THOMAS OBOE LEE
THOMAS OBOE LEE | |  | |
Thomas Oboe Lee was born in China in 1945. He lived in São Paulo, Brazil, for six years before coming to the United States in 1966. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, he studied composition with William Thomas McKinley, George Russell and Gunther Schuller at the New England Conservatory (1972-76); with Betsy Jolas at Tanglewood (1976) and Earl Kim at Harvard University (1977-81). He currently teaches at Boston College.
Mr. Lee has received many awards for his work, among them the Rome Prize Fellowship, the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, two Guggenheim Fellowships, two National Endowment for the Arts Composers Fellowships, two Massachusetts Artists Fellowships, First Prize at the Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards for his String Quartet No. 3 … “child of Uranus, father of Zeus,” the Georges Enesco International Composition Prize, the Koussevitzky Tanglewood Composition Prize, recording grants from the Martha Baird Rockefeller Fund and the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, residencies at Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony and the Charles Ives Center in Danbury, CT, and Charleston, SC.
In 1984, Esquire magazine selected him as one of two composers in its First Annual Register, “The Best of the New Generation: Men and Women Under 40 Who are Changing America.” He has been commissioned by Amnesty International USA, the Thoreau Society, the Fromm Music Foundation, the Koussevitzky Music Foundation, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston, the Omaha Symphony Orchestra, the Lydian, Kronos, Artaria, Manhattan, and Hawthorne String Quartets, the Díaz Trio, the Raphael Trio, Madam Rubio, the Arto Ensemble, Marimolin, Alea III, Collage, Apple Hill Chamber Players, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and the Cambridge Chamber Players. Additional orchestral performances include those by the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Keith Lockhart, the Charleston Symphony with David Stahl, and the American Composers Orchestras with Gunther Schuller. His music is recorded on GM, MCA Classics, Northeastern and Nonesuch Records. A compact disk of his music featuring the Hawthorne String Quartet has been released on Koch International Classics. Mr. Lee is also active as a jazz flutist. A recording of his band, Departed Feathers, is available on GM Recordings.
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For more information, please visit www.thomasoboelee.com |
Seven Steps to Heaven (2002) -- 16'30"
2Vln. 2Vla. 2Vcl. Cb. (or String Orchestra)
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Commissioned by the Terezín Chamber Music Foundation and Project STEP.
Premiere Information: November 1st, 2995. Hawthorne String Quartet and guests: Ronan Lefkowitz, Si-Jing Huang, Mark Ludwig, Rebecca Gitter, Sato Knudsen, Mihail Jojatu , Benjamin Levy. Gasson Hall, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA.
Inman Diaries, The Chamber Opera in 2 Acts (2007) -- 100'
Cast: 3 Soprano, 2 Mezzo-soprano, 2 Tenor, 2 Baritone
Instr: Cl. Hp. Perc. Vln. Vla. Vcl. Cb. Perc: Triangle, Wood-blocks, Maracas, Claves, Snare Drum, Bass Drum
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Commissioned by Intermezzo, John Whittlesey, Artistic Director
Premiere Information: 14th, 15th, 16th September, 2007. New England Chamber Opera Series, presented by Intermezzo. Tower Auditorium Theater, Mass College of Art, Boston, Massachusetts.
Additional Information: Libretto by Jesse J. Martinm, based on the life and writings of Arthur Crew Inman, and the play "Visitations" by Lorenzo DeStefano
Arthur Crew Inman (1919 – 1963) was a Boston recluse who obsessively kept a diary which ultimately ran to 155 volumes, with the hope of publishing it in order to guarantee his immortality. In it, he recorded “conversations” with people whom he would pay to tell him the stories of their lives, in intimate detail. Hardly a dispassionate observer, he had a particular interest in young women, and was known to have been sexually involved with several of his interviewees.
Clarinet Concerto "Sounds of the Islands" (2003) -- 20'
Solo Clarinet; 2 2 2 2 – 4 3 3 0; 3Perc. Pno. Str.
Perc.: Triangle, Small Cymbal, Wood-block, Shaker, Whistle, Guiro, Timbales, Conga
Commission Information: Commissioned by the Brockton Symphony Orchestra.
Premiere Information: February 8th, 2004. Jonathan Cohler, Music Director and Clarinet soloist, Brockton Symphony Orchestra, Nelson Fine Arts Auditorium, Brockton High School, Brockton, MA.
Movements:
• I. Morna ... with melancholy!!!
• II. Merengue!!!
• III. Adagio; Reggae-like …
Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 111 (2005) -- 16'
3 2 3 2 – 4 3 3 1; Timp 3Perc. Str.
