Tsontakis, George

Tsontakis, George American composer; b. N.Y., Oct. 24,1951. He studied with Sessions (1974-79), at the Juilliard School in N.Y. (1978-86), and with Stockhausen in Rome (1981). He was an assistant to the electronic faculty at the Juilliard School (1978) and an asst. prof, at the Brooklyn Coll. Cons. of Music (1986-87). In 1987 he received the Koussevitzky Foundation orchestral commission.

Works

ORCH: 5 Sighs and a Fantasy (N.Y., Oct. 20, 1984); Fantasia Habanera (Baltimore, May 28,1986); Overture Vera (1988); To the Sowers of the Seed (Aspen, Colo., Aug. 18, 1989). CHAMBER: 4 string quartets: No. 1, The Mother’s Hymn,with Mezzo-soprano (1980), No. 2, Emerson (N.Y., April 29,1984), No. 3, Coraggio (Aspen, Colo., July 26,1986), and No. 4, Beneath the Tenderness of Thy Heart (N.Y, Jan. 17,1989); 3 Sighs,3 variations for Violin (Haywood, Calif., Sept. 25,1981); Preludio ed Fantasiafor Cello, Brass Quintet, Piano, and Timpani (N.Y, May 22, 1983); Birdwind Quintetfor Wind Quintet (Aspen, Colo., July 10, 1983); Brass Quintet (N.Y, April 18,1984); The Past, The Passionfor 14 to 15 Players (N.Y, March 4, 1987); Mercurial Etudesfor Flute (N.Y, Dec. 7, 1988); 3 Mood Sketchesfor Wind Quintet (Leningrad, Nov. 22, 1989); Heartsounds,quintet for Piano and Strings (Cambridge, Mass., April 20, 1990). VOCAL: Sacred: Scenes from the Apocalypsefor Vocal Soloists, Actor, Chorus, and Orch. (1978); The Epistle of James, Chapter 1for Reader, Chorus, and Orch. (1980); 5 Choral Sketches on “Is Aghios” (One, Holy)for Chorus and Clarinet obbligato (N.Y, May 22, 1984); Saviorsfor Soprano, Chorus, and Orch. (N.Y, May 11, 1985); Byzantium Kanonfor Chorus and Brass Quintet (N.Y, June 1, 1986); 3 Byzantine Hymnsfor Chorus and Brass Quintet (1988); Stabat Materfor Soprano, Chorus, and Orch. (N.Y, May 19, 1990). Secular: Erotokritos,oratorio for Chorus and Orch. (N.Y, May 15,1982); Galway Kinnell Songsfor Mezzo-soprano, Piano, and String Quartet (N.Y, Feb. 4, 1987).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire