PERSPECTIVE – The composer Joan Tower has won many awards, including the prestigious and lucrative Grawemeyer award in 1990. But for her, the biggest honor came when the Library of Congress announced that they would hold her manuscripts, papers and photos in their archives, in a collection called “The Joan Tower Papers.” She said that was the biggest award she ever got, because it means that her music will have an institutional home, forever. Her Fanfares for the Uncommon Woman” was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2014.
At age 87, Joan Tower is as active and vibrant as ever. In this episode of Classical Gas, a podcast series created by radio host and producer Gail Wein and hosted by Classical Voice North America, Tower talks with Wein about the challenges and rewards of composing, offers her best piece of advice for composition students, and reflects on how she worked through her grief on the loss of her husband of 50 years.
Wein recently launched Classical Gas with a look back at the challenging art of Charles Ives, who has been the subject of sesquicentennial celebrations.
Wein said she chose the name Classical Gas because of its multiple implications: “Gas could be fuel or fun. It’s also a subtle reference to those of us of a certain age who recall the 1970s earworm guitar instrumental by Mason Williams.”
The veteran New York-based music journalist, radio host, and media consultant has contributed valuable commentary on NPR and other media outlets while also writing for Classical Voice North America. Find Wein’s Classical Gas podcasts here. Find Wein’s essays and reviews for Classical Voice North America here.