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Commissioned by Music Director Jonathan Cohler and the Brockton Symphony Orchestra.
Premiere Information: February 13th, 2005. Brockton Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jonathan Cohler. Nelson Fine Arts Auditorium, Brockton High School, Brockton, MA.
Movements:
• I. Largo ... "Misterioso!"
• II. Allegro con moto ... "Evidence!"
• III. Adagio ... "Epistrophy!"
• IV. Andante ... "In Walked Bud!"
• V. Presto ... "Rhythm-a-ning!!!"
Eurydice …A Tone Poem for Cello and Orchestra (1994-1995) -- 33'
Solo Cello; 3(Picc.) 2 2 2 – 4 2 3 1; Timp. 2Perc. Hp. Str.
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Commissioned by Andrés Díaz and the Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston.
Premiere Information: April 30th, 1995. Andrés Díaz, Cello, and the Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston, conducted by Max Hobart. Fine Arts Center, Regis College, Weston, MA.
Movements:
• I. Orpheus weeps
• II. Orpheus’ resolve
• III. Orpheus and Eurydice
• IV. Orpheus’ apotheosis
Flauta Carioca, Op. 90 for Flute and Orchestra (2000) -- 18'
Solo Flute; 2 2 2 2 – 2 2 2 1; Timp. 2Perc. Str.
Perc.: Bass Drum, Triangle, Wood Blocks
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Contributors to the Sound Investment Commissioning Project.
Premiere Information: March 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 27th, 2001. Bart Feller, Flute, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Zdenek Macal; performances in Englewood, Princeton, Red Bank, Morristown, and NJPAC in Newark, NJ.
Movements:
• I. Choro Vivo
• II. Bossa Nova
• III. Forró
Forro (1998) -- 3'30"
2 2 2 2 – 2 2 0 0; Perc. Str.
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Premiere Information: May 17th, 1998. Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. Sanders Theater, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
Mambo!!! (2003) -- 5'
2 2 2 2 – 2 2 2 0; Timp. 2Perc. Str.
Perc. 1: Clave
Perc. 2: Triangle, Small Cymbal, Cow-bells, Tom-toms or Timbale
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Commissioned by the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Charles Ansbacher, Music Director.
Premiere Information: July 12, 13, 18, 19 & 20, 2003. Boston Landmarks Orchestra, conducted by Charles Ansbacher.
Additional Information: Premiere performances at Boston Common in Boston, Chandler Pond Park in Brighton, Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Oak Bluff on Martha's Vineyard, and Compagnone Common in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Persephone and the Four Seasons Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra (2006) -- 17'30"
Solo Oboe; 2 0 2 2 – 4 2 0 0; 2Perc. Hp. Str.
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Premiere Information: April 30th, 2006. Andrew Price, Oboe, Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston, conducted by Max Hobart, Fine Arts Center, Regis College, Weston, MA.
Movements:
• I. Summer Adagio Allegro
• II. Autumn Scherzo
• III. Winter Adagio Moderato
• IV. Spring Allegro
Pluto …Lord of the Underworld (2005) -- 8'
3 3 3 3 – 4 3 3 1; Timp. 2Perc. Hp. Cel. Str.
Perc. I: Xylophone, Triangle
Perc. II: Tom-toms, Bass Dru
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Commissioned by the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Charles Ansbacher, Music Director.
Premiere Information: July 8th, 9th, 2005. Boston Landmarks Orchestra, conducted by Charles Ansbacher. Church of the Covenant, Boston, MA (8th), Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Commons, Boston, MA (9th).
Symphony No. 1 "Fallen Angels" (1993, rev. 1995) -- 20'
2(Picc.) 2 2 2 – 2 2 1 1; Timp. Perc. Hp. Pno. Str.
Perc.: Triangle, Cymbals, Snare Drum, Bass Drum
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Commissioned by Bruce Hangen and the Omaha Symphony Orchestra.
Premiere Information: Premiere: April 3rd, 1993. Omaha Symphony, conducted by Bruce Hangen, Omaha, Nebraska.
Revised: April 21st, 1996. Boston Pro Arte chamber Orchestra, conducted by Gunther Schuller, Cambridge, MA
Movements:
• I. Prince of Darkness
• II. Waltz!!!
• III. Lilith’s Lament
Symphony No. 2 "A Phantasmagorey Ballet" (1998) -- 23'
3 2 3 2 - 4 3 3 1; Timp. 2Perc. Hp Pno. Str.
Perc.: Marimba, Cymbals, Tom-toms, Bass Drum
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Premiere Information: March 8th, 1998. Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston, conducted by Max Hobart. Jordan Hall, Boston, MA.
