, John Bergamo, Karen Ervin, and Ruth Underwood, and composition lessons with Subotnick, Brown, and Mosko. He performed with the Los Angeles Phil. New Music Group and the performance-art ensemble Le Momo; also worked with Steve Reich and Frank Zappa. His satiric works, which involve poetry, theater, visual media, and various musical styles, have been performed throughout the U.S.; these include Vote of Confidence for Percussion Trio (1979); Through Birds, through Fire, but Not through Glass for Percussion Quartet (1979); Soluble Furniture for Piano (1980); Mercury at Right Angles for Celesta (1980); Viscous Linings for Celesta, Viola, BassClarinet, and Percussion (1981); Prosthesis, false piece for anything or nothing (1981); Raison d’etre for Marimba and Vibraphone (1981); Carbon for Bass Clarinet (1982); Deductible Rooms for Marimba (1982); Adult Party Games from the Leisure Planet for Various Ensembles (1985); Ivan, Where Are You Running To for 9 Players andTape (1985); Electric Jesus for Juvenile Pianist and Large Ensemble (1985); Mass Death of a School of Small Herring for Chamber Orch. (1986); A Book of 5 Rings for Pianos and Percussion (1986); Egyptian 2-Step for Ensemble (1986); The 7 Golden Vampires for Pianos (1987); 35 1/2 Minutes for Gaylord Mowrey for Piano, Video, and Refreshments (1987); Goldbeater’s Skin for Clarinet (1987; other versions, 1988); The Queen of Spades, parts I-III for 2 Electronic Harpsichords and Percussion (1988–90); The 15 Fingers of Doctor Wu for Oboe (1987); Murphy-Nights for Ensemble (1989); The Vulture’s Garden for 4 Players (1990). Percussionist Amy Knoles (b. Milwaukee, Sept. 10, 1959) studied at the Univ. of Wise. (1977–79) and at the Calif. Inst. of the Arts (B.F.A., 1982), where she later taught. Among the composers whose works she has premiered are Powell, Subotnick, Chatham, and Tower. Violinist and vocalist Robin Lorentz (b. Seattle, Dec. 19, 1956) studied at the Cornish School of Music, the Univ. of Wash. (1977-78), and with Emanuel Zetlin and Yoko Matsuda at the Calif. Inst. of the Arts (B.F.A., 1980); taught at the Kirk Cons. of Music in Pasadena, Calif., and at the Aspen Music Festival (1989, 1990). She was concertmaster for the Ojai Festival (1986, 1988), and assoc. concertmaster for both the San Diego Chamber Players (1988) and the Los Angeles Phil. New Music Group (1987, 1988, 1990). She has performed with the Sterling Consort (1987–90) and the Ensemble of Santa Fe (from 1985). Her solo recording credits include works for television and film, in Irish, Cajun, bluegrass, jazz, and pop-rock styles. She joined the E.A.R. Unit in 1983. Clarinetist and saxophonist Jim Rohrig (b. Long Beach, Calif., Nov. 30, 1954) studied at the Univ. of Southern Calif. (B.A., 1977) and at the Calif. Inst. of the Arts (M.F.A., 1981; advanced certificate, 1983), where he also taught (1982-83); his teachers included Mitchell Lurie, Michelle Zukovsky, and Douglas Masek. He was a co-founder of the E.A.R. Unit. He has recorded works by Subotnick, La Barbara et al., and is an active member of the performance-art ensemble Le Momo. He has composed incidental music for the stage and has directed and ed. film and video, including those of E.A.R. Unit performances. His in-progress projects include a film documentary of Nicolas Slonimsky. Flutist Dorothy Stone (b. Kingston, Pa., June 7, 1958) studied at the Manhattan School of Music (B.Mus., 1980) and at the Calif. Inst. of the Arts (M.F.A., 1982), her teachers including Harold Bennett, Harvey Sollberger, Thomas Nyfenger, Julius Baker, and Ann Deiner Giles; gave first performances of works by Boulez, Cage, Ferneyhough, and Carter; numerous composers have composed works for her, including Babbitt, Steiger, and Mosko. She composed Wizard Ball for Flute and Electronics, which won several awards. Stone is artistic director and administrative manager of the E.A.R. Unit. She is married to Stephen Mosko .

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire