Dedication for chamber orchestra by William Bolcom was written in 2021-2022, especially for the ROCO Chamber Orchestra. The commission was the result of a meeting between Alecia Lawyer and the composer at a Great American Songbook concert, hosted by Arthur and Shelley Gottschalk.
Read moreWelcome
National Medal of Arts, Pulitzer Prize, and Grammy Award-winner William Bolcom (born May 26, 1938) 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.
Updates...
Marc-Andé Hamelin plays Bolcom's Graceful Ghost on NPR Tiny Desk Concert series
In a performance we can only describe as exquisite, Marc-Andé Hamelin paid homage to one of Bolcom's most beloved compositions, “Graceful Ghost Rag,” in his January 2023 appearance on a Tiny Desk Concert at National Public Radio in Washington, DC.
Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C.
Read moreMaki Namekawa and Dennis Russell Davies honor Bolcom's Birthday
Maki Namekawa and Dennis Russell Davies honored Bolcom in May with the program “Bill’s Garden: A Celebration of William Bolcom at 85.”
Read moreSTEINWAY & SONS releases the world premiere recording Bolcom’s “Suite of Preludes” performed by innovative pianist Jenny Lin
Bolcom’s Suite of Preludes was given its World Premiere in October 2021 at Hudson Hall in Hudson, New York by Steinway Artist Jenny Lin. Composed during the Coronavirus lockdown, this nine-movement suite is comprised of miniatures that reveal the personal side of Bolcom - they contain elements of humor, obscure thematic quotes, jazz chords - all within the European American style for which the composer is known.
Read moreNew York Times: Decades Later, a Composer Revisits the Piano Concerto
William Bolcom’s recent work, written for the pianist Igor Levit, is streaming after its premiere earlier this year.
Read moreDiscography
Calendar
Previous events
Tribeca New Music presents New York Stories, inviting the audience to connect with that most intimate of instruments: the human voice. This concert brings together three iconic literary figures—Dorothy Parker of the Algonquin Round Table, Walt Whitman, the famed poet of Leaves of Grass, and Arnold Weinstein, librettist for Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom. Their timeless words come to life through vocal performances, set to piano accompaniment by three distinctive composers: Arthur Gottschalk, Edmund Cionek, and William Bolcom. Featuring 4 Cabaret Songs performed by Timothy Jones, Bass-Baritone abd Scott Cuellar, piano.
William Bolcom: Three Rags for String Quartet
Benicia Chamber Players presents its second concert of the 2024-2025 season, “From the Old World to the New: String Quartets in America." The program includes William Bolcom’s Three Rags, a lively tribute to the ragtime era and the music of Scott Joplin.
Bolcom: Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Band
Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, 50 Arts Cir Dr, Evanston, IL 60208
An afternoon of dazzling music for winds. Lauded for his “supreme virtuosity” (The New York Times) and “superhuman ability” (American Record Guide), acclaimed saxophonist Taimur Sullivan makes his Northshore Concert Band debut in William Bolcom’s quirky Concerto for Soprano Saxophone and Band.
Bolcom - Cabaret Songs
Auditorium Jean-Pierre Dautel, Conservatoire & Orchestre de Caen , 1 rue du Carel, Caen, France
A program of cabaret songs by Bolcom, Britten, Gershwin and others will include Bolcom's Amor, George, Toothbrush Time, Waitin’, and Song of Black Max sung by Cyrielle Ndjiki Nya with Kaoli Ono on the piano.
Bolcom - “The Serpent’s Kiss” for two pianos
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, 1941 Broadway, New York, NY 10023
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln center will include Bolcom's "The Serpent's Kiss" performed by Co-Artistic Director Wu Han and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet in a program of virtuosic music for two pianos.
Concerto Grosso for Saxophone Quartet
Sawmill Creek Convention Center , 400 Sawmill Creek Drive West, Huron, OH 44839
The Firelands Symphony Orchestra's season opens with the full orchestra, joined by The Sinta Sax Quartet, hailed by Boston Musical Intelligencer as “a tight-knit ensemble exploding with power and virtuosity”. They will be featured in William Bolcom’s Concerto Grosso for Saxophone Quartet.
Graceful Ghost Rag (Roomful of Pianos)
NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA
(Postponed from 2022 due to supply chain issues) -- Over the past four years, Roomful of Pianos has become a highly anticipated event at The NAMM Show, bringing unforgettable performances for 10 pianos, 20 pianos, even 40 pianos to the show’s international audience of 110,000 music industry attendees. Graceful Ghost Rag (arr. John S. Hord) will be featured in concert by an ensemble of 30 pianists, in Lounge 88 at the Anaheim Convention Center (Anaheim, CA). Exact Date/Time/Place TBA.
Yumi Hwang-Williams violin, the Brno Philharmonic, and conductor Dennis Russell Davies in a concert titled "From America to the Czech Republic." The program of the concert is mainly based on the repertoire that the Brno Philharmonic , under the baton of the chief conductor, will present on its tour of the United States of America, which immediately precedes this concert .
Yumi Hwang-Williams violin, the Brno Philharmonic, and conductor Dennis Russell Davies in a concert titled "From America to the Czech Republic." The program of the concert is mainly based on the repertoire that the Brno Philharmonic , under the baton of the chief conductor, will present on its tour of the United States of America, which immediately precedes this concert .
