Biographical Chronology ...
1924
~ Born 8 January and grew up in San Francisco
1929 ~ Begins piano lessons with K.I. Rodetsky
1939 ~ Moves with family to Los Angeles, continues studies in piano with Marguerite Bitter. In early teens, studies
harmony and theory and begins to compose
1945 ~ Enters the University of Southern California in Los Angeles
1949 ~ Advanced studies in composition with George Antheil, continuing until 1954
1952 ~ Sonata for Two Pianos and String Quartet No 1 are presented by Composers' Forum at Columbia
University; in the following year, the two works are among those to win the first Fromm Music
Foundation Award
1954 ~ Has first significant performance of his work when the NBC Symphony performs Profiles for Orchestra,
conducted by Milton Katims for a nationwide broadcast. Awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the composer
leaves the U.S. to spend seven years traveling in Europe, eventually settling in a small village near Paris
1955 ~ Concert devoted to his chamber works at the Piccolo Teatro Duse in Genoa, including the premiere of Four
Songs of the Night (for soprano and chamber orchestra) Becomes first recipient of the Copley
Foundation Award
1956 ~Receives Fulbright Fellowship to Finland. Vienna Symphony premieres Piano Concerto No. 1 (1956)
1958 ~ Symphony No. 2 commissioned and performed by the Louisville Orchestra, Robert Whitney conducting.
Receives UNESCO Award for String Quartet No. 2 and the Sir Arnold Bax Society Medal in London, given for
the first time to a non-British composer. Composes Violin Concerto
1962~ Returns to the U.S. Appointed W. Alton Jones Professor of Composition at the Peabody Conservatory of Music
in Baltimore, where he remains until 1964. His Dramatic Cantata, Visions of Poets, commissioned by the
Seattle Symphony Orchestra for the inaugural concert of Seattle's new Opera House, receives its premiere with
Milton Katims conducting
1963~ Composes Piano Sonata No .4, a Ford Foundation commission premiered and later recorded
by Gary Graffman
1964-1965 ~ Joins the faculty of Queens College where he teaches until 1966. Composes Concerto for String
Quartet and Orchestra (1964), a work that to date has had more than 80 performances by a total
of over 35 orchestras
1966 ~Returns to the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, remaining there until 1968. Composes Piano
Concerto No. 2, given its first performance by Gary Graffman with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under
Erich Leinsdorf. Is awarded second Guggenheim Fellowship
1967 ~Invited to visit the Soviet Union as an official guest of the Union of Soviet Composers during May and June.
Composes an orchestral score, Silhouettes, for a movement of choreographer John Butler's
"Ballet of the Five Senses," which is broadcast nationwide on the NET public television network
1968-1969 ~Writes Symphony No. 3, commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
1970 ~Medea in Corinth, a one-act musical drama, is given its premiere at the Purcell Room in London. Writes
Odyssey for English pianist John Ogden, who gives the work its first performance while on tour in the U.S. Begins
two years of teaching at the Manhattan School of Music
1972 ~ The Trumpet of the Swan, a work for children's concerts to a text by E.B. White, is commissioned and
performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra
1973 ~ Teaches for one year at the Juilliard School of Music, following which he devotes himself fuIl-time
to composition
1974 ~ Pianist James Dick commissions Etudes for piano and orchestra, serving as soloist for the work's premiere
with the Houston Symphony under Lawrence Foster
1976 ~ Three Bicentennial commissions receive their first performances. Passacaglia for Orchestra,
commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra, Variations for Piano and Orchestra, for the Music
Teachers National Association, performed by the Dallas Symphony under Louis Lane, with Eugene List as
soloist; and Concerto for Woodwind Quintet and Orchestra, a Detroit Symphony commission given its
premiere with Aldo Ceccato conducting
1977-1980 ~Composes two song cycles, Staves (1977) and Paumanok (1979), composes the ballet score
Scarlatti Portfolio for the San Francisco Ballet, in which he arranges and reharmonizes for orchestra
several Scarlatti keyboard works. The Texas Little Symphony commissions Mobiles (1980), which is
inspired hy the sculptures of Alexander Calder
1981-1982 ~ The Tokyo Quartet commissions String Quartet No. 3 (1982), giving the work its premiere at Carnegie
Hall. Double Concerto (1982) is composed for the Clark-Schuldmann duo (cello and piano) to perform
with American Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu Comissiona conducting. The duo had also commissioned
Sonata for Cello and Piano (1981) and given its first performance
1983 ~ Continues series of works for concertante group with orchestra wth Concerto for Brass Choir and
Orchestra, a Dallas Symphony Orchestra commission. World premiere of Trio for Piano, Violin and
Cello at Williams College, Massachusetts, by the Williams Trio; commissioned by the Williams Trio
1984 ~ Lees composes Portrait of Rodin, each ot its seven sections based on a particular work by the French
sculptor. In 1987, James DePreist conducts the Oregon Symphony Orchestra in the work's premiere
1985 ~ The Dallas Symphony Orchestra commissions its second Lees work in three years: the monumental
