Wayne Horvitz

Wayne Horvitz is a composer, pianist, and electronic musician. He has performed all over the world, performing and collaborating with Bill Frisell, Butch Morris, John Zorn, Robin Holcomb, Fred Frith, Julian Priester, among others. He has been commissioned by the NEA, Meet The Composer, Kronos String Quartet, Seattle Chamber Players, Mary Flagler Cary Trust, PGAFF, BAM and others. Collaborators include Paul Taylor, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Gus Van Sant, and Gordon Edelstein. He is a 2001, 2002, and 2009 recipient of the Artist Trust Fellowship Award, a 2003 and 2008 Artist Trust GAP awardee, 2003 and 2006 recipient of the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture fellowship, 2002 recipient of the Rockefeller Map Grant for JOE HILL, 16 Actions for Chamber Orchestra, Voices and Improviser, and the 2008 NEA American Masterpieces grant for These Hills of Glory for string quartet and improviser.

Wayne received 2003 GAP Award funding to offset expenses related to professionally recording Mountain Language. In 2002, he received a grant from the Seattle Arts Commission that allowed him to revise a number of pieces composed for string quartet, string quintet, and quintet plus percussion, and to hire musicians to rehearse and perform the revised compositions. These pieces were performed in January 2003 at the Esther Claypool Gallery. An accomplished composer, pianist, and keyboardist, Wayne has performed extensively throughout Europe, Japan, and North America. He is a leader and principal composer for the bands Pigpen, Zony Mash, and co-leader of the NY Composers Orchestra.

Wayne received 2008 GAP Award funding to defray the costs of editing and recording parts of These Hills of Glory, a piece he composed in 2006 for a string quartet and improvising soloist. The initial composition and performances of the piece were made possible with assistance from the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs and 4Culture. The work was performed by the Seattle-based odeonquartet along with soloists Eric Barber, Gust Burns, Eyvind Kang, Bill Frisell, Peggy Lee, Ron Miles, and Tom Swafford. Wayne had These Hills of Glory, recorded in 2007 by odeonquartet, and he is now working on editing the recording as well as recording soloists Bill Frisell, guitar, and Peggy Lee, cello.

As part of his 2009 Fellowship’s Meet the Artist requirements, Wayne conducted the premier of a new work for combined concert band and orchestra, The House that Brings A Smile, which was performed by Seattle’s Washington Middle School music students. The piece was very challenging for this age group and they did a fantastic job. He rehearsed with them over a ten-week period previous to the concert.

Wayne is the recipient of a 2013 CityArtist Project award from the City of Seattle.