Biographical Information

he American composer Mark Gustavson was born in Brooklyn on September 19, 1959. Important works are Twenty Variations for flute and piano (1983) premiered by Rachel Rudick and Marty Goldray at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1984; the internationally acclaimed pianist David Holzman premiered his 1986 piano solo Dissolving Images at Merkin Concert Hall in 1991 and later took the work on a U.S. tour; his 1993 composition Quintet for clarinet, two violins, viola and 'cello, commissioned by the Fromm Foundation and premiered in 1996 by the Contemporary Chamber Players of the University of Chicago on the final Paul Fromm Concert given at the university; and Silent Moon for orchestra (1998) written for and premiered by the Brooklyn Heights Orchestra and the first in an on going series of works inspired by Tarot cards.
1999 saw the premiere of A Fool's Journey a mixed chamber ensemble piece commissioned by Parnassus for their 25th anniversary concert at Merkin Concert Hall.
On February 15, 2000, the brass section of the Brooklyn Heights Orchestra will premiere The Emperor's Music for twelve antiphonal solo brass. This work was commissioned by the orchestra for the new millennium and came about as a result of the orchestra's successful premiere performance of his orchestral work Silent Moon in 1998.
Mr. Gustavson began studying clarinet at eight and composing when he was sixteen. In high school he studied at the Music Institute of Chicago. He later went on to study clarinet and composition at Northern Illinois University and the University of Illinois-Urbana. While at the University of Illinois he was a member of the Performers' Workshop Ensemble, both composing for and performing with them. He continues to be an active clarinetist in New York City. Following his undergraduate studies he attended Columbia University where he received both the M.A. and the D.M.A. His composition teachers have included Chinary Ung, Ben Johnston and Fred Lerdahl and he studied clarinet with Stan Davis, Mel Warner, Howard Klug and William Blount.


he American composer Mark Gustavson was born in Brooklyn on September 19, 1959. Important works are Twenty Variations for flute and piano (1983) premiered by Rachel Rudick and Marty Goldray at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1984; the internationally acclaimed pianist David Holzman premiered his 1986 piano solo Dissolving Images at Merkin Concert Hall in 1991 and later took the work on a U.S. tour; his 1993 composition Quintet for clarinet, two violins, viola and 'cello, commissioned by the Fromm Foundation and premiered in 1996 by the Contemporary Chamber Players of the University of Chicago on the final Paul Fromm Concert given at the university; and Silent Moon for orchestra (1998) written for and premiered by the Brooklyn Heights Orchestra and the first in an on going series of works inspired by Tarot cards. 1999 saw the premiere of A Fool's Journey a mixed chamber ensemble piece commissioned by Parnassus for their 25th anniversary concert at Merkin Concert Hall. On February 15, 2000, the brass section of the Brooklyn Heights Orchestra will premiere The Emperor's Music for twelve antiphonal solo brass. This work was commissioned by the orchestra for the new millennium and came about as a result of the orchestra's successful premiere performance of his orchestral work Silent Moon in 1998. Mr. Gustavson began studying clarinet at eight and composing when he was sixteen. In high school he studied at the Music Institute of Chicago. He later went on to study clarinet and composition at Northern Illinois University and the University of Illinois-Urbana. While at the University of Illinois he was a member of the Performers' Workshop Ensemble, both composing for and performing with them. He continues to be an active clarinetist in New York City. Following his undergraduate studies he attended Columbia University where he received both the M.A. and the D.M.A. His composition teachers have included Chinary Ung, Ben Johnston and Fred Lerdahl and he studied clarinet with Stan Davis, Mel Warner, Howard Klug and William Blount.		He is the recipient of numerous honors for his compositions, including the Bearns Prize, the Walter Hinrichsen Award from the American Academy/Institute of Arts & Letters, a Fulbright Fellowship to study with Ton DeLeeuw at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and awards from BMI and ASCAP, League-ISCM, New Music Consort and the Gaudeamus Foundation. He has received commissions from, among others, the Brooklyn Heights Music Society, Parnassus, Fromm Foundation, Koussevitzky Music Foundation and the New York Youth Symphony. His works have been performed throughout North America and Europe and represented on prestigious festivals such as Sonic Boom, Tanglewood, Banff, Fromm and Gaudeamus. Currently he teaches composition, theory and ear training at Brooklyn College Preparatory Center for the Performing Arts. Gustavson is published by C. F. Peters, Arizona University Publications and G & G Music Publishing. Resume