Born May 26, 1938, National Medal of Arts, Pulitzer Prize, and Grammy Award-winner William Bolcom is an American composer of chamber, operatic, vocal, choral, cabaret, ragtime, and symphonic music.
He joined the faculty of the University of Michigan's School of Music in 1973, was named the Ross Lee Finney Distinguished University Professor of Composition in 1994, and retired in 2008 after 35 years. Bolcom won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1988 for 12 New Etudes for Piano, and his setting of William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience on the Naxos label won four Grammy Awards in 2005.
As a pianist Bolcom has performed and recorded his own work frequently in collaboration with his wife and musical partner, mezzo-soprano Joan Morris. Cabaret songs, show tunes, and American popular songs of the 20th century have been their primary specialties in both concerts and recordings. Their 25th album, "Autumn Leaves," was released in 2015.
In 2018, nine world premieres of Bolcom works commemorated William Bolcom's 80th birthday.
(Bio From Bolcom's official site)
Tuesday afternoon, for his 88th birthday, we'll enjoy a wealth of music by Bill Bolcom, one of the masters of the American musical vernacular in classical music of our time—celebrated for his eclectic, genre-spanning style that blends classical structure with ragtime, cabaret, and jazz. His greatest works include monumental choral epics, intimate piano rags, and sweeping operas, and we'll hear a generous sampling of his remarkably rich and wide-ranging music Tuesday afternoon.
You can hear Foley's musical selections—and stories behind the music—every weekday afternoon from 1 until 4 on Blue Lake Public Radio.
