Sam Adler: Building Bridges with Music

One of the most celebrated and prolific living American composers, Sam Adler was born to a Jewish family in 1928 in Mannheim, Germany, the son of Hugo Chaim Adler, a cantor and composer, and Selma Adler. In 1939, the family fled to the United States, where Sam Adler emerged as a leading figure in American classical music.

Adler was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in May 2001, and then inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in October 2008. He is the composer of over 400 published works, including 5 operas, 6 symphonies, 12 concerti, 9 string quartets, 5 oratorios and many other orchestral, band, chamber and choral works and songs, which have been performed all over the world. He is Professor-emeritus at the Eastman School of Music where he taught from 1966 to 1995 and served as chair of the composition department from 1974 until his retirement. Before going to Eastman, Adler served as professor of composition at the University of North Texas (1957-1977), Music Director at Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, Texas (1953-1966), and instructor of Fine Arts at the Hockaday School in Dallas, Texas (1955-1966). From 1954 to 1958 he was music director of the Dallas Lyric Theater and the Dallas Chorale.

Adler recently published a memoir entitled Building Bridges with Music. Neil Levin, Director of the Milken Archive of Jewish music, will talk to Sam Adler about his career as a composer and educator. The program will also include a performance of the following works:

FANTASY, for piano solo

In Memory of Milton, for violin solo

THOSE WERE THE DAYS, for soprano, and piano

Violin Sonata #3 for violin and piano

FOUR SONGS OF INNOCENT LOVE, for soprano, violin and piano

Michael Brown, piano
Michelle Ross, violin
Elizabeth Farnum, soprano