Projects

Tania León

Through the Amplifying Voices program, the Arkansas Symphony, Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra are proud to co-commission composer Tania León.

  • Composer
    Amplifying Voices Fund Cohort

    Tania León

    Tania León (b. Havana, Cuba) is highly regarded as a composer, conductor, educator and advisor to arts organizations. Her orchestral work Stride, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, was awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

  • Project Created By

    Arkansas Symphony

    The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Society, Inc. exists to connect, enrich, inspire and advance Arkansas through the power of music. Incorporated in 1966, the ASO now performs more than 60 concerts per season, which includes the Masterworks and Pops Concerts.

  • Project Social Media

Tania León

Through the Amplifying Voices program, the Arkansas Symphony, Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra are proud to co-commission composer Tania León.

Co-commissioners: Arkansas Symphony (lead), Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra

Upcoming performances:

  •  October 9, 2022 –Tania León’s Pasajes, Auburn Symphony Orchestra – Auburn, WA (West Coast premiere)
  • December 5, 2022 – Tania León’s Pasajes, Detroit Symphony Orchestra – Detroit, MI
  • March 4-5, 2023 – Tania León’s Pasajes, Orlando Philharmonic – Orlando, FL

About the commissioned piece: Tania León’s Pasajes recalls scenes from her life growing up, including a song reminiscent of the melodies of Latin American cultures, rhythms indicating the pulse of Caribbean culture, and the dances of carnaval.

Bio:

Tania León (b. Havana, Cuba) is highly regarded as a composer, conductor, educator and advisor to arts organizations. Her orchestral work Stride, commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, was awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Music. In July 2022, she was named a recipient of the 45th Annual Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements.

Recent commissions include works for Los Angeles Philharmonic, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Grossman Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, and pianist Ursula Oppens with Cassatt String Quartet. Appearances as guest conductor include Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille, Gewandhausorchester, Orquesta Sinfonica de Guanajuato, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Cuba.

Upcoming premieres feature commissions for the NewMusic USA Amplifying Voices Program, The Musical Fund Society in Philadelphia to celebrate their 200th anniversary, and The Crossing chamber choir with Claire Chase, flutist, among others.

A founding member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, León instituted the Brooklyn Philharmonic Community Concert Series, co-founded the American Composers Orchestra’s Sonidos de las Américas Festivals, was New Music Advisor to the New York Philharmonic, and is the founder/Artistic Director of Composers Now, a presenting, commissioning and advocacy organization for living composers.

Honors include the New York Governor’s Lifetime Achievement, awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the ASCAP Victor Herbert Award, among others. She also received a proclamation for Composers Now by New York City Mayor, and the MadWoman Festival Award in Music (Spain).

León has received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Colgate University, Oberlin and SUNY Purchase College, and served as U.S. Artistic Ambassador of American Culture in Madrid, Spain. A CUNY Professor Emerita, she was awarded a 2018 United States Artists Fellowship and Chamber Music America’s 2022 National Service Award.

NewMusicUSA Grantee Event

Tania León’s “Pasajes” (Detroit Symphony Orchestra)

December 9, 2022 - December 11, 2022

Detroit, MI

NewMusicUSA Grantee Event

Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival: DEFENSE-DEFIANCE-DEDICATION

March 28, 2024 | 7:00 pm

The DiMenna Center for Classical Music, 450 West 37th Street New York, NY 10018

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