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JAMES MULCRO DREW�

BIOGRAPHY��

Early Years/Early Works

American composer James Drew was raised in New York City

and began music studies at age five.� His adult music studies began in the l950's when

he studied counterpoint, harmony and composition with Wallingford Riegger.

During the early l960's Drew's work began to take on an independent musical direction;

and with such works as THE LUTE IN THE ATTIC (New Orleans, l963)

and MUSIC FOR THREE MUTED PIANOS (St. Louis, l964) followed by

PRIMO LIBRO DE REFERENCIA LABARINTO (New Haven l967)

radical notational concepts appeared for the first time in Drew's work.

He has since become a renowned member of the American Experimental Tradition,

and has created various Theatre companies dedicated to performing his own works.

University Teaching: Concepts of Arts Education

While teaching at Northwestern University (l964-66) Drew began composing

�a series of small works that children would be able to perform.

His interest in bringing new music to children continued when the composer joined the

faculty of Yale University (l967) where he began creating what would later be known

as the GREYWOLF PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE,

advocating learning by creating expanding student's knowledge through all Arts.

Drew and Mary Gae George have been Co-Directors of the Institute since 1990.

Orchestral/Chamber works, 1967-73

During l967-73, Drew's

FIRST & SECOND SYMPHONIES

were composed and premiered, as well as

OCTOBER LIGHTS,

METAL CONCERT,

ALMOST STATIONARY,

NEW HAVEN GREEN 1969 and

CONCERTO FOR SMALL PERCUSSION ORCHESTRA. �

In l972-73, the composer was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and during the same time

Drew was Fromm Foundation Orchestral Composer at the l973 Tanglewood Music Festival

where Gunther Schuller conducted the BSO in the world premiere of Drew's

WEST INDIAN LIGHTS,

which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

Also in the 1970's Drew's first works for theatre were composed and produced, which included

CRUXIFIXUS and SONG OF DEATH and BLUELIGHT DANCING.

East Coast/West Coast, 1970s-1980s

Appointed Distinguished Lecturer at California State University-Fullerton and UCLA in the mid l970's,

Drew returned to composing chamber music, including

THE ORANGETHORPE ARIA,

TRIO FOR THE FIREY MESSENGERS, and

VIOLIN SONATA.

More theatre works followed in the l980's with

FIVE O'CLOCK LADIES,

'LIVE' FROM THE BLACK EAGLE,

WHISPER (film) and

RATS TEETH.

produced or composed while the composer was artist-in-residence for the city of Durham.

Drew's first theatre for radio, was created in New Orleans 1983.

Theatre Works/Architectural Projects, 1990s-2000

Recent theatre works include

THE CLOWN?S EVENING and the

PETITE PETERSBURG PLAY.

His Music in

ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS

has included being a member of the Concordia Group that created the

Musical Courtyard of the Hotel Inter-Continental, in New Orleans,

as well as the kinetic drama (with sculptor Lin Emery)

BECKET: THE FINAL MOMENTS,

The SOUND STATIONS Project (known as the Egg Project).

Sound Installations/Visual Music

In 2005, James Drew and visual artist Autumn K.C.Tan founded

DREWTAN INTERNATIONAL

an experimental East-West Arts Atelier dedicated to
inventing unique ways to present new aestheitic possibilities in the Arts through

kinetic sound sculptures, theatre boxes, and experimental performance installations.

Visual Forms of Musical Communication:

Experimental Notation Project called MARKS ON PAPER.

The Experimental Series

Lectures for Art Schools and Performing Arts Centers

Visual Space/Sounding Space

Animated Space/Negative Space

On Intention in Art

Recent Works

In the 1990s - 2000s, Drew continues to work and tour under the auspices of the

GREYWOLF PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE

composing a broad spectrum of chamber and orchestral music including

SYMPHONY NO. 3,

BOOK OF LIGHTS,

VIOLA CONCERTO (Cellar - Lise's Alleluias),

PIANO CONCERTO (Celestial Cabaret),

HYPOTHETICAL STRUCTURES, Books 1, 2, and 3 for two pianos,

MUSIC OF SUSPENDED COLOURS, 3 pianos, gongs, and cloud chambers,

CONTRABASS CONCERTO (JACOPO'S SUB-HARMONIC HYMNS)

THE GOLDEN THREADS, 3 pianos, cloud chambers, and gongs,

STATIONS, chamber ensemble,

ANIMATING DEGREE ZERO, chamber ensemble,

TRANSCENDING MUSIC FOR TORU TAKEMITSU, chamber ensemble,

SONGS OF AUTUMN, Bass-baritone, string quartet, 2 trombones and piano,

NEW ORLEANS REQUIEM, large orchestra and chorus.

VIOLIN CONCERTO.

Theatre/Ballet Works

DANCE THEATRE PROJECTS:

Music, scenario, and mise en scene of the ballets

GIGGLES and PAPER LANTERN TALES,

and producing theatre works through

MTT Theatre (Netherlands),

Blast Opera Theatre (US-Europe),

and his current companies,

The Nighttown Operatheatre,and The Harmonic Theatre,

THE GREYWOLF PERFORMING ARTS INSTITUTE'S

�(children's ensemble) and

The SONOROUS CIRCUS

A Theatre of� Lights, Pianos, Gongs, and Cloud Chambers.

THE GOLDEN THREADS:

The main body of Drew's works over the years has been fueled by his concepts of combination-tones

which produce additional overtones that are heard from sound locations unknown.

Drew's theatrical concepts continue in his largest ongoing work with

the Nighttown Operatheatre,� the� SURPRISE OPERAS CYCLE, which now spans over two decades.

James Drew's works have been nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize.

Recordings/Publishers

James Drew's music is published by

Theodore Presser Company,

Artistry Press International

and is available worldwide.

Recordings of his works are available on

Music & Arts,

9 Winds,

Cinnabar Recordings,

GW Recordings.

DISCOGRAPHY

Performing Rights Organization: ASCAP.

For further information,

visit www.greywolf-artistry.com,

Who's Who, International Directory of Musicians,

Contemporary Composers (St James Press),

Baker's 20th Century Edition, and Grove 20th Century Edition.

James Drew eLettre address

WORKS

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