Annual American Composers Update
Robert Washburn
SAI Friend of the Arts Robert Washburn
serves as Dean Emeritus and Senior Fellow in Music at
the SUNY College at Potsdam Crane School of Music. Currently,
he is completing part of a new college textbook to be
published by
Schirmer
Books dealing with the music of Africa and Asia.
During the past spring, he spent a month in Australia
and New Zealand studying the music of the aborigines
and Maoris. In May, he spent two weeks in Egypt as Distinguished
Visiting Professor at the American University in Cairo,
where he conducted five of his choral and instrumental
works with the Osiris Singers, the Cairo Chorale and
members of the Cairo Symphony. He was a member of the
selection committee for high school student compositions
to be performed at the annual NYSSMA Conference at Eastman
in Dec. 2000. In July, he was guest composer/conductor
at the Lancaster Music Festival at Elzabethtown (PA)
College, where he conducted five of his works. In Nov.
2000, he guest conducted the University of Jacksonville
(FL) Symphonic Band in several of his compositions.
His works for orchestra, chorus, symphonic band, and
chamber groups have been performed during the past year
in North America, Europe and Japan, where he has conducted
a number of the performances.
Premieres
Washburn conducted the Capital Area
Youth Symphony in the first performance of Olympia
Overture, in Olympia, WA.
Performances
At Syracuse (NY) University, the Syracuse
Children's Chorus sang Now Welcome Summer. Works
heard at SUNY College at Potsdam included Pageantry,
with the Crane Wind Ensemble, and New England Holiday,
with the Crane Youth Music Orchestra. In London, England,
the Crofton Brass Quintet played Quintet for Brass.
The Sinfonietta of Lancaster (PA) performed Serenade
for Strings at Elizabethtown College.
Recordings
Suite for Strings; Festive Overture;
Overture for a New Millennium; all by AMP Recordings.
Further Information
