Joan Tower’s music is noted for a number of defining qualities: driving rhythms and colourful orchestrations influenced by the sounds and sensations of a childhood spent in South America; approachability for listeners and players alike, resulting from her engagement with the performers of her music (often written with specific musicians in mind) and her own performances as a pianist and conductor. Early works were serial in conception. In the 1970s she moved toward more tonal, Messiaen-like sonorities. She has written a number of works paying homage to composers such as Beethoven (Concerto for Piano), Stravinsky (Petroushskates), and Copland (Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman). She was the first composer chosen for a Ford Made in America consortium commission, Made in America. Its topselling recording won three 2008 GRAMMY® awards, including Best Classical Contemporary Composition. She was composer-in-residence with the St Louis Symphony (1985–88), Orchestra of St Lukes (1997–2007), and Season Composer with the Pittsburgh Symphony (2010–11). She is published by G. Schirmer.

CONCERTS INVOLVING JOAN: