BRUCE WOLOSOFF  

Bruce Wolosoff began his musical studies on piano at a young age, playing in rock, jazz, and fusion bands throughout his teen years while simultaneously pursuing his “serious” studies as a classical pianist. He studied classical piano for sixteen years with German Diez and later worked with pianist Richard Goode. He also studied jazz piano with Charlie Banacos and composition with Lawrence Widdoes.

A turning point in his creative life was his apprenticeship with composer-pianist Jaki Byard. At the age of thirty he stopped performing in public in order to devote his energies to his work as a composer. He has received five commissions to create new works for the Smithsonian, and has also written for the Columbus Symphony, the Minnesota Ballet, Charles Wetherbee, Rudy Vrbsky, Michala Petri, and the Lark Quartet, among others. Wolosoff’s chamber opera Madimi was performed by the Center for Contemporary Opera at Symphony Space in NYC. He is starting work on a new opera based on the children’s book, The Great Good Thing, by Roderick Townley.

In addition to his work as a composer, Bruce Wolosoff is an innovative music teacher who spends three weeks each year in residence at the Hayground School in Bridgehampton, where he runs a Creative Orchestra of young students who compose, conduct, and perform their own music. Wolosoff’s Songs without Words are now being choreographed by Ann Reinking.