The American composer and pianist Joan Tower, after a childhood spent chiefly in South America, returned to the United States, where she completed her studies at Columbia University. She served for some years as pianist in her Da Capo Ensemble, in 1972 joining the faculty of Bard College. Writing at first principally using serial techniques, she has broadened her style, notably through the influence of her contemporaries and of Messiaen and George Crumb.

Orchestral Music

Tower’s instrumental compositions reflect her own practical experience as a performer and are often written with particular players in mind. Her orchestral works range from Sequoia (1981) to concertos for piano, for clarinet, for flute and for violin.

Instrumental and Chamber Music

As well as chamber music for various groups of instruments, Joan Tower has written pieces for solo instruments, such Wild Purple for viola, Clocks for guitar and Ascent for organ.

Interview with Joan Tower

You can click here to stream an interview in which Joan Tower talks about the new Naxos recording of her Made in America. The segment is part of the Naxos Classical Music Spotlight podcast series, also available on Naxos.com or through iTunes.

Discography