Movements:
• I. “The Nursery Frieze”
• II. “The Gilded Bat”
• III. “The Raging Tide”
• IV. “The Blue Aspic”
• V. “The Utter Zoo”
Symphony No. 3 "Portraits in Jazz" (2000) -- 21'30"
3 2 3 2 – 4 4 4 1; Pno. Cb. Drums; 2Perc. Hp. Str. Perc.: Bass Drum, Vibraphone, Marimba, Gong, etc.
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Commissioned by the American Jazz Philharmonic through the American Composers Forum as part of the Continental Harmony Project.
Premiere Information: June 4th, 2000. American Jazz Philharmonic, conducted by Jack Elliott. Cerritos Performing Arts Center, Cerritos, CA.
Movements:
• I. Mingus!
• II. Focus on Stan Getz
• III. Miles is God!
• IV. Elegy for Duke
• V. The Jazz Messenger!!!
Symphony No. 4… "War and Peace" for Soprano and Orchestra (2001) -- 25'
Soprano solo; 2 2 2 2 – 4 2 3 1; Timp. 2Perc. Hp. Pno. Str.
Perc.: Triangle, Snare Drum, Tom-tom, Bass Drum, Large Cymbal
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Premiere Information: March 4th, 2001. Peggo Horstmann Hodes, Soprano, Civic Symphony Orchestra of Boston, conducted by Max Hobart. Jordan Hall, Boston, MA.
Additional Information: Poems by Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen & Ivor Gurney
Movements:
• I. Rupert Brooke, 1887-1915: "The soldier" from The War Sonnets
• II. Wilfred Owen, 1893-1918: "Dulce Et Decorum Est"
• III. Ivor Gurney, 1890-1937: "To his love"
Symphony No. 5 … Utopia Parkway (2003) -- 37'
2 2 2 2 – 4 3 3 1; Timp. 2Perc. Hp. Str.
Perc. 1: Triangle, Xylophone, Bass Drum
Perc. 2: Wood-block, Marimba, Tom-toms
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Premiere Information: November 21st, 2004. Civic symphony Orchestra of Boston, conducted by Max Hobart. Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory, Boston, MA.
Movements:
• I. Allegro marcato (3708 Utopia Parkway, Flushing, NY)
• II. Lento (The Enchanted Wanderer … for Hedy Lamarr, 1941)
• III. Avian scherzo (Habitat Group for a Shooting Gallery, 1943)
• IV. Allegro … à la Can-can (A Pantry Ballet … for Jacques Offenbach, 1942)
• V. Moderato (Apotheosis: Mary Baker Eddy, Christian Scientist)
Mass for the Holy Year 2000 (2000) -- 52'30"
SATB Chorus; 2(Picc.) 2 2 2 – 2 2 2 1; Timp. Perc. Hp Org. Str. (Perc: Bass Drum, Triangle)
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Premiere Information: April 15th, 2000. University Chorale of Boston College, conducted by John Finney. Trinity Chapel, Boston College (Newton Campus).
Additional Information: Commissioned by Boston College for the University Chorale of Boston College with funds from the Charles W. Englehard Foundation, the Jesuit Community of Boston College, the Jesuit Institute of Boston College and a research incentive grant from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Boston College.
Movements:
• I. Kyrie
• II. "Meditation" by Elizabeth Kirschner (b. 1955)
• III. Gloria
• IV. "Truth" by Claude McKay (1890-1948)
• V. Credo
• VI. "And I Remain With You" by Edith Stein (1891-1942)
• VII. Sanctus
• VIII. "April 4th 1968" by Thomas Merton (1915-1968)
IX. Agnus Dei
Symphony No. 6 "The Penobscot River" (2004) -- 38'
SATB Chorus; 3 2 2 2 – 4 2 3 1; Timp. 2Perc. Hp. Str.
Perc. 1: Triangle, Snare Drum, Bass Drum
Perc. 2: Vibraphone, Marimba, Xylophone
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Commissioned by the American Composers Forum Continental Harmony Project and the Bangor Symphony Orchestra.
Premiere Information: October 23rd, 2004. Bangor Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Xiao-lu Li, Bangor Auditorium, Bangor, ME.
Movements:
• I. John Edward Godfrey: To the Penobscot, Now!
Mrs. E.L. Crosby: Ice of the Penobscot.
• II. La Valse
• III. Henry David Thoreau: Ktaadn.
J.G. Whittier: The Logger's Boast.
• IV. A Drunken Polka.
• V. Fannie Hardy Eckstorm: The Death of Thoreau's Guide.
Miss Selma W. Paine: Centennial Hymn.
Page last updated February 3, 2009
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