Avner Dorman

Avner Dorman
Avner Dorman
אבנר דורמן
Born	14 April 1975 (age 49); Tel Aviv, Israel
Nationality	Israel
Education	Juilliard School (D.M.A.); Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University (M.A.);
Occupations	Composer; Conductor; Educator;
Awards	Israel's Prime-Minister's Award; ACUM Prize for Ellef Symphony; Israeli Cultural Ministry Prize; Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music;
	Musical career
Genres	Classical
Instrument	Piano
Labels	Naxos Records

Avner Dorman (Hebrew: אבנר דורמן; born April 14, 1975, in Tel Aviv, Israel) is an Israeli-born composer, educator and conductor.

Education

Dorman holds a doctorate in music composition from the Juilliard School,^[1] where he studied as a C.V. Starr fellow with John Corigliano.^[2] He completed his master's degree at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music of Tel Aviv University (where he majored in music, musicology, and physics) studying with Josef Bardanashvili.^[3]

Career

At age 25, Dorman became the youngest composer to win Israel's Prime-Minister's award. He has since been awarded the ACUM prize for his Ellef Symphony.^[3] Ma'ariv newspaper in Israel named Dorman "Composer of the Year" for 2002,^[4] and the performance of his song cycle "Boaz" received the Israeli Cultural Ministry Prize for best performance of Israeli music the same year.^[5] Dorman's "Variations Without a Theme", premiered by Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in November 2003 and won the 2004 Best Composition of the Year award from ACUM.^[6] This piece led to a commission from Zubin Mehta, PercaDu, and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra for "Spices, Perfumes, Toxins!", a concerto for percussion duo and orchestra.

Orchestras that have performed Dorman's music include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra,^[7] New York Philharmonic Orchestra,^[8] the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra.

In 2006, Naxos Records released an album dedicated to Dorman's piano works with Eliran Avni at the piano.^[9] In 2010, Naxos Records released an album dedicated to Dorman's chamber orchestra concerti. Avi Avital's performance of Dorman's "Mandolin Concerto" on this recording was nominated for a 2010 Grammy Award in the category of Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra.^[10]

Dorman's debut opera, Wahnfried, was named as a finalist for the 2018 International Opera Awards, in the category of "World Premiere".^[11] He was awarded the 2018 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music for his violin concerto, Nigunim, originally written as a violin sonata for violinist Gil Shaham and pianist Orli Shaham.^[12]

Dorman is a professor of music theory and composition at the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College. He served as music director of CityMusic Cleveland chamber orchestra from 2013 to 2019.

Compositions

Opera

Wahnfried (2016)
Die Kinder des Sultans (2019)
Kundry (2021)

Percussion concertos

Spices, Perfumes, Toxins! (2006)
Frozen in Time (2007)
Eternal Rhythm (2018)
In Flux (2024)

Orchestral works without soloists

Chorale for Strings (1999)
Ellef Symphony (2000)
Variations Without A Theme (2003)
Uriah (2008–9)
Azerbaijani Dance (2010)
(not) The Shadow (2010)
Astrolatry (2011)
After Brahms (2015)
Siklòn (2015)
A Most Sacred Oath (2021)
The Fifth Element(2022)
Tanyaderas (2023)

Large Wind Ensemble

Ellef Symphony
Spices, Perfumes, Toxins!
A Most Sacred Oath (2021)

Works for narrator and orchestra

Uzu and Zuzu from Kakaruzu (2012)

Choral works (with or without orchestra)

Psalm 67 (2004)
Letters from Gettysburg (2013)
Dialogues of Love (2014)
The Seventy Names of Jerusalem (2015)

Violin concertos

Violin Concerto no. 1 (2006)
Violin Concerto no. 2 – "Nigunim" (2017)
Violin Concerto no. 3 – "Still" (2019)

Piano concertos

Piano Concerto in A (1995)
Piano Concerto no.2 – "Lost Souls" (2009)
Piano Concerto no.3 (2021)

Concertos for various instruments

Piccolo Concerto (2001)
Concerto Grosso (2003)
Saxophone Concerto (2003)
Mandolin Concerto (2006)
Cello Concerto (2013)
Double Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orchestra (2019)
Concerto for Mandolin, Guitar, and Strings (2021)
Concerto for Cello, Piano and Orchestra (2022)

