Aaron Alter
*31 May 1955
Works by Aaron Alter
Biography
A native of Chicago, Aaron Alter's musical background was a product of the rich musical life that he found growing up in the Windy City. Aaron received his Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University, where he studied piano with Frances Larimer and Gui Mombaerts, and composition with Lynden DeYoung and David Noon. He received his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Princeton University, where he studied with Milton Babbitt and James K. Randall. Aaron’s new music, first performed in 2015, what Aaron calls his "New Beginning", is an exploration of a new style and energy that defies categorization. Aaron’s new music has won numerous awards from the Global Music Awards and The American Prize. Aaron is a regular contributor of compositions to the repertoire of the flutist Iwona Glinka, the pianist and Steinway artist, Susan Merdinger, the Cracow Duo, the ÉxQuartet, the pianist Vania Pimentel, The New Mexico Performing Arts Society and Composers Concordance in New York.
About the music
Aaron’s new music, which he calls his “New Beginning” is an exploration of a new style and energy that defies categorization. Aaron's music draws on influences throughout his life, such as Rock, Jazz, Pop music as well as Western European "Classical" music. For example, works such as "Solar Rays" and "Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry" defy genres and exist in Classical ensemble and Jazz Big Band versions.
Aaron Alter's Earth Cantata wins award from the 2024 American Prize!
Aaron Alter's Earth Cantata (inspired by the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach) was just named as a National Finalist Honorable Mention in the 2024 American Prize, in the Major Choral Works Composition division. Earth Cantata was commissioned by The New Mexico Performing Arts Society and programmed with Bach Cantata BWV 8 in two performances in March, 2023. While there are no direct quotes of Bach's music in Earth Cantata, it uses the form of Bach's sacred cantatas as a starting point and embraces their deep spiritual and emotional weight and richness, while fusing influences of Jazz, Rock and Pop music in a unique and fresh way. The text is a poetic interpretation of the biblical Psalm 66 by the Elizabethan poet Mary Sidney Herbert, from around the year 1599. Earth Cantata is published by Universal Edition.
