Edward Knight

Born in Ann Arbor in 1961, Knight earned his DMA from University of Texas-Austin. He studied privately with John Corigliano and was the first American to win the Sir Arthur Bliss Memorial award for outstanding postgraduate composer at London’s Royal College of Music. Recent awards include an Aaron Copland Award; Best Song Cycle in the American Art Song Competition (San Francisco Song Festival); ASCAP’s Rudolf Nissim Award; first prize in the National Orchestra Association’s New Music Orchestral Project; fellowships to Yaddo and MacDowell; and special commendations from the Bergen Festival and Vienna Modern Masters. Where the Sunsets Bleed: Chamber Music of Edward Knight was released by Albany Records. Illusions, for piano, was selected by SCI to be recorded by Capstone Records. ERMMedia chose Big Shoulders to be recorded by the Kiev Philharmonic on its critically acclaimed series “Masterworks of the New Era,” to be released in September 2005, and Cradle of Dreams was recorded by the Kiev Philharmonic and the Chamber Choir Kyiv for an ERMMedia Holidays of the New Era release in November 2006. Knight has been Composer-in-Residence and Director of Composition at the Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University since 1997.

Premieres

Ignite the Power was introduced February 23, 2006 by the Oklahoma Opera and Music Theater Company, Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City. David Beasley’s arrangement of the composer’s Night of the Comets (Suite for Band) received its premiere February 24 by the Oklahoma City University Symphonic Band, directed by Matthew Mailman. The Recruit, for percussion ensemble, was first heard in a March 30 performance by the OCU Percussion Ensemble, led by David Steffens. Mailman also led the OCU brass and percussion ensembles in an April 1 performance of To the Stars at OCU. Sonata Through Salt-Rimmed Glasses, for trumpet/flugelhorn and piano, was presented by Michael Anderson on June 10, at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ.

Performances

The OCU Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Randi von Ellefson, performed Cradle of Dreams, for SATB chorus and orchestra, on April 1, 2006, for the grand opening of the Bass Music Center. Romance, for clarinet and piano, was performed during a May tour of Taiwan by Chad E. Burrow and Amy I-Lin Cheng.

Publications

Sonata Through Salt-Rimmed Glasses, trumpet/flugelhorn and piano; The Recruit, percussion ensemble; To the Stars, brass and percussion; Hit of the Comets (Suite for Band), arr. David Beasley.

Recordings

Holidays of the New Era, Premiere Volume; “Cradle of Dreams;” Kiev Philharmonic and the Chamber Choir Kyiv; ERMMedia.

Further Information

• 2004-2005 American Composers Update
• 2003-2004 American Composers Update
• 2002-2003 American Composers Update
• 1997-1998 American Composers Update
• SAI's Composers Bureau Online