Her orchestral works show her interest in dramatic and abstract musical ideas.
Biography
Thea Musgrave was born in Scotland on May 27 1928. She studied at the University of Edinburgh to become an artist. She studied with Nadia Boulanger and Aaron Copland. In the 1970s, she taught at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Finding true love, she married Peter Mark in 1971.
Thea Musgrave is a well-known, well-respected composer. From 1987 to 2002 she was Distinguished Professor at Queen’s College, City University of New York. She holds honorary degrees from Old Dominion University in Virginia, Glasgow University, Smith College, and the New England Conservatory in Boston.
Her early works are Harriet, The Woman Called Moses, Simon Bolivar, and Pontalba are some of her first few works with Mary, Queen of Scots, Beauty & the Beast, The Voice of Araidne, and Horn Concerto being some of her later works.
Her early orchestral works, the Concerto for Orchestra of 1967 and the Concerto for Horn of 1971 show her interest in ‘dramatic and abstract’ musical ideas.
She has written a number of dramatic concertos. She is best known for operas: Voice of Ariadne (1973), Mary, Queen of Scots (1977), and Simon Bolívar (1995).
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External Links
Thea Musgrave Official Site