David Lipten

Title: Ictus
Commission: 1999
Completed: 2001
Instrumentation: string quartet
Premiere Location: Denison Recital Hall, MI
Premiere Ensemble: Chester String Quartet
Notes:

The NYNME, the Chester Quartet, and the Bienen Contemporary Ensemble, Donald Nally, conductor, among others, have premiered David Lipten’s compositions. Recent performances include the world-premiere of Double Down at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall (Cosmos New Music), Double Clutch (Sandrine Chatron, harp) in France, and the premiere of Tongue & Groove for oboe and strings (Elevate Ensemble) in San Francisco. His string quartet, Ictus, received first prize at the Portland Chamber Music Festival. The chorus “Volti” performed Time’s Dream for chorus (E.E. Cummings, poems) on three occasions. That piece was also a finalist for the 2013 American Prize following its release on David’s first CD, Best Served Cold (Ablaze Records, 2012). Another CD, Requiem for the Innocent (4-Tay, 2016), features “A Widow’s Song” and “How To” from the cycle of the same name (William Reichard, poems), recorded by the New York Virtuoso Singers, Harold Rosenbaum, conductor. “How To” was also awarded second place in the 2018 American Prize competition.

The Fromm Foundation/Harvard University, the Verdehr Trio, Cosmos New Music, and Axiom Brass, etc., have commissioned David’s work. He recently received the Jeffrey Jacob Piano Music Competition (Show of Hands) award. Other awards include the Elevate Ensemble (Tongue & Groove), St. Paul’s Chamber Music (Best Served Cold), and ASCAP (numerous), etc. He has been a fellow at the Yaddo, MacDowell, Brush Creek, and Hambidge artist colonies on multiple occasions, in residence at the Aspen, CSU and Oregon-Bach festivals, and the June in Buffalo Composers Conference. David holds a Ph.D. from Duke University working with Scott Lindroth, an M.A. from Queens College/CUNY, working with Thea Musgrave, and a B.A. from Hampshire College where he worked with Lew Spratlan at Amherst.