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Evan Ziporyn (b. Chicago, Illinois, December 14, 1959) is an American composer of post-minimalist music with a cross-cultural orientation, drawing equally from classical music, avant-garde, various world music traditions, and jazz. Ziporyn has composed for a wide range of ensembles, including symphony orchestras, wind ensembles, many types of chamber groups, and solo works, sometimes involving electronics. Balinese gamelan, for which he has composed numerous works, has compositions. He is known for his solo performances on clarinet and bass clarinet; additionally, Ziporyn plays gender wayang and other Balinese instruments, saxophones, piano & keyboards, EWI, and Shona mbira.

Ziporyn is the Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as director of MIT's Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST). At MIT he directs Gamelan Galak Tika, an ensemble he founded in 1993, a group of 30 MIT students, staff and community members, devoted to the study and performance of new works for Balinese Gamelan.

He is currently a member of the Eviyan Trio, with Czech violinist/vocalist Iva Bittovà and American guitarist Gyan Riley.

He has released albums on Cantaloupe, New Albion, New World, Victo, Airplane Ears, and CRI Emergency Music; his works have also been recorded on Naxos, Koch, Innova, and World Village. As a performer, he has recorded for Nonesuch, Sony Classical, and Point Music, among others. He has composed music for a wide range of ensembles worldwide, including Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, the American Composers Orchestra, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Kronos Quartet, Brooklyn Rider, Ethel, cellist Maya Beiser, the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, the MIT Wind Ensemble, Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Sentieri Selvaggi, Gamelan Salukat, and Gamelan Semara Ratih.

Evan Ziporyn was named a 2007 USA Walker Fellow by United States Artists, an arts advocacy foundation dedicated to the support and promotion of America's top living artists.

He was born in Chicago, Illinois and now lives in Lexington, Massachusetts with composer Christine Southworth. He is the brother of Brook Ziporyn and Terra Ziporyn Snider, and has two children, Leonardo Ziporyn and Ava Ziporyn.

Career

Ziporyn studied at Eastman, Yale and UC Berkeley with Joseph Schwantner, Martin Bresnick, and Gerard Grisey. He first traveled to Bali in 1981, studying with Madé Lebah, Colin McPhee's 1930s musical informant. He returned on a Fulbright in 1987. While living on the west coast during the 1980s he was a member of Gamelan Sekar Jaya. The three compositions he composed for Sekar Jaya all included western instruments.

He performed a clarinet solo at the First Bang on a Can Marathon in New York. His involvement with BOAC continued for 25 years: in 1992 he co-founded the Bang on a Can All-stars (Musical America's 2005 Ensemble of the Year), with whom he toured the globe and premiered over 100 commissioned works, collaborating with Nik Bartsch, Iva Bittova, Don Byron, Ornette Coleman, Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Thurston Moore, Terry Riley and Tan Dun. He co-produced their seminal 1996 recording of Brian Eno's Music for Airports, as well as their 2012 Big Beautiful Dark & Scary (2012). He left the group in the fall of that year to form Eviyan with Iva Bittová and Gyan Riley, with whom he now concertizes and records regularly. In the fall of 2013 he founded the Critical Band, a group devoted to the music of the late British composer Steve Martland.^[1]

Ziporyn joined the MIT faculty in 1990, founding Gamelan Galak Tika there in 1993, and continued a series of compositions for gamelan and western instruments. These include three evening-length works, 2001's ShadowBang, 2004's Oedipus Rex at the American Repertory Theater (Robert Woodruff, director),^[2] and 2009's A House in Bali, an opera about composer Colin McPhee, anthropologist Margaret Mead, and artist Walter Spies, which joined Western singers Anne Harley, Marc Molomot and Timur Bekbosunov with Balinese traditional performers Nyoman Catra and Desak Made Suari Laksmi, and Bang on a Can All Stars with a full gamelan ensemble.^[3] It received its world premiere in Bali that summer and its New York premiere at BAM Next Wave in October 2010.

In 1992 Ziporyn founded the Bang on a Can All Stars, with whom he performed and recorded until 2012. He also was a member of Steve Reich and Musicians, with whom he shared a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance.

