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Samuel Hans AdlerAmerican composer and conductor of German origin.
Date of Birth: 04.03.1928
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Samuel Adler, an American Composer of German Descent
- Musical Education and Influences
- Career in Music
- Teaching and Publications
- Honors and Awards
- Compositions
Samuel Adler, an American Composer of German Descent
Early Life and EmigrationSamuel Adler was born on March 4, 1928, in Mannheim, Germany, to Hugo Chaim Adler, a Belgian choral conductor, composer, and cantor, and Selma Adler. In 1939, the family successfully emigrated to the United States, a move that likely saved their lives. Hugo became the cantor of Temple Emanuel in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Musical Education and Influences
Samuel followed in his father's musical footsteps. He studied at Boston University and Harvard University, where he received tutelage from renowned composers Aaron Copland, Paul Hindemith, Paul Pisk, Walter Piston, and Randall Thompson. In 1949, he also studied conducting with Serge Koussevitzky at the Tanglewood Music Center.
Career in Music
During his service in the U.S. Army from 1950-1952, Adler founded and conducted the Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra. Upon his discharge, he was offered the conducting position at Brandeis University, vacated by Leonard Bernstein, but instead accepted the position of musical director at a synagogue in Dallas, Texas, where Levi Olan, a longtime family friend, was the rabbi. He remained in Dallas from 1953 to 1957.
Adler relocated to Rochester, New York, in 1966, joining the faculty of the Eastman School of Music. He remained there until 1995 and became a member of the faculty of the Juilliard School in New York City in 1997, where he continues to teach.
Teaching and Publications
Adler has conducted workshops and masterclasses at over 300 universities worldwide. He has also taught at major music festivals, including Tanglewood, Aspen, and Brevard. Adler has authored three books on choral conducting, sight singing, and orchestration, and has contributed numerous articles to major journals and encyclopedias.
Honors and Awards
Samuel Adler has received numerous awards and honors, including the Charles Ives Award, the Lillian Fairchild Award, and the Aaron Copland Award for Lifetime Achievement in Music. In 2008, he was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.
Compositions
Adler has over 400 published compositions in various genres, including 5 operas, 6 symphonies, 8 string quartets, 11 concertos, and a wide range of orchestral, chamber, choral, and vocal works. His music is characterized by its lyricism, craftsmanship, and rhythmic vitality.