Aspects of America - Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra
Great Lakes Center for the Arts, 800 Bay Harbor Dr., Petoskey, Michigan 49770
Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra's season opener is a musicological journey through the history of American music featuring composers from the late 1900s to present day. Featuring Three Rags by William Bolcom: Poltergeist, Graceful Ghost, and Incineratorag.
Note: Streaming through 9/30/2022. On a journey through the world of music inspired by animals, pianist Hsiang Tu introduces us to the Swan, Bumblebee, Goldfish, the Serpent, and even the Black Fly! Includes Bolcom's Tabby Cat Walk, California Porcupine Rag, and The Serpent's Kiss.
NZTrio will perform William Bolcom's Piano Trio (1. Twist of Fate, 2. Mazurka, 3. Apotheosis of J.V., 4. Dithyramb) along with works by Schumann, Schubert, and Squire.
William Bolcom Tribute Concert
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Detroit Film Theatre Auditorium, 5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI 48202
Pro Musica Detroit presents a tribute to the music of William Bolcom. The concert will feature a quartet of the composer’s most trusted collaborators, including pianist Marc-André Hamelin, violinist Sonia Lee, cellist Jeremy Crosmer, baritone Neil Michaels and pianist John Bogdan. Also performing will be special guest pianists LUMINO and John Etsell, and clarinetist Lisa Raschiatore. Program selections include a piece from A View from the Bridge, Spring Trio: A Bouquet of Traditional Flower Rags, The Graceful Ghost Rag, plus a world premiere of a new sonata by William Bolcom.
William Bolcom and Joan Morris are invited special guests.
$15 General admission. Current photo ID and proof of full vaccination required.
Bolcom and Brahms - Aeolus Quartet
Seligman Performing Arts Center, 22305 West 13 Mile Road , Beverly Hills, MI 48025
The Aeolus Quartet makes its Seligman Performing Arts Center debut in a Brahms and Bolcom program featuring popular Metro Detroit artists soprano Caitlin Lynch and pianist Tian Tian. Includes Three Rags for String Quartet and “Let Evening Come,” for Soprano, Viola and Piano.
New relationships and new sounds spring to life for the Mahler Chamber Orchestra debuts of conductor Elim Chan and pianist Igor Levit – plus William Bolcom's brand new Piano Concerto No. 2 – for the MCO's return to Düsseldorf's Tonhalle. William Bolcom has won the Pulitzer Prize, a Grammy Award, and studied with both Olivier Messiaen and Darius Milhaud. His output has been a continual challenge to the artificial distinction of serious and popular music, and in using music to address both the general public and informed audiences, he is well-suited for the soloist of his latest piano concerto. Igor Levit established himself early on in his career for his formidable technique, the range of his repertoire and his meaningfully constructed programmes.
Bolcom: Piano Concerto No. 2
Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Platz d. Deutschen Einheit 4, 20457 , Hamburg, Germany
New relationships and new sounds spring to life for the Mahler Chamber Orchestra debuts of conductor Elim Chan and pianist Igor Levit – plus William Bolcom's brand new Piano Concerto No. 2 – for the MCO's return to Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie. William Bolcom has won the Pulitzer Prize, a Grammy Award, and studied with both Olivier Messiaen and Darius Milhaud. His output has been a continual challenge to the artificial distinction of serious and popular music, and in using music to address both the general public and informed audiences, he is well-suited for the soloist of his latest piano concerto. Igor Levit established himself early on in his career for his formidable technique, the range of his repertoire and his meaningfully constructed programmes.
New relationships and new sounds spring to life for the Mahler Chamber Orchestra debuts of conductor Elim Chan and pianist Igor Levit – plus the world premiere of William Bolcom's Piano Concerto No. 2 – at the MCO's annual residency at the Heidelberger Frühling festival. William Bolcom has won the Pulitzer Prize, a Grammy Award, and studied with both Olivier Messiaen and Darius Milhaud. His output has been a continual challenge to the artificial distinction of serious and popular music, and in using music to address both the general public and informed audiences, he is well-suited for the soloist of his latest piano concerto. Igor Levit established himself early on in his career for his formidable technique, the range of his repertoire and his meaningfully constructed programmes.
Kei Takumi performs a program of Rare Piano Music curated by Kotaro Fukuma. More information: http://joyfularts.co.jp/rarepianomusic/
Ken-David Masur, conductor; Ilana Setapen, Violin. Haydn’s Symphony No. 96, one of his famed London symphonies, earned its nickname “Miracle” when a chandelier fell during its premiere and — miracle! — killed no one. This program also includes Prokofiev’s playful Classical Symphony, composed on an idyllic farm against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution; Schoenberg’s moody “Accompaniment to a Film Scene;” and a jazz-infused violin concerto by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom, performed here by the MSO’s own Acting Concertmaster Ilana Setapen.
Ken-David Masur, conductor; Ilana Setapen, Violin. Haydn’s Symphony No. 96, one of his famed London symphonies, earned its nickname “Miracle” when a chandelier fell during its premiere and — miracle! — killed no one. This program also includes Prokofiev’s playful Classical Symphony, composed on an idyllic farm against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution; Schoenberg’s moody “Accompaniment to a Film Scene;” and a jazz-infused violin concerto by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom, performed here by the MSO’s own Acting Concertmaster Ilana Setapen.