As a clarinetist, Ziporyn recorded the definitive version of Steve Reich's multi-clarinet New York Counterpoint in 1996, sharing in that ensemble's Grammy Award in 1998. In 2001 his solo clarinet CD, This is Not A Clarinet, made Top Ten lists across the country. His compositions have been commissioned by Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble, Kronos Quartet, American Composers Orchestra, Maya Beiser, So Percussion, Wu Man, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, with whom he recorded two CDs, Frog's Eye (2006) and Big Grenadilla/Mumbai (2012). His honors include awards from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (2011), The Herb Alpert Foundation (2011), USA Artists Walker Fellowship (2007), MIT's Kepes Prize (2006), the American Academy of Arts and Letters Goddard Lieberson Fellowship (2004), as well as commissions from Meet the Composer/Commissioning Music USA and the Rockefeller MAP Fund. Recordings of his works have been released on Cantaloupe, Sony Classical, New Albion, New World, Koch, Naxos, Innova, and CRI.

He is Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Music at MIT. He has also been inaugural director of MIT's new Center for Art Science and Technology and still serves as head of Music and Theater Arts at the Center for Art, Science and Technology (CAST). He is also founder and artistic director of Gamelan Galak Tika, and curator of the MIT Sounding performance series.^[4]

Recordings

Connect4 (2020) CD Nut Trytone Records TT0559-088 Fie Schouten, Jelte Althuis (bass clarinet), Tatiana Koleva vibraphone, Eva van de Poll violoncello
Eviyan Live

November 2013, Les Disques Victo

Iva Bittova (violin/voice), Gyan Riley (guitar), Evan Ziporyn (clarinet/bass clarinet)

Compositions and improvisations by Bittova, Riley, and Ziporyn

In My Mind and In My Car

October 2013, Airplane Ears Music

Clarinet / Bass Clarinet performed by Evan Ziporyn

Electronics and composition by Christine Southworth and Evan Ziporyn

Big Grenadilla / Mumbai

April 2012, Cantaloupe Records

Big Grenadilla (Evan Ziporyn, bass clarinet)

Mumbai (Sandeep Das, tabla)

Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gil Rose, conductor

Frog's Eye

October 2006, Cantaloupe Records

Performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.

Frog's Eye, The Ornate Zither and the Nomad Flute (Anne Harley, soprano), War Chant , Drill

Typical Music

November 2005, New Albion Records

Pondok (Sarah Cahill, piano)

Typical Music (Arden Trio)

Ngaben (Gamelan Galak Tika w/ New England Conservatory Philharmonia Dante Anzolini, director)

Shadowbang

June 2003, Cantaloupe Records

Bang on a Can All-Stars with Wayan Wija, dalang

This is Not a Clarinet

July 2001, Cantaloupe Records

Partial Truths

Four Impersonations: Honshirabe, Pengrangrang Gede, Thum Nyatiti, Bindu Semara

Three Island Duos by Michael Tenzer

Press Release by David Lang

Evan Ziporyn: Gamelan Galak Tika

May 2000, New World Records

Amok

Tire Fire

Animal Act

CRI Emergency Music 1993

What She Saw There

Tree Frog

Waiting by the Phone

Walk the Dog

American Works for Balinese Gamelan

New World Records 1993

Banyuari by Michael Tenzer, Situ Banda by Michael Tenzer, Khayalan Tiga by Wayne Vitale, Aneh Tapi Nyata by Evan Ziporyn, Kekembangan by Nyoman Windha & Evan Ziporyn

Performed by Gamelan Sekar Jaya

Works

Works for clarinet / bass clarinet

Notes to Self (2010) 15' – solo bass clarinet
Hive (2007) 17' clarinet quartet – 2 clarinets, 2 bass clarinets
Big Grenadilla (2006) 15' – concerto for bass clarinet and chamber orchestra
Drill (2002) 10' – concerto for solo bass clarinet with wind ensemble
Four Impersonations (1999) 18' – solo clarinet

Honshirabe (4:00) Bindu Semara (5:30) Thum Nyatiti (2:30) Pengrangrang Gede (5:30)

Partial Truths (1999) 17' – solo bass clarinet
Tsmindao Ghmerto (1995) 7' – solo bass clarinet and wind ensemble
Tsmindao Ghmerto (1994) 4' – solo bass clarinet
Walk the Dog (1990) 25' – bass clarinet and electronics
Be-In (1990) 9' – bass clarinet and string quartet
What She Saw There (1988) 13' – bass clarinet (or cello) and 2 marimbists
Waiting By The Phone (1986) 12' – solo clarinet
Two Obsessions (1980) 15' – solo clarinet

