- Tobias Picker
. He received his first commissions while still in his late teens and quickly became established as one of America's most sought after young composers.
By the age of thirty, Picker had earned numerous awards and honors including the
Joseph H. Bearns Prize (Columbia University ), a Charles Ives Scholarship and aGuggenheim Fellowship . In1992 , he received the prestigious Award in Music from theAmerican Academy of Arts and Letters . From1985 –1990 Picker was the first composer-in-residence of theHouston Symphony . He has also served as composer-in-residence for such major international festivals as the [http://www.santafechambermusic.org/ Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival] and the [http://www.pmf.jp/E/E_top.html Pacific Music Festival] .Tobias Picker’s music is published exclusively by Schott Music Corporation.
Instrumental music
Picker’s symphonic music, including the tone poem "Old and Lost Rivers", has been performed by major orchestras such as the
New York Philharmonic , theChicago Symphony Orchestra , theCleveland Orchestra , thePhiladelphia Orchestra , theBBC Philharmonic , The [http://www.muenchnerphilharmoniker.de/ Munich Philharmonic] , the [https://www.tonhalle.ch/de/0/home_cms.asp Zurich Tonhalle] , and the [http://www.rso-wien.orf.at/english/ Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra] . Hispiano concerto "Keys to the City" (written for the Centenary of theBrooklyn Bridge ) is recorded on Chandos with his cello concerto and the orchestral work "And Suddenly It’s Evening". Following this [http://www.chandos.net/ Chandos] release, [http://www.bbcmusicmagazine.com/ BBC Music Magazine] proclaimed Picker’s recent music “one of the glories of the current musical scene.” [citation needed] "The Encantadas" (for narrator and orchestra) features texts drawn fromHerman Melville ’s poetic descriptions of theGalápagos Islands and was recorded on [http://www.virginclassics.com/ Virgin Classics] by theHouston Symphony Orchestra with narration by SirJohn Gielgud . Other works include "Tres sonetos de amor", settings of Neruda love poems in versions forbaritone andorchestra and voice andpiano , and "The Blue Hula", a work for chamber ensemble. Picker’s complete catalogue includes three symphonies, four piano concerti and concerti forviolin ,viola ,cello andoboe as well as numerous chamber works.Operas
*"Emmeline": The
Santa Fe Opera gave the world premiere of Picker’s first opera, which was subsequently broadcast nationally on public television’sGreat Performances series. The premiere recording was released by Albany Records.
*"Fantastic Mr. Fox": His second opera was an adaptation ofRoald Dahl ’s book commissioned and premiered by theLos Angeles Opera .
*"Thérèse Raquin": Picker's third opera was commissioned by a consortium of companies including TheDallas Opera San Diego Opera , and theOpéra de Montréal . Picker then received a new commission from Opera Theatre Europe for a reduced-scale version of "Thérèse Raquin", which was performed in March2006 at the Linbury Studio of theRoyal Opera House , Covent Garden.
*"An American Tragedy:" [ [http://www.anamericantragedy-theopera.org/ "An American Tragedy" from the Met website] ] , Based on the novel by Theodore Dreiser, with a libretto by Gene Scheer, Picker's fourth opera was commissioned by theMetropolitan Opera [ [http://www.metoperafamily.org/operanews/issue/article.aspx?id=1258 Brian Kellow, "The Key to Tobias", "Opera News", B 70(6), December 2005] ] . The world premiere took place onDecember 2 2005 and featuredPatricia Racette ,Nathan Gunn ,Susan Graham , andDolora Zajick in principal roles. The production was directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted byJames Conlon . [ [http://www.therestisnoise.com/2005/12/tobias_pickers_.html Alex Ross, "Opera Hot", "The New Yorker", 26 December 2005] ]Chandos Records has also released the premiere recording of "Thérèse Raquin." Additional recordings of the composer’s music are available on Sony Classics, Virgin,
Nonesuch Records , Ondine, Bridge and First Edition, among others.Personal life
Picker is diagnosed with
Tourette's syndrome , and has mentioned that there are "tourettic" elements to his music. He also appeared in a BBC Horizon television documentary, titled "Mad But Glad", about the link between Tourette's syndrome and creativity. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/broadband/tx/madbutglad/highlights/index_textonly.shtml] He has been involved in mentoring programs for children with Tourette's. [http://www.tsanj.org/tsanj/in-action/nl/docs/tsanj_nl6.pdf] [http://www.forward.com/articles/6911]References
External links
* [http://www.tobiaspicker.com/ Tobias Picker's official website]
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