We’ve been noticing some great videos of Allen Shawn’s work lately, and thought it was about time we did a featured post on the composer, pianist, educator, and author! Read on to learn a bit about Shawn, and definitely check out the videos below to hear his work, listen to an interview, and watch a discussion of his book on Leonard Bernstein.
Allen Shawn is a composer, pianist, and educator who lives in Vermont and teaches composition and music history at Bennington College. Also an author, his books include Arnold Schoenberg’s Journey and Twin: A Memoir.
Shawn began composing at the age of ten, but dates his mature work from 1977. He has written a dozen orchestral works, including a symphony, and piano concerto, and a violin concerto; three chamber operas; four piano sonatas and many additional works for piano; a large catalogue of chamber music, songs, and choral music. Among Shawn’s available recordings are several of chamber music, three albums of piano music, a piano concerto performed by Ursula Oppens with the Albany Symphony Orchestra under the direction of David Alan Miller, and a chamber opera The Music Teacher, with a libretto by his brother, Wallace Shawn.
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