Works for gamelan

Hujan Arja (2012) 12' – Balinese gamelan semara dana (7-toned gong kebyar)
Lapanbelas (2010) 18' – Balinese gamelan semara dana (7-toned gong kebyar)
Bali Tiba (from A House in Bali) (2009) 7' – Balinese gamelan gong kebyar
Bayu Sabda Idep (2007) 27' – Just Intonation slendro chamber gamelan and chamber string orchestra
Cu(Bali)Bre (2007) 3'30" – gender wayang duo
Sabar Gong (2005) 5' (in collaboration w/Lamine Touré) – Balinese gamelan with Senegalese Sabar drums
Aradhana (2004) 15' – Balinese gamelan with Chinese pipa
Ngaben (for Sari Club) (2003) 15' – Balinese gamelan & orchestra
Kebyar Kebyar (2002) 7' – Balinese gamelan gong kebyar
Amok! (1996) 32' – six movements for Balinese gamelan, double bass (or cello), percussion sampler, keyboard sampler
Tire Fire (1994) 25' – Balinese gamelan, two electric guitars, electric bass, and keyboard (or mandolin)
Aneh Tapi Nyata (1992) 14' – chamber ensemble and Balinese percussion
Kekembangan (1990) 16' (in collaboration with I Nyoman Windha) – saxophone quartet and Balinese gamelan
Night Bus (1990) 12' – Sundanese gamelan (commissioned by the Toronto Border Crossings Festival for the Evergreen Club)

Theater

A House in Bali (2009) 90' – opera based on the memoir of Colin McPhee, for amplified sextet (gtr, perc, pno, vln, vc, cb), Balinese gamelan, two tenors, one soprano, and four Balinese actors/dancers www.houseinbali.org
Oedipus Rex (2004) 90' – Greek choruses and onstage incidental music the American Repertory Theater production of the original Sophocles tragedy. Directed by Robert Woodruff, Loeb Theater, Cambridge, MA
ShadowBang (2001) 90' – full-length theater work for Balinese dalang (shadow puppeteer) and Bang on a Can Allstars.

Commissioned by Rockefeller Multi-Arts Program for I Wayan Wija and Bang on a Can Allstars; premiered October 2001 at MIT Kresge Auditorium, Cambridge, and MassMOCA, North Adams, MA

Orchestra

Tabla Concerto: Mumbai (2011) 25' – tabla solo, strings and percussion

commissioned by Meet the Composer

Hard Drive (2007) 18' – orchestra with electric guitar
Bayu Sabda Idep (2007) 27' – chamber string orchestra with gamelan
Big Grenadilla (2006) 15' – orchestra and solo bass clarinet
War Chant (2004) 15' – orchestra with Hawaiian-style lap-steel guitar

commissioned by Boston Modern Orchestra Project

Ngaben (for Sari Club) (2003) 15' – orchestra with gamelan

commissioned by the New England Conservatory; world premiere Jordan Hall, Boston, March 12, 2003 by Gamelan Galak Tika and the NEC Symphony, Dante Anzolini, conductor

Frog's Eye (2002) 13' – chamber orchestra

commissioned and premiered by Boston Pro Arte Orchestra, Isaiah Jackson, conductor, October 2002

Filling Station (1986) 12' – orchestra premiered by UC Berkeley Symphony, EZ conductor, October 1986
Pleasureville, Pain City (1985) 6' – premiered by UC Berkeley Symphony, John Sackett, conductor, February 1985

Wind ensemble

The Ornate Zither and the Nomad Flute (2005) 15' – for solo soprano and wind ensemble

premiered March 2005 by Anne Harley with MIT Wind Ensemble, Fred Harris, director

Commissioned by Richard Nordlof.

Drill (2002) 10' – concerto for solo bass clarinet with wind ensemble

premiered by EZ and MIT WindEnsemble, Fred Harris, director

Tsmindao Ghmerto (1995) 7' – solo bass clarinet and wind ensemble

commissioned and premiered by Nederlands Blazers, New Years Day 1996

Houtman's Men in Buleleng (1996) 15'

for Orkest de Volharding, premiered at Ijsbreker, Amsterdam

Chamber music

Standard ensembles

Where Was I? (2008) 25' – cello, piano, percussion
Hive (2007) 17' – clarinet quartet – 2 clarinets, 2 bass clarinets
Speak, At-man! (2006) 10' – alto flute and piano
Breathing Space (2003) 20' – three movements for string quartet

commissioned and premiered by Ethel, Miller Theater, New York, April 2003

Typical Music (2000) 30' – three movements for piano trio

commissioned by Reader's Digest/Meet the Composer and the Sun Valley Center for the Arts for the Arden Trio, premiered Ketchum, ID, January 2001

Melody Competition (1999, rev. 2000) 21' – for percussion sextet

commissioned and premiered by red fishblue fish, Steven Schick, director; UCSD, La Jolla, CA, May 1999

