Fulkerson, James (Orville)

Fulkerson, James (Orville), American composer and trombonist; b. Streator, 111., July 2, 1945. He studied composition with Wilbur Ogdon and Abram Plum and trombone with John Silver at 111. Wesleyan Univ. (B.A., 1966) and composition with Maritirano, Gaburo, Hiller, and Brun at the Univ. of 111. (M.M., 1969). He was a creative assoc. of the Center for the Creative and Performing Arts at the State Univ. of N.Y. in Buffalo (1969–72), then composer-in-residence at the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst in Berlin (1973), the Victorian Coll. of the Arts in Melbourne (1977–79), and Dartington Coll. in Devon, England (from 1981). Fulkerson is a virtuoso on the trombone, and he makes a specialty of playing the most fantastically difficult modern pieces. His own compositions are no less advanced.

Works

DRAMATIC Raucasity and the Cisco Kid…or, I Skate in the Sun (1977–78); Vicarious Thrills (1978–79); Cheap Imitations II: Madwomen (1980); Force Fields and Spaces (1981); Cheap Imitations IV (1982); Put Your Foot Charlie (1982); Rats Tale (1983); Studs, ballet music (1992). ORCH.: Globs for Small Orch., Live Electronics, and Tape (1968); About Time (1969); Something about Mobiles (1969); Planes for 4 Orch. Groups (1969); Behind Closed Doors for Violin and Orch. (1971); Patterns IX (1972); To See a Thing Clearly (1972); For We Don’t See Anything Clearly (1972); Guitar Concerto (1972); Trombone Concerto, with Tape (1973); Orchestra Piece (1974); Stations, Regions, and Clouds for Bass Trombone and Orch. (1977); Concerto for Amplified Cello and Large Ensemble (1978); Sym. (1980); Concerto (…fierce and coming from far away) (1981); Pessoa I for Large Ensemble (1992); Concerto for Electric Violin and Large Ensemble (1992). CHAMBER: Co-ordinative Systems Nos. 1–10 (1972–76); Music for Brass Instruments Nos. 1–6 (1975–78); Suite for Amplified Cello (1978–79).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire