Music Under Construction: The Composers

Music Under Construction: The Composers

	Wendy Griffiths

My first training as a composer came from my father who taught me how to improvise stride piano arrangements of jazz standards. My first assignment as "composer-in-residence," came when I was in high school with my alternative music band, "The Lemmings," which was active in the local clubs in New York, and with which I sang and played organ and synthesizer. As my interest in concert music grew, I became interested in contemporary music, and received training in this area at Mannes College of Music. I studied composition with David Tcimpisdis and at The CUNY Graduate Center where I received my D.M.A. While at CUNY I worked with David Olan, Bruce Saylor and Thea Musgrave, all of whom greatly enriched my knowledge and skills. Thea Musgrave and Bruce Saylor were particularly helpful in supporting me through the difficult task of completing an opera. Since 1993, I have regularly presented my compositions, concert pieces and dance scores with the Music Under Construction concert series as well as other venues such as the Cunningham Studio, Mannes and other new music venues such as the NeWorks concert series, the Storm King Music Festival and the Square One series. I am currently an instructor in the Preparatory Division and the Extension Division of the Mannes College of Music. I was recently a featured composer on the NorthRiver Music series at Greenwich House Music School in an evening length retrospective. Performers included the Mannes Trio, Flutist Barbara Siesel and Phyllis Clark. I also have been performing with my band "Changing Modes" in clubs like CB's Gallery, CBGBs and Acme Underground. Visit our web site at changingmodes.com.

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