Dreams of a Dominant Culture (1997) 20' – for flute, clarinet, percussion, electric piano, violin, cello

commissioned and premiered by Boston Musica Viva, Richard Pittman, conductor; Longy School, Cambridge, October 1997

Eel Bone (1996) 13' – string quartet

commissioned and premiered by Kronos Quartet, San Francisco, May 1996

Kebyar Maya (1995) 14' – cello octet

commissioned by Rockefeller Multi-Arts Program for Maya Beiser

Be-In (1991) 11' – multiple versions: string quartet and bass clarinet/bassoon/double bass, clarinet, mandolin, cello, electric piano, double bass, hand percussion
Bossa Nova for brass quintet (1991) 3' – commissioned by MIT for the inauguration of President Charles Vest
Dog Dream (1990) 12' – flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello, electric guitar

commissioned and premiered by California EAR Unit, LA County Museum

Ten String Quartets (1979) 10'

Non-standard ensembles

Sulvasutra (2006) 18' – string quartet, pipa, and tabla

commissioned by the Silk Road Project

Belle Labs (2006) 20' – violin, clarinet, and robotic xylophone (Heliphon)

commissioned by Ensemble Robot and Boston Museum of Science, premiered January 25, 2005 by Evan Ziporyn and Todd Reynolds

Thread (2005) 25' – clarinet, alto and bass flute, violin, cello

commissioned and premiered by Dinosaur Annex, Cambridge, MA June 2005

No Return (2002) 30' – 4 movements for violin, clarinet, and sounds of the Salmon River

commissioned by Sun Valley Center for the Arts and premiered by Todd Reynolds and Evan Ziporyn, Ketchum, ID, January 2003

More Songs About Telephones and Dogs (2002) 20' – 4 movements for mixed ensemble – 'Iris in Furs' 'Jubilee of Indifference' '...no messages...' 'Dog Heaven'

commissioned by The Kitchen for Kitchen House Blend, premiered December 2002

Tight Fitting Garments 15' – violin and clarinet: "It Is And It Isn't," "Illusions of Purity," "Jubilee of Indifference"
Serenity Now (1998) 5'

commissioned by Chamber Music Conference of the East, Bennington, VT

Pay Phone (1993) – violin, viola, electric guitar, bass clarinet, keyboard for the Michael Gordon Philharmonic
Esto House (1993) 10' – violin, viola, electric guitar, bass clarinet, keyboard for the Michael Gordon Philharmonic
Tree Frog (1990) 25' – bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, trombone, percussion, keyboard, violin; commissioned by Toronto Border Crossings Festival for Sound Pressure, premiered at the Music Gallery, Toronto, May 1990
Twine (1985) 12' – three movements for soprano, two saxophones, bass clarinet, violin, viola, percussion
LUVTime (1984) 15' – three movements for bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, trombone, percussion, piano

Works for one

Solo piano

In Bounds (2004)
Pondok (2000) 21'

four movements – 'Fragrant Forest' (4:30), 'Tree Trunk' (3:45), 'Ginoman' (2:00), 'Gebyog (Husk)' (10:00)

commissioned and premiered by Sarah Cahill

Fractal-Head (1987) 15'
Some Coal, ten movements (1985) 30'
The Water's Fine (1983) 30' – premiered by Michael Orland
Weltscenen (1981) 20' – premiered by Christopher Oldfather

Solo pieces for other instruments

Hval (2007) – solo bass, commissioned by Robert Black
Current Rate (1999) 15' – solo Chinese pipa and pre-recorded CD (or two pipa), commissioned and premiered by Wu Man at Bang on a Can Women and Music, Henry Street Settlement
Kebyar Maya (1995) 14' – solo cello and prerecorded CD, commissioned by Rockefeller Multi-Arts Program for Maya Beiser
Studies in Normative Behaviour, Vol 1 (1991) 10' – solo percussionist, commissioned and premiered by Danny Tunick
The Motions (1990) 9' – solo viola (or viola and CD), premiered by John Lad
China Spring (1991) 15' – for oboe and piano, commissioned and premiered by Peter Cooper and Evan Ziporyn

References

^ "Evan Ziporyn Leads Steve Martland Memorial Concert in Boston". Schott Music Corporation & European American Music Distributors Company (EAM). October 8, 2013. Retrieved 2020-09-16
^ Frank Rizzo (June 1, 2004)"Oedipus". Variety. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
^ MIT (September 26, 2009)"American premiere of Ziporyn opera, A House in Bali". MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
^ "Evan Ziporyn: Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor". mta.mit.edu. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 2019-10-18.