Sonatas for violin and piano

Sonata No.1 (2004)
Sonata No.2 (2008)
Sonata No.3 – "Nigunim" (2011)
Sonata No.4 (2014)

Piano trios

Tree-yO! (1996)
Trio (2001)

String quartets

String Quartet No.1 (2003)
String Quartet No.2 (2004)
Prayer for the Innocents (2009)

Other chamber pieces

Udacrep Akubrad (2001)
Boaz (2002)
Jerusalem Mix (2007)
Memory Games (2011)
The Fear of Men (2006)
Mantra (2013)
Consumed (2014)
Suite for Solo Saxophone (2015)
How to Love (2016)
Variations on a Simple Theme (2017)
For Solo Violin (2017)
Sextet(2020)
Green Spaces(2024)
Child’s Play(2024)
Many Waters(2024)

Piano sonatas

Sonata no.1 (1999)
Sonata no.2 (2000)
Sonata no.3 – "Dance Suite" (2005)
Sonata no.4 – "Libi Bamizrach" (2011)
Sonata no.5 (2018)
Sonata no.6 (2020)

Other solo piano music

Prelude No.1 (1992)
Moments Musicaux (2003)
Azerbaijani Dance (2005)
Nocturne Insomniaque (2007)
Karsilama for Two Pianos (2012)
Three Etudes (2012)
After Brahms (2014)
For a Friend I Never Knew (2017)

Short opera

Boundless (2018)
Now (2018)

Music for film

Wonderland (2013), directed by Avi Nesher
Past Life (2016), directed by Avi Nesher
Gan Kofim (2023), directed by Avi Nesher

Music for dance

Ben (1997)
Accord/Discord (1999)
Falafel (2001)
Impact (2006)

References

^ The Juilliard Journal, Feb 2012, Margaret Shakespeare, "Keeping It All in the Family"
^ David Ng (2009-07-26). "Composer Avner Dorman spices things up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
^ ^a ^b Jerusalem Post, Feb 23, 2001, Zehavi, "Rock-music 'Brat' moves on
^ Ma'ariv, Sep. 6, 2002, Ora Binur, "Composer of the Year"
^ "Boaz". Classical on Demand. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
^ Haaretz, Editorial (1 April 2005). "ACUM Prize to Betty Olivero". Haaretz. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
^ Reich, Howard (4 October 2019). "CSO review: Cynthia Yeh finds poetry in concerto's U.S. premiere". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
^ New York Times, March 19, 2009, Schweitzer, "Concerto for Percussion, With a Global Outlook"
^ Smith, Ken (September 2006). "Reviews". Grammophone.
^ Mlyn, Paula. "Avi Avital Nominated For Classical Grammy Award". Mandolin Cafe.
^ "2018 | Opera Awards". Opera Awards. 2018-01-29. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
^ "Composer Avner Dorman Winner of 2018 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music – The Azrieli Foundation". azrielifoundation.org. 2018-02-07.

External links

[1] The Juilliard Journal, Feb 2012, Margaret Shakespeare, "Keeping It All in the Family"

[2] David Ng (2009-07-26). "Composer Avner Dorman spices things up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-08-27.

[auto-3] Jerusalem Post, Feb 23, 2001, Zehavi, "Rock-music 'Brat' moves on

[4] Ma'ariv, Sep. 6, 2002, Ora Binur, "Composer of the Year"

[5] "Boaz". Classical on Demand. Retrieved 2024-06-17.

[6] Haaretz, Editorial (1 April 2005). "ACUM Prize to Betty Olivero". Haaretz. Retrieved 17 July 2019.

[7] Reich, Howard (4 October 2019). "CSO review: Cynthia Yeh finds poetry in concerto's U.S. premiere". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-10-09.

[8] New York Times, March 19, 2009, Schweitzer, "Concerto for Percussion, With a Global Outlook"

[9] Smith, Ken (September 2006). "Reviews". Grammophone.

[10] Mlyn, Paula. "Avi Avital Nominated For Classical Grammy Award". Mandolin Cafe.

[11] "2018 | Opera Awards". Opera Awards. 2018-01-29. Retrieved 2018-06-23.

[12] "Composer Avner Dorman Winner of 2018 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music – The Azrieli Foundation". azrielifoundation.org. 2018-02-07.

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