David Del Tredici

Short Biography:
David Del Tredici was widely recognized as the father of the Neo-Romantic movement in music. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for In Memory of a Summer Day for soprano and orchestra, and had composed works for nearly every major American and European orchestral ensemble.

Much of his early work consisted of elaborate vocal settings of James Joyce and Lewis Carroll. Later in life, Del Tredici set to music a cavalcade of contemporary American poets, often celebrating a gay sensibility.

Many Del Tredici CDs abound: On Albany Records, the Albany Symphony released the world premiere recording of Pop-Pourri (featuring soprano Hila Plitmann) and Adventures Underground; on Deutsche Grammophon, an all-Del Tredici CD featuring conductor Oliver Knussen, soprano Lucy Shelton and the Netherlands’ ASKO Ensemble; on the Music and Arts label, a pair of recent Del Tredici song cycles featuring soprano Hila Plitmann with the composer at the piano; on Dorian, In Wartime, a spectacular work for concert band; and on Koch, a selection of piano compositions played by Anthony de Mare. Among past recordings were two best-sellers: Final Alice and In Memory of a Summer Day (Part I of Child Alice). In 2012, Naxos released an album of solo piano works, including Ballad in Lavender and Gotham Glory, performed by Marc Peloquin.

March 2012 marked Del Tredici’s 75th birthday with performances of Final Alice at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Syzygy at Carnegie Hall with the San Francisco Symphony, and celebratory portrait concerts in New York. His 70th birthday in March 2007 featured major events throughout the year, including the premieres of Magyar Madness, a chamber piece commissioned by Music Accord for clarinetist David Krakauer and the Orion String Quartet, and S/M Ballade for solo piano, which was performed by Marc Peloquin at Symphony Space in New York City.

Del Tredici taught on the faculties of Harvard and Boston Universities, and for more than 25 years, served as Distinguished Professor of Music at The City College of New York.

The music of David Del Tredici is published exclusively by Boosey & Hawkes.

November 2023

This biography can be reproduced free of charge in concert programs with the following credit: Reprinted by kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes.

Long Biography:
David Del Tredici was widely recognized as the father of the Neo-Romantic movement in music. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for In Memory of a Summer Day for soprano and orchestra, and had composed works for nearly every major American and European orchestral ensemble. "Del Tredici," said Aaron Copland, "is that rare find among composers—a creator with a truly original gift. I venture to say that his music is certain to make a lasting impression on the American musical scene. I know of no other composer of his generation…who composes music of greater freshness and daring, or with more personality."

Much of his early work consisted of elaborate vocal settings of James Joyce (I Hear an Army; Night Conjure-Verse; Syzygy) and Lewis Carroll (Pop-Pourri, An Alice Symphony, Vintage Alice and Adventures Underground, to name just a few). Later in life, Del Tredici set to music a cavalcade of contemporary American poets, often celebrating a gay sensibility (three examples: Gay Life, Brother and Wondrous the Merge). OUT magazine, in fact, has twice named the composer one of its people of the year.

His solo instrumental and chamber music writing includes the String Quartet No. 1, Grand Trio (brought to life by the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio), and—harkening to his musical beginnings as a piano prodigy—a large number of solo-piano works: Gotham Glory, Three Gymnopedies, Ballad in Yellow, Opposites Attract, Wedding Song and Wildwood Etude.

In 2013, the world premiere of the complete concert version of Del Tredici’s opera Dum Dee Tweedle took place in Detroit, featuring the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and various soloists. At its premiere, the Detroit Free Press described Dum Dee Tweedle as "an audacious, hyper-romantic and theatrical work of opulent textures, bombastic climaxes, bewitching singsong melody, humorous call-and-response, witty text setting and fanciful orchestration including notated snores for chorus." Del Tredici’s piano sextet, Bullycide, inspired by teen suicides due to bullying, was also premiered in 2013.

Many Del Tredici CDs abound: On Albany Records, the Albany Symphony released the world premiere recording of Pop-Pourri (featuring soprano Hila Plitmann) and Adventures Underground; on Deutsche Grammophon, an all-Del Tredici CD (released in its highly-regarded "20/21" series) featuring conductor Oliver Knussen, soprano Lucy Shelton and the Netherlands’ ASKO Ensemble; on the Music and Arts label, a pair of recent Del Tredici song cycles featuring soprano Hila Plitmann with the composer at the piano; on Dorian, In Wartime, a spectacular new work for concert band; and on Koch, a selection of piano compositions played by Anthony de Mare. Among past recordings were two best-sellers: Final Alice and In Memory of a Summer Day (Part I of Child Alice). In 2012, Naxos released an album of solo piano works, including Ballad in Lavender and Gotham Glory, performed by Marc Peloquin.

March 2012 marked Del Tredici’s 75th birthday with performances of Final Alice at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Syzygy at Carnegie Hall with the San Francisco Symphony, and celebratory portrait concerts in New York. His 70th birthday in March 2007 featured major events throughout the year, including the premieres of Magyar Madness, a chamber piece for clarinet and string quartet, commissioned by Music Accord for clarinetist David Krakauer and the Orion String Quartet, and S/M Ballade for solo piano, which was performed by Marc Peloquin at Symphony Space in New York City. 2008 was the world premiere of My Favorite Penis Poems (and the world premiere of Wondrous the Merge) at an all-Del Tredici evening at Symphony Space in New York City.


Publications include a collection entitled Songs for Baritone and Piano, as well as the score and parts for the piano trio entitled Grand Trio, a second printed volume of solo piano pieces which includes Gotham Glory and Three Gymnopedies, the Hawkes Pocket Score of Magyar Madness, and the vocal score to Paul Revere’s Ride.

Del Tredici taught on the faculties of Harvard and Boston Universities, and for more than 25 years, served as Distinguished Professor of Music at The City College of New York.

The music of David Del Tredici is published exclusively by Boosey & Hawkes.

November 2023

This biography can be reproduced free of charge in concert programs with the following credit: Reprinted by kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes.