Nicolas Roussakis

Biography

Nicolas Roussakis, a composer and a founder of the American Composers Orchestra, passed away in 1994 at the age of 60. He was born in Athens, moved to the United States at the age of 15 and was granted citizenship at 21. He earned a doctorate in music at Columbia University, where he taught from 1968-77, and he studied in Germany on a Fulbright grant. Most recently, he was on the faculty at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. He won several awards for his compositions. He received commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts and received two fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Among his works are the symphonic poem "Fire and Earth and Water and Air," the "Hymn to Apollo" for small orchestra and "Ephemeris" for string quartet. Mr. Roussakis was an energetic promoter of contemporary music. He was the executive director of the Group for Contemporary Music from 1971-85, president of the American Composers Alliance from 1975-81 and vice president of the American Composers Orchestra, of which he was a co-founder in 1976 with Dennis Russell Davies, Francis Thorne and Paul Lustig Dunkel.

ACE Publications

26 title(s)
Composer Title SCORING/INSTRUMENTATION Year
Nicolas Roussakis CINQ ETUDES v. Allegro piano
Nicolas Roussakis COMPOSITION FOR BRASS TRIO Brass Trio
trumpet, horn, trombone
Nicolas Roussakis CONCERT TRIO
Dbl bass, oboe, piano
Nicolas Roussakis CONCERTINO fl,ob,cl,bsn,2perc
Nicolas Roussakis EPHEMERIS str qrt
Nicolas Roussakis ESSERCIZIO hpschd
Nicolas Roussakis FIRE & EARTH & WATER & AIR orch:2-pic-2-ehn-2-bcl- 2-cbsn,4-4-3-btbn-tb,4perc,pf,str(2-1-1-1)
Nicolas Roussakis GOD ABANDONS ANTONY narr,chor & cham orch: 2-2-0-0,2hn,perc,hp,str
Nicolas Roussakis HYMN TO APOLLO cham orch:1-1-1-1, 1-1-1-0,perc,hp,pf,str
Nicolas Roussakis MARCH,SONG & DANCE 5ww:fl(ORcl),ob(ORcl),2cl,bsn(ORcl)
Nicolas Roussakis Mi e Fa Piano
Nicolas Roussakis MOVEMENT 2-1-1-btbn(or tb)
Nicolas Roussakis NIGHT SPEECH speaking chorus, 2 perc
Nicolas Roussakis ODE & CATACLYSM orch:2-2-2-2,4-2-2-0,pf,perc,str
Nicolas Roussakis PAS DE DEUX vla,pf
Nicolas Roussakis PAS DE DEUX - violin, piano vln, pf
Nicolas Roussakis RUTGERS VARIATIONS - "On the Banks of the Old Raritan" pf
Nicolas Roussakis SEXTET fl,cl,vln,vla,vcl,pf
Nicolas Roussakis SIX SHORT PIECES 2 fl
Nicolas Roussakis SONATA FOR HARPSICHORD hpschd
Nicolas Roussakis SYRTOS pic-2-2-3-alcl-bcl-4sax 2,4-2tpt-3cor-2euph- 3tbn-tb,4perc
Nicolas Roussakis THINGS ENDED Soprano, cello, piano
Nicolas Roussakis THREE EPIGRAMS clarinet, piano
Nicolas Roussakis TO DEMETER orch:3-3-3-3,4-4-3-1,timp,perc,hp, pf,cel,str
Nicolas Roussakis TRIGONO tbn, vib, drums (six graduated tom toms)

Additional Works