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Aaron Jay Kernis | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1960-01-15)January 15, 1960 (age 65) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Contemporary classical music |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Instrument | Piano |
Aaron Jay Kernis (born January 15, 1960) is aPulitzer Prize- andGrammy Award-winning American composer serving as a member of theYale School of Music faculty. Kernis spent 15 years as the music advisor to theMinnesota Orchestra and as director of the Minnesota Orchestra's Composers' Institute, and is currently the workshop director of theNashville Symphony Composer Lab. He has received numerous awards and honors throughout his thirty-five-year career. He lives in New York City with his wife, pianistEvelyne Luest, and their two children.
Aaron Jay Kernis was born inPhiladelphia, and grew up in neighboringBensalem Township, Pennsylvania. He began his musical career by playing the violin and piano. His composition career began at age 13, and he was awarded threeBMI Foundation Student Composers Awards throughout his time as a student. He studied composition withJohn Adams at theSan Francisco Conservatory;Charles Wuorinen at theManhattan School of Music; andMorton Subotnick,Bernard Rands, andJacob Druckman at Yale University. His wide range of teachers and time spent on both the east and west coasts helps to define his eclectic musical style that blends minimalism with post-Romanticism.[1]
Aaron Kernis found immediate success as a composer when his workDream of the Morning Sky was premiered in 1983 by theNew York Philharmonic withZubin Mehta conducting. He was only 23 years old at the time, but won unanimous praise for an incident that took place. In an open rehearsal, in front of an audience, Zubin Mehta stopped the orchestra to complain loudly about the vagueness of the score. Rather than being cowed by the strong-willed conductor, Aaron Jay Kernis simply replied, "Just read what's there." The audience applauded young Kernis for sticking up for his work, and within weeks the story received national attention.[2]
Kernis has written more than 30 works for orchestra includingconcertos for cello,english horn, violin, viola, flute, horn, andtoy piano. His key orchestral works includeMusica Celestis,New Era Dance,Lament and Prayer,Newly Drawn Sky, andColored Field.
Although Kernis is known best for orchestral works, he has also written more than 30 works for chamber ensemble, 22 works for [chorus], and 14 solo [keyboard] compositions.Air andMusica Instrumentalis stand out among his finest non-orchestral works. His music is published exclusively throughG. Schirmer, New York. A complete works list is here.[1]
Kernis's style has been described as having neo-romantic intensity with exuberant imagination. His thematic material tends to keep audiences engaged while his sound palette offers them an innovative approach to orchestration. There have been many comparisons drawn toLeonard Bernstein,Gustav Mahler, andIgor Stravinsky due to their rhythmic drive and timbral exploration. His eclectic influences range fromClaude Debussy to modernhip-hop music. Kernis claims that his works have been influenced bynineteenth century music,minimalism, andimpressionism. He has said numerous times that he feels more comfortable writing beautiful music as opposed toatonal works.[3]
100 Greatest Dance Hits features a wide range ofmusical styles from rock tosalsa.[4] New York Philharmonic cellist Carter Brey says that Kernis is "not afraid to take chances and that there is a lot of passion in his writing". Music critic Benjamin Ivry feels that Kernis's success comes from a varied, ambitious style that is enjoyable to listen to. He characterizes him as an imaginative composer who is capable of achieving any emotion.[5]
Kernis often starts his works with a visual image or concrete idea.Lament and Prayer for Orchestra (1996) was written to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of theHolocaust[6] andSecond Symphony (1991) was written in response to theGulf War. HisConcerto for Violin and Guitar (1997) has a jazz-like setting with Mahler-influenced lyricism.[7] His Pulitzer-winningMusica Instrumentalis is based on the last movement ofString Quartet No. 9 (Beethoven), which explains thesonata form andfugal writing of the work.[8] Kernis often finds a way to blend his trademark creativity with the visual image or idea to create a piece that the audience can connect with emotionally. His goal for each of his compositions is to write music that moves the listener emotionally while maintaining innovation and his individual identity.
Aaron Jay Kernis has been honored byASCAP, BMI, theNational Endowment for the Arts, theGuggenheim Foundation, and the New York Foundation of Arts. In 1984, he won theRome Prize that enabled him to study in Europe. Kernis received an exclusive five-year recording contract withArgo Records in 1996.[9] In 1998, he won the annualPulitzer Prize for Music, which recognized hisString Quartet No. 2 (musica instrumentalis).[10] Then, in 2002, he won the prestigiousUniversity of LouisvilleGrawemeyer Award for Music Composition forColored Field.[11] Kernis was also commissioned byDisney for his choral symphonyGarden of Light for their millennium celebration. He also was awarded the 2012 Nemmers Prize in Music Composition, which allowed him to spend 2013–15 in residence atNorthwestern University,[12] and in 2014, he was named composer-in-residence for the 2014–2015 year atMannes College.
Kernis has received commissions from leading ensembles and soloists around the world. His works have been premiered by theNew York Philharmonic,Philadelphia Orchestra,Baltimore Symphony,San Francisco Symphony,Renée Fleming, andJoshua Bell, among others.[13] He spent two years as composer-in-residence with Astral Artists in Philadelphia. Kernis also wroteColor Wheel in 2001 for the opening of thePhiladelphia Orchestra'sKimmel Center.[14]
In 2013, Kernis was inducted in to theAmerican Classical Music Hall of Fame, and he was awarded the A. I. duPont Composers Award from theDelaware Symphony. A member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Letters, he also was awarded theStoeger Prize from theChamber Music Society of Lincoln Center,[15] theJoseph H. Bearns Prize, and aNew York Foundation for the Arts Award.[16]
In 2019 aViolin Concerto, composed by Kernis, wonGrammy Awards for contemporary classical composition and classical instrumental solo.[17]
More than 45 of Kernis's compositions have been recorded by major ensembles and soloists.[18] TheCity of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra received aGrammy nomination for its recording of various Kernis works. Joshua Bell also received a Grammy nomination for his recording of the workAir for violin. A full discography can be found here.[1]
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