Robert Ceely

Robert Ceely, a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, studied with Francis Cooke, Darius Milhaud, Leon Kirchner, Roger Sessions, and Milton Babbitt. In 1963-64 he worked in the Electronic Music studio in Milan as a guest of the Italian Government. His compositions include solo, chamber and orchestral music, and music for tape alone and tape with instruments. His ballet Beyond the Ghost Spectrum, commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation, was performed at Tanglewood under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas in 1969. His opera Automobile Graveyard was presented at the New England Conservatory in February 1995. He has received grants from National Endowment for the Arts, Ditson Fund, Massachusetts Arts Council, Brookline Arts Council, Fromm Music Foundation, and others. He is a member of the Society of Composers (SCI), the Composers’ Forum, the Audio Engineering Society, and the Darius Milhaud Society. Ceely taught at the Naval School of Music, Lawrenceville School, Robert College in Istanbul, and 40 years at the New England Conservatory, where he established and directed the Electronic Music Studio and taught composition. In 2003, he retired from teaching to devote his time and energy to composition.

Premieres

Two Songs for baritone and piano were presented by Brian Church and Shen Wen. Five Contemplative Pieces for Chorus was heard in a February 3, 2004, performance conducted by Jason Sabol for the New England Conservatory Composers Series, Jordan Hall, Boston.

Performances

Other pieces heard during the New England Conservatory Composers Series on February 3 include Giostra, oboist Jennifer Slowik and pianist Vytas Baksys; Fanfare for Brass Quintet; String Trio; Frames (Electro-acoustic); and Modules for Septet.

Further Information

• 2002-2003 American Composers Update
• 2001-2002 American Composers Update
• 1998-1999 American Composers Update
• 1996-1997 American Composers Update
• SAI's Composers Bureau Online