Symphony No. 4 "Memorial Candles" for soprano and violin soloists with orchestra, vvritten to
commemorate the 40th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust. The three-movement, hour-long work is
given its premiere with soloists Zehava Gal and Pinchas Zukerman to widespread critical acclaim. Within a
year of the premiere it is performed by the Atlanta, Winnipeg, and Houston symphony orchestras, as well as
the London Philharmonia and the Israel PhiIharmonic Orchestra
1986 ~ The Kalmar Nyckel Commemorative Committee commissions Lees to create a work for the Delaware
Symphony Orchestra honoring the 350th anniversary of the founding of Wilmington, originally called
"New Sweden," the first Scandinavian settlement in the New World. The result is Symphony No 5, subtitled
"Kalmar Nyckel," for the boat in which the colonists traveled. Composes Odyssey II for solo piano,
subsequently given its first performance in New York at Merkin Hall, May 27, 1992, by Mirian Conti, piano
1989 ~ Composes String Quartet No. 4, commissioned hy Chamber Music America and given its premiere a year
later by the Aurora Quartet in San Francisco
1991 ~ The Pittsburgh Symphony commissions a concerto for its principal french horn player, William Caballero,
for premiere in 1992 with Lorin Maazel conducting
1992 ~Lees writes a new piano composition, Mirrors, given its world premiere May 17, 1992, at Orchestra Hall,
Chicago, by Ian Hobson, piano
1994~Echoes of Normandy, commissioned by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy during World War II, for dramatic tenor, pre-recorded tape,
organ and orchestra. Premiered at the Myerson Center, Dallas, Texas, on June 15, 1994, with Edward Cook,
tenor; Paul Riedo, organ; and the Dallas Symphony conducted by Andrew Litton. Contours, commissioned
by the Sea Cliff Chamber Players, for ensemble. The work was premiered at Sea Cliff Theater, Sea Cliff,
Long Island, by the Sea Cliff Chamber Players
1996 ~Celebration, commissioned by the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the orchestra's
50th anniversary. World premiere was October 10, 1996, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
Stephen Gunzenhauser, conductor
1997 ~ Lees is now commissioned by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo to write Constellations,
commemorating the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi Dynasty. The world premiere takes place in
Monte Carlo July 17, 1997, with the orchestra conducted by James DePreist
1998 ~ The composer now receives a second commission from the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo,
this time for a Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra, to be premiered in Monte Carlo December 1999
2010 ~ It is with profound sadness the Lees Family announces the passing of the Great Composer
Benjamin Lees, May 31, 2010
1929 ~ Begins piano lessons with K.I. Rodetsky
1939 ~ Moves with family to Los Angeles, continues studies in piano with Marguerite Bitter. In early teens, studies
harmony and theory and begins to compose
1945 ~ Enters the University of Southern California in Los Angeles
1949 ~ Advanced studies in composition with George Antheil, continuing until 1954
1952 ~ Sonata for Two Pianos and String Quartet No 1 are presented by Composers' Forum at Columbia
University; in the following year, the two works are among those to win the first Fromm Music
Foundation Award
1954 ~ Has first significant performance of his work when the NBC Symphony performs Profiles for Orchestra,
conducted by Milton Katims for a nationwide broadcast. Awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the composer
leaves the U.S. to spend seven years traveling in Europe, eventually settling in a small village near Paris
1955 ~ Concert devoted to his chamber works at the Piccolo Teatro Duse in Genoa, including the premiere of Four
Songs of the Night (for soprano and chamber orchestra) Becomes first recipient of the Copley
Foundation Award
1956 ~Receives Fulbright Fellowship to Finland. Vienna Symphony premieres Piano Concerto No. 1 (1956)
1958 ~ Symphony No. 2 commissioned and performed by the Louisville Orchestra, Robert Whitney conducting.
Receives UNESCO Award for String Quartet No. 2 and the Sir Arnold Bax Society Medal in London, given for
the first time to a non-British composer. Composes Violin Concerto
1962~ Returns to the U.S. Appointed W. Alton Jones Professor of Composition at the Peabody Conservatory of Music
in Baltimore, where he remains until 1964. His Dramatic Cantata, Visions of Poets, commissioned by the
Seattle Symphony Orchestra for the inaugural concert of Seattle's new Opera House, receives its premiere with
Milton Katims conducting
1963~ Composes Piano Sonata No .4, a Ford Foundation commission premiered and later recorded
by Gary Graffman
1964-1965 ~ Joins the faculty of Queens College where he teaches until 1966. Composes Concerto for String
Quartet and Orchestra (1964), a work that to date has had more than 80 performances by a total
of over 35 orchestras
1966 ~Returns to the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, remaining there until 1968. Composes Piano
Concerto No. 2, given its first performance by Gary Graffman with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under
Erich Leinsdorf. Is awarded second Guggenheim Fellowship
1967 ~Invited to visit the Soviet Union as an official guest of the Union of Soviet Composers during May and June.
