Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s career has been marked by several firsts: she was the first woman to graduate with a doctorate in composition from Julliard; she was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in music; and the first female composer to be mentioned in Charles Schulz’s iconic comic strip Peanuts.
Zwilich began her musical career on violin. After completing undergraduate studies at Florida State she moved to New York City, joining Leopold Stokowski’s American Symphony Orchestra. She began doctoral studies at Julliard, and in 1975 (the year she finished) her Symposium for Orchestra was premiered at Julliard, conducted by Pierre Boulez.
In 1983 her Symphony Number One (Three Movements for Orchestra) won the Pulitzer Prize for music. This was the first of many awards for Zwilich, who has composed 5 symphonies, multiple concertos, and chamber works, most in response to commission requests.
In 1990 cartoonist Charles Schulz saw a television interview with Zwilich, and decided to include her in a Peanuts comic strip: characters Peppermint Patty and Marcie attend a concert and Marcie says it includes a Flute Concerto by Zwilich, a composer “who happens to be a woman.” Patti stands on her seat and shouts, “GOOD GOING, ELLEN!” In reciprocity, for a Carnegie Hall commission for children’s music, Zwilich composed a piano concerto… the Peanuts Gallery. The six movements each feature a different Peanuts character.
Says Zwilich, “I’ve learned to think of my work as an exploration, or a voyage of discovery. It’s almost exciting realizing that this is something you can’t really learn to do.”
Helen Taaffe Zwilich… a Composing Woman.
Repertoire
Bassoon Concerto
Partita for Violin and String Orchestra
Rituals for five percussionists and orchestra
Symphony no. 1 (Three Movements for Orchestra)
Fantasy for harpsichord
Symphony no. 5 (Concerto for Orchestra)
Supporting Materials
Accessible websites relevant to the composer
https://www.zwilich.com/composer/about
