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2001 State Conference, Concert 3

Chamber Works
Saturday, March 31, 2001
2:30 p.m., Morphy Recital Hall

Composer Biographies

James F. Crowley (Kenosha) was born in Chicago and studied composition at the University of Illinois (BM) and Northwestern University (MM, DM). From 1987 to 1990 he was on the administrative staff of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and in 1991 he held a Teaching Fellowship at the Aspen Music School. His works have been performed by the Minnesota Orchestra, Eastman Wind Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, the Interlochen Symphonic Band, the Millar Brass Ensemble, Northwestern Symphony Orchestra, and other ensembles. His music has also been presented at Indiana University, Cleveland State University, University of Illinois, Ithaca College, University of Louisville, Bowling Green State University, and others. He was awarded the 1991 William T. Faricy Composition Prize by Northwestern and has received numerous commissions from the Music Teachers National Association and the National String Teachers Association. Since 1998 he has been on the music faculty of the UW-Parkside.

Stephen Dembski (Madison) studied piano from an early age, and was reading music long before he could read words. Warned against the clarinet on account of the braces on his teeth, and against the trombone because of the length of his arms, he took up the flute in elementary school. Later, he learned musical illiteracy: in high school and after, both in America and England, he performed folk and traditional musics on the guitar, banjo, harmonica, and washtub bass, and played a lot of rock and roll, all "by ear." While still enrolled in college, he played flute professionally in Europe for a time, worked in a small band called Kiss that played mostly prisons in Ohio and in a big band led by Cecil Taylor. By his early twenties, he was composing music back in the old Euro-American tradition, and eventually earned degrees in it from Antioch, SUNY-Stony Brook, and Princeton. His music--which includes instrumental, vocal, and electro-acoustic works as well as pieces for improvising musicians and for interactive installations of sound and light--has been broadly recognized by commissions and awards in both the United States and in Europe. During the past year, he's enjoyed interesting performances of his music in Nottingham, England, New York, NY, Madison, WI, and Bologna, Italy, and he is featured as conductor of Scott Fields's modular composition for twelve improvising musicians, 96 Gestures, in three hour-long performances to be released as a three-CD set in April. Dembski has made his living as a tree surgeon, as a food service worker in Brooklyn, and as an attendant in mental hospitals at home and abroad; in the record industry he's worked as a traveling salesman. For now, he teaches composition at UW-Madison, and works with a variety of musical organizations in New York City.

Joseph Koykkar (Madison), professor at the UW-Madison, teaches courses in electro-acoustic music for the Interarts & Technology Program. He also acts as Music Director for the UW-Madison Dance Program. His discography includes an all chamber music CD on Northeastern Records; Composite for Orchestra on the MMC label; Triple Play on Volume 3 of the SEAMUS series; and Double Take on the In-Sync label. His compositions have been performed throughout the United States and in Europe and South America. He has composed in a variety of media, including chamber music, orchestral works, music for dance, film and video scores, and electronic music.

Blanche Moerschel (Waupaca), a composer, pianist, and piano teacher, was born in Oak Park, Illinois. She earned two Bachelor degrees in Composition and in Piano from the Cosmopolitan School of Music in Chicago. Her graduate work was in Piano with Mollie Margolies at the Chicago Musical College and Michael Keller at the UW-Stevens Point. She has had works performed in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Massachusets.

Michael Paré (Madison) started piano lessons at age 8 and composed his first solo for piano at age 12. Piano performance and composition have always been regarded with equal weight. The Noctournes were written one after the other in the Fall and Winter of 1996 and premiered by the composer in April 1997 in Morphy Recital Hall. Since then he has written numerous chamber music works, including pieces for oboe and piano, violin and piano, piano and concert band, and viola. Stay tuned for further events.

Yehuda Yannay (Shorewood) is a composer, conductor, and media artist whose list of more than 120 works include: music for orchestra, electronic works, live electronic and synthesizer pieces, environmental compositions, film scores, music-theater works, and a large body of vocal and instrumental chamber music. In recent years, Yannay's music has been performed and recorded by prominent soloists, ensembles, and orchestras from Taipei to Bucharest. His contribution to new ideas in 20th century music are listed in articles, textbooks and encyclopedias of music. Yannay is a Professor of Music at the UW-Milwaukee and the founder of the "Music From Almost Yesterday" concert series, now celebrating 30 years of new music performances. Current and upcoming commissions from ensembles in the U.S. and Germany include concerti for piano, trombone, and saxophone. He is now completing a trio for violin, cello, and piano to be premiered on May 20th of this year on a concert celebrating Milwaukee pianist Milton Peckarsky's 80th birthday.

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Last updated 27 March 2001. Contact information.