Composes an orchestral score, Silhouettes, for a movement of choreographer John Butler's
"Ballet of the Five Senses," which is broadcast nationwide on the NET public television network
1968-1969 ~Writes Symphony No. 3, commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
1970 ~Medea in Corinth, a one-act musical drama, is given its premiere at the Purcell Room in London. Writes
Odyssey for English pianist John Ogden, who gives the work its first performance while on tour in the U.S. Begins
two years of teaching at the Manhattan School of Music
1972 ~ The Trumpet of the Swan, a work for children's concerts to a text by E.B. White, is commissioned and
performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra
1973 ~ Teaches for one year at the Juilliard School of Music, following which he devotes himself fuIl-time
to composition
1974 ~ Pianist James Dick commissions Etudes for piano and orchestra, serving as soloist for the work's premiere
with the Houston Symphony under Lawrence Foster
1976 ~ Three Bicentennial commissions receive their first performances. Passacaglia for Orchestra,
commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra, Variations for Piano and Orchestra, for the Music
Teachers National Association, performed by the Dallas Symphony under Louis Lane, with Eugene List as
soloist; and Concerto for Woodwind Quintet and Orchestra, a Detroit Symphony commission given its
premiere with Aldo Ceccato conducting
1977-1980 ~Composes two song cycles, Staves (1977) and Paumanok (1979), composes the ballet score
Scarlatti Portfolio for the San Francisco Ballet, in which he arranges and reharmonizes for orchestra
several Scarlatti keyboard works. The Texas Little Symphony commissions Mobiles (1980), which is
inspired hy the sculptures of Alexander Calder
1981-1982 ~ The Tokyo Quartet commissions String Quartet No. 3 (1982), giving the work its premiere at Carnegie
Hall. Double Concerto (1982) is composed for the Clark-Schuldmann duo (cello and piano) to perform
with American Symphony Orchestra, Sergiu Comissiona conducting. The duo had also commissioned
Sonata for Cello and Piano (1981) and given its first performance
1983 ~ Continues series of works for concertante group with orchestra wth Concerto for Brass Choir and
Orchestra, a Dallas Symphony Orchestra commission. World premiere of Trio for Piano, Violin and
Cello at Williams College, Massachusetts, by the Williams Trio; commissioned by the Williams Trio
1984 ~ Lees composes Portrait of Rodin, each ot its seven sections based on a particular work by the French
sculptor. In 1987, James DePreist conducts the Oregon Symphony Orchestra in the work's premiere
1985 ~ The Dallas Symphony Orchestra commissions its second Lees work in three years: the monumental
Symphony No. 4 "Memorial Candles" for soprano and violin soloists with orchestra, vvritten to
commemorate the 40th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust. The three-movement, hour-long work is
given its premiere with soloists Zehava Gal and Pinchas Zukerman to widespread critical acclaim. Within a
year of the premiere it is performed by the Atlanta, Winnipeg, and Houston symphony orchestras, as well as
the London Philharmonia and the Israel PhiIharmonic Orchestra
1986 ~ The Kalmar Nyckel Commemorative Committee commissions Lees to create a work for the Delaware
Symphony Orchestra honoring the 350th anniversary of the founding of Wilmington, originally called
"New Sweden," the first Scandinavian settlement in the New World. The result is Symphony No 5, subtitled
"Kalmar Nyckel," for the boat in which the colonists traveled. Composes Odyssey II for solo piano,
subsequently given its first performance in New York at Merkin Hall, May 27, 1992, by Mirian Conti, piano
1989 ~ Composes String Quartet No. 4, commissioned hy Chamber Music America and given its premiere a year
later by the Aurora Quartet in San Francisco
1991 ~ The Pittsburgh Symphony commissions a concerto for its principal french horn player, William Caballero,
for premiere in 1992 with Lorin Maazel conducting
1992 ~Lees writes a new piano composition, Mirrors, given its world premiere May 17, 1992, at Orchestra Hall,
Chicago, by Ian Hobson, piano
1994~Echoes of Normandy, commissioned by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy during World War II, for dramatic tenor, pre-recorded tape,
organ and orchestra. Premiered at the Myerson Center, Dallas, Texas, on June 15, 1994, with Edward Cook,
tenor; Paul Riedo, organ; and the Dallas Symphony conducted by Andrew Litton. Contours, commissioned
by the Sea Cliff Chamber Players, for ensemble. The work was premiered at Sea Cliff Theater, Sea Cliff,
Long Island, by the Sea Cliff Chamber Players
1996 ~Celebration, commissioned by the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the orchestra's
50th anniversary. World premiere was October 10, 1996, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
Stephen Gunzenhauser, conductor
1997 ~ Lees is now commissioned by the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo to write Constellations,
commemorating the 700th anniversary of the Grimaldi Dynasty. The world premiere takes place in
Monte Carlo July 17, 1997, with the orchestra conducted by James DePreist
1998 ~ The composer now receives a second commission from the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo,
this time for a Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra, to be premiered in Monte Carlo December 1999
2010 ~ It is with profound sadness the Lees Family announces the passing of the Great Composer
Benjamin Lees, May 31, 2010