Erich Holt Stem

Erich Holt Stem (born 1973) is an American composer.

Early life and education

Erich Stem was born in Richmond, Virginia, and began composing music at the age of twelve. He studied composition under John Hilliard and Robert Gibson, earning a Bachelor of Music degree from James Madison University in 1996 and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 2003. He participated in the Orchestra Reading Project of the Minnesota Composers Forum (now the American Composers Forum) in 1995 with the Plymouth Music Series Orchestra, engaging in master classes with composer Stephen Paulus. He also participated in the Minnesota Orchestra’s 2002 Composer Institute, headed by Aaron Jay Kernis, with a composition titled Escape. It was subsequently performed by the Richmond Symphony Orchestra as part of their 2003-04 Masterworks Series.[1]

Career

Stem’s works have been performed in the United States, England, Romania, and the Netherlands. His chamber music can be heard on albums by counter)induction, Juventas New Music Ensemble, SOLI Chamber Ensemble, and Cadillac Moon Ensemble. In 2004, he was commissioned by the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet to compose a work for a double CD release, featuring arrangements of Bach’s fugues and fifteen fugues by living composers. The album, C in Fugue of Dog, was nominated for the 2005 Edison Award.[2]

Stem accepted a position in 2004 as an assistant professor of music at Indiana University Southeast, where he served as a director and composer for a music label, New Dynamic Records. By 2017, the label had released six works by Stem and music by 62 living composers, including 42 world premiere recordings. New Dynamic Records was featured in publications such as Time Out New York,[3] Music and Vision (now Classical Music Daily]),[4] Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,[5] I Care If You Listen, [6] and The Juilliard Journal. [7]

Stem’s music has been described as "sophisticated and intriguing" (The Washington Post)[8] and as having a "fluent and chaotic exchange that breaks minimalism apart" (A Closer Listen).[9] It pulls from a variety of sources, including American jazz, Japanese shakuhachi music, and Stem's interest in improvisation. His affinity for the history and towns of the United States led to a project called America By: A Symphonic Tour. With support from Indiana University’s New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities initiative [10] and a fiscal sponsorship from Aaron Copland House, Stem has written and continues to compose music for various orchestras around the United States. Each piece on the tour is intended to represent the unique attributes and history of one orchestra's hometown. The first orchestra of the project, Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra, commissioned a piece called "Bainbridge," which premiered on February 22, 2014. The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, University of Portland Orchestra, Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra, and the James Madison University Symphony Orchestra have also commissioned and performed Stem's music as part of the tour.

Stem is also one of the founding members of A/Tonal, a music performance group.[11]

Major works
  • Shenandoah (2020) for orchestra
  • Firefly (2019) for solo Eb clarinet and concert band
  • Arlington (2018) for orchestra
  • Dream Sights (2017) for clarinet, piano, violin, cello, and percussion
  • Portland (2016) for orchestra
  • New Year’s (2014) for alto flute, voice, piano, and percussion[12]
  • Bainbridge (2013) for orchestra
  • Consider (2013) for clarinet, piano, violin, and cello
  • Moving On (2012) for clarinet, piano, violin, and cello[13]
  • Kentucky By (2011) for solo clarinet and string orchestra
  • Fleeting Thoughts (2010) for clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, and cello[14][15]
  • Meditation (2009) for alto saxophone and piano
  • Revisited (2008) for alto flute, percussion, violin, and cello[16][17]
  • Insight (2007) for solo guitar
  • Windows II (2005) for saxophone quartet
  • Escape (2002) for orchestra

Interviews and additional articles


References
  1. "Composer Institute History". Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  2. "Aurelia Saxofoon Kwartet". Muziek Encyclopedie. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  3. Giovetti, Olivia. "Breath Beneath (New Dynamic Records)". Time Out New York. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  4. Standford, Patric. "Varied Influences". Music and Vision. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  5. Druckenbrod, Andrew. "Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble 'Against the Emptiness' (New Dynamic Records)". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  6. Lee, Andrew. "Group Theory by counter)induction". I Care If You Listen. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  7. Hodges, Bruce. "The Lark Quartet and counter)induction Record". The Juilliard School. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  8. Reinthaler, Joan. "Sunrise Quartet Shines on Local Works". Washington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  9. Murrieta, David. "counter)induction ~ {group theory}". A Closer Listen. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  10. "New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities grants awarded to IU faculty". Indiana University. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  11. "A/Tonal Ensemble". A/Tonal Ensemble. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  12. Williams, David. "An unusual trio with new music makes for a superb concert". West Virginia Gazette. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  13. Ashraf, Mohammed. "SOLI Chamber Ensemble ~ Portraits". A Closer Listen. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  14. Murrieta, David. "counter)induction ~ {group theory}". A Closer Listen. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  15. Lee, Andrew. "Group Theory by counter)induction". I Care if You Listen. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  16. Delarue. "Exciting, Cinematic New Sounds from Cadillac Moon Ensemble". Lucid Culture. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  17. Pearson, David. "Cadillac Moon Ensemble's Debut Album Drops". I Care if You Listen. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
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