Winkler, Peter (Kenton)

Winkler, Peter (Kenton), American composer, teacher, pianist, and writer on music; b. Los Angeles, Jan. 26, 1943. He was a student of Shifrin, Lewin, and Imbrie at the Univ. of Calif. at Berkeley (B.A., 1964) and of Kim, Babbitt, and Cone at Princeton Univ. (M.F.A., 1967). He taught at the State Univ. of N.Y. at Stony Brook (from 1971) and was ed. of the Journal of Popular Music Studies (1992-95). He was a founding member of the U.S. branch of the International Assn. for the Study of Popular Music, serving as its chair in 1990-91. In 1997 he became pianist for Play it By Ear, the N.Y. improvi-sational opera company. In 1978 he held a MacDowell Colony fellowship.

Works

dramatic: Tingle-Tangle: A Wedekind Cabaret (N.Y., July 1994; in collaboration with W. Bolcom and A. Black); Out!, musical (1997); other theater pieces; incidental music for plays, radio, and television. ORCH.: Sym. (1971-78); Serenade for Strings (1998). CHAMBER: String Quartet (1965-67); Clarinet Bouquet: 4 Concert Rags for Clarinet, Piano, and Bass (1976-80); Recitativo e Terzetto for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon (1980); No Condition is Permanent for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano, and Percussion (1980-89); Solitaire for Clarinet (1989); Gospel Hymn for Violin and Piano (1990); Waterborne for Violin and Tape (1991); Saboreando el Gusto Cubano for Violin, Piano, and Percussion (Havana, Oct. 6, 1994); 9 Waltzes for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1997); Returning to the Root for Horn and Piano (2000). VOCAL: Praise of Silence for Soprano, Chorus, Renaissance Ensemble, and Tape (1969).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire