Elizabeth R. Austin *

Dr. Michael K. Slayton (Vanderbilt University), whose doctoral dissertation for the University of Houston was partially based on an analysis of Elizabeth R. Austin's music, is preparing to write a book on Dr. Austin's life and works. Bruce Duffie's interview with Austin was featured in New Music Connoisseur, Vol. 11, No. 1, Spring 2003. Triangel, the monthly journal of MDF (Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk), featured Austin's music in May 2003, as her music was heard in a new music broadcast, moderated by Dr. Renate Richter.

Premieres

Wie Eine Blume, for woodwind sextet and percussion, was first heard on November 6, 2003, at Die Staatliche Musikhochschule Heidelberg/Mannheim, Germany.

Performances

Mezzo-soprano Renate Kaschmieder, accompanied by pianist Florian Kaplick, performed Drei Rilke Lieder, February 23, 2003, in Nürnburg, Germany. In Mannheim, Germany, pianist Krista Kern performed the Rose Sonata on a GEDOK concert, September 28. On October 6, "A Retrospective Concert of Piano and Song: Music of Elizabeth R. Austin" was presented at the Renaissance Center in Nashville, TN, featuring soprano Chandler Thompson and pianist Jerome Reed. The concert was televised, and later repeated October 15 in Catonsville, MD and October 17, in New York, NY. These concerts included the works An American Triptych, Rose Sonata, and Puzzle Preludes.

Recordings

A Birthday Bouquet for soprano and piano, Susan Gonzalez and Marcia Eckert; Leonarda, LE 352.

*Sigma Alpha Iota Member

Further Information

• 1999-2000 American Composers Update
• 1999-2000 American Composers Update
• 1998-1999 American Composers Update
• 1996-1997 American Composers Update
• SAI's Composers Bureau Online.
• SAI's Music for Young People section