Dorman Avner Dorman

Avner Dorman (Hebrew: אבנר דורמן; born April 14, 1975 in Tel Aviv, Israel) is an Israeli-born composer and conductor.

Biography

Education

Dorman holds a Doctorate in Music Composition from the Juilliard School where he studied as a C.V. Starr fellow with John Corigliano. He completed his master's degree at Tel Aviv University (where he majored in music, musicology, and physics) studying with former Soviet composer Josef Bardanashvili.

Career

At age 25, Dorman became the youngest composer to ever win Israel's Prime-Minister's award. He has since been awarded the "ACUM" prize from the Israeli performing rights society for his Ellef Symphony. Ma’ariv, the second largest newspaper in Israel, named Dorman “Composer of the Year” for 2002,and the performance of his song cycle Boaz received the Israeli Cultural Ministry Prize for best performance of Israeli music the same year. Dorman’s Variations Without a Theme, premiered by Zubin Mehtaand the Israel Philharmonic Orchestrain November 2003, won the 2004 Best Composition of the Year award from ACUM. This piece led to a commission from Zubin Mehta, PercaDu, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestrafor Spices, Perfumes, Toxins!, a concerto for percussion duo and orchestra. Dorman's music is published by G. Schirmer

Prominent orchestras that have performed Dorman's music include the New York Philharmonic Orchestrathe Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestraand the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.

In 2006 Naxos Recordsreleased an album dedicated to Dorman's piano works with Eliran Avniat the piano.In 2010 Naxos Recordsrelease an album dedicated to Avner Dorman's chamber orchestra concerti. Avi Avital's performance of Dorman's Mandolin Concerto on this recording was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Awardin the category of Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra.

Dorman is an Israel Cultural Excellence Foundation (IcExcellence) chosen artist since 2008, which is one of Israel's highest recognition for excellence in the arts.

He is currently a professor of theory and composition at the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College. On May 29, 2013 it was announced that Dorman was appointed to be the next music director of CityMusic Clevelandchamber orchestra.

Compositions

Opera

• Wahnfried (2016, commissioned by the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe)

Works for Symphonic Orchestra

• Nigunim (Violin Concerto)
• Siklòn (2015, commissioned by the Adrienne Arsht Centerfor the Cleveland Orchestra)
• After Brahms (2015, commissioned by the Lexington Philharmonic)
• Dialogues of Love (2014, commissioned by Grand Rapids Symphony)
• Uzu and Muzu from Kakaruzu (2012, commissioned and premiered by the Stockton Symphony, led by music director Peter Jaffe)
• Astrolatry (2011, Commissioned and premiered by the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, led by music director Justin Brown)
• (not) The Shadow (2010, a Magnum Opus commission, premiered by Marin Symphonyconducted by Alasdair Neale)
• Azerbaijani Dance (2010, premiered by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestraconducted by Zubin Mehta)
• Uriah (2008-9, commissioned and premiered by the San Francisco Symphonyconducted by David Robertson)
• Lost Souls, a Piano Concerto (2009, premiered by Alon Goldsteinand the Kansas City Symphony conducted by Michael Stern)
• Violin Concerto (2006, premiered by Ittai Shappira and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra)
• Variations Without A Theme (2003, premiered by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta)
• Ellef Symphony (2000)
• Chorale for Strings (1999)

Concertos for Chamber Orchestra

• Mandolin Concerto (2006)
• Concerto Grosso (2003)
• Concerto in A (1995) for solo piano and string orchestra
• Piccolo Concerto (2001)
• Saxophone Concerto(2003, Premiered by Joshua Redmanand the Alabama Symphony Orchestraconducted by Justin Brown)

Music for Film and Dance

• Past Life (film)directed by Avi Nesher- "The Concert"
• Wonderland (2013 film)directed by Avi Nesher
• Impact (2006)
• "Falafel" (2001)
• Accord/Discord (1999)
• Ben (1997)

Chamber Music

• “Variations on a Simple Theme” for Flute, Viola, and Harp (2017, commissioned by Art of Élan for the Myriad Trio)
• "How to Love" for Guitar and String Quartet (2016, commissioned by the Lexington Chamber Music Festival)
• Sonata No. 4 for Violin and Piano (2014, commissioned by the Naumburg Foundation)
• "Consumed" for percussion quartet (2014, commissioned by Millikin University)
• Mantra (2013, commissioned by Shuffle Concert)
• Memory Games (2011, commissioned by Hilary Hahn)
• Nigunim, Sonata no.3 for Violin and Piano (2011, co-commissioned and premiered by Gil Shahamand Orli Shahamat the 92 Street Y)
• Prayer for the Innocents for two string quartets (2009, commissioned by Keshet EilonMasterclasses)
• Sonata No.2 for Violin and Piano (2008, commissioned and premiered by Sayaka Shoji)
• Jerusalem Mix (2007 commissioned by the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festivaland the Chicago Chamber Musicians)
• String Quartet No.2 (2004)
• Sonata No.1 for Violin and Piano (2004)
• String Quartet No.1 (2003 - commissioned by the Jerusalem Music Center for the Jerusalem Quartet)
• Trio (2001)
• Tree-yO! (1996)

Solo Works (excluding keyboard)

• For Solo Violin (2017, Commissioned by Internationale Musikwettbewerb ARD with the support of Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung)
• Suite for Solo Saxophone (2015)

Piano Solo

• For a Friend I Never Knew (2017, commissioned by Lara Downes)
• Piano Sonata no. 5 (2017, commissioned by the Arthur Rubinstein International Music Society)
• "After Brahms" (2014, commissioned by Orli Shaham)
• Three Etudes (2012, commissioned by the Stecher and Horowitzfoundation)
• Karsilama for two pianos (2012, commissioned by duo Amal)
• Libi Bamizrach - Piano Sonata No.4 (2011)
• Nocturne Insomniaque (2007, commissioned and premiered by Inon Barnatan)
• Azerbaijani Dance (2005)
• Piano Sonata No.3 / Dance Suite (2005)
• Moments Musicaux (2003)
• Piano Sonata No.2 (2000)
• Piano Sonata No.1 (1999)
• Prelude No.1 (1992)

Concertos for Percussion

• Spices, Perfumes, Toxins!(2006 premiered April 2,4,6 2006 by PercaDuand the Israel Philharmonic Orchestraconducted by Zubin Mehta)
• "Frozen in Time" (2007 premiered December 2,3 2007 by Martin Grubingerand the Hamburg Philharmonicconducted by Simone Young)

Concerto for Cello and Orchestra

• Premiered February 2013 by Inbal Segev conducted by Randall Craig Fleischer

Vocal

• Letters from Gettysburg (2013)
• Psalm 67 (2004)
• Boaz (2002)
• The fear of men (2006), after two poems by Ronen Altman Kaydar