Composer George Edwards, member of ACA since 1971, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 23.
The American Composers Alliance, with The Department of Music at Columbia University express collective sorrow and offer our condolences to the friends and
family of George Edwards, the Edward MacDowell Emeritus
Professor of Music.
Prof. Edwards
had a long and distinguished career at Columbia, in addition to his
significant career as a composer and critic. His music lives on and will continue to inspire composers and performers for years to come. His recent CD, The Music of George Edwards, featuring the Manhattan Sinfonietta, with Jeffrey Milarsky, conductor, was released to critical acclaim in May of this year, and is available on iTunes.
George Edwards was born in Boston on 11 May, 1943. Edwards was on the faculty of Columbia University from 1976, becoming an Associate Professor in 1986 and Vice Chairman of the Music Department in 1989. He was awarded the Rome Prize (1973), the Naumburg Recording Award (1974), a Koussevitzky Foundation Award (1981), and residencies at the MacDowell Colony, among other honors. His articles and interviews were widely published, and his music continues to be performed world-wide.
He is survived by his wife, poet-author-professor, Rachel Hadas. To hear excerpts of his works, and view his ACA works list, links here.
