After a 22 year absence, William Susman returns to the Chicago area. Raised in Winnetka, he performed with his piano quintet at Ravina Festival at age 15. After graduating from New Trier West, Susman studied composition at the University of Illinois with Herbert Brun, Ben Johnston and Sal Martirano and subsequently accepted a graduate fellowship at Stanford University at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CRMA.) Further studies in computer-generated sound let to an invitation by Pierre Boulez to work in Paris at the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Accoustique/Musique (IRCAM).
William Susman was discovered by seminal composer Earle Brown at the BMI awards in 1985. Brown later hand-picked him to receive Harvard’s coveted Fromm Music Foundation Commission, which is awarded to America’s maverick classical composers. At age 25, he was the youngest composer so honored. His works have been performed throughout the US and Europe.
In March, 2004, Susman produced three San Francisco Bay area concerts of 2003 Grammy nominee David Holzman including performances of Susman’s Uprising. Percussionist and marimba virtuoso Joseph Gramley of the Silk Road Ensemble recently recorded Marima Montuño on his latest CD.
He scored the documentary Oil On Ice by Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker Bo Doudart and Dale Djerassi in association with Lobitos Creek Ranch. The score was recorded at Fantasy Studios with cello soloist Joan Jeanrenaud of the Kronos Quartet. It was honored with the Pare Lorentz Award from the International Documentary Association. Just announced: Oil on Ice won BEST FILM SCORE at the Moondance International Film Festival.
The Pilgrim Chamber Players is a not-for-profit ensemble of professional musicians, including a composer-in-residence, whose programs offer an exciting blend of new music and old favorites. The Pilgrim Chamber Players feature guest artists from the CSO and Lyric Orchestras as well as highly-regarded Chicago free-lance musicians.
For more information, visit their website: http://www.pilgrimplayers.org
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