An article posted Sunday (3/1) on the Yale School of Music website reports, “Composer Ezra Laderman died Saturday, February 28, 2015 at the age of 90. His works included twelve string quartets, eleven concertos, and eight symphonies; six dramatic oratorios, music for dance, seven operas, and music for two Academy Award-winning films. In the words of Anthony Tommasini, ‘Mr. Laderman’s gruff, kinetic music mixes pungently atonal elements into a harmonic language that is tonally rooted and clearly directed.’ ” Born June 29, 1924 in Brooklyn to Polish immigrants, Laderman attended New York City’s High School of Music and Art, and following service in the U.S. Army (1943-46) studied composition at Brooklyn College and Columbia University. He received commissions from the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic; the Chicago, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Houston, Detroit, and New Haven symphonies; the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra. Laderman served as chair of the NEA’s composer-librettist program and director of its music program; president of the American Music Center; chair of the American Composers Orchestra; dean of the Yale School of Music; and professor of music at Yale. He retired from that post in 2013 and was named professor emeritus in 2014.
Posted March 3, 2015
