James M. Cohn***

James M. Cohn studied composition with Roy Harris, Wayne Barlow, and Bernard Wagenaar. He earned the B.S. in music composition in 1949 and the M.S. in composition in 1950, both from the Juilliard School of Music. His catalogue is quite extensive and includes three string quartets, five piano sonatas, eight symphonies, and a number of other assorted works. He was the recipient of a Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Prize for his Symphony No. 2 and an Associazione Italiano di Educazione Musica (A.I.D.E.M.) prize for his Symphony No. 4. He has had many performances of his choral and chamber music, and world-wide use of his music commissioned for television and cinema. Cohn is the President of XLNT Music, a record company that has issued 11 albums, some containing his own music. Recent commissions include an SAI commission for a piano trio (his second), which will premiere at the SAI National Convention in Orlando, FL, in July 2006, and a set of Three Dances for clarinet and guitar (Op. 86) which will premiere in February 2006.

Premieres

Clarinetist Raphael Sanders and guitarist David Galvez introduced Between Two Worlds (Entre Dos Mundos) on June 5, 2005, in New York, NY; and are scheduled to perform the work in New York again on March 16, 2006. Sanders and Galvez also commissioned a new work, Three Dances for clarinet and guitar, which will be premiered February 5, 2006, in Flushing, NY and is scheduled to be performed again on March 16. Argentinian pianist Mirian Conti presented the world premiere of Americana, on November 13, 2005, in New York, NY.

Performances

The Quintet of the Americas performed Arkansas Reel numerous times, including a July 2004 concert in Tblisi, Georgia. Clarinet Sonatina was presented by Maxine Martin and Patrizia Scascitelli in April 2005, and clarinetist Jon Manasse presented the work Slow Dance on October 27 in New York, NY.