Background
SUBOTNICK, Morton was born on April 14, 1933 in Los Angeles, California, United States. Son of Jack Jacob Subotnick and Rose Luckerman.
SUBOTNICK, Morton was born on April 14, 1933 in Los Angeles, California, United States. Son of Jack Jacob Subotnick and Rose Luckerman.
Bachelor of Arts Denver. Master of Arts, Mills College. Pupil of, Milhaud and Kirchner.
Silver Apples of the Moon, The Wild Bull, Trembling, The Double Life of Amphibians, Jacobs Room, The Key to Songs; Return: The Triumph of Reason (electronic composition in honour of the return of Halley’s Comet) 1986, In Two Worlds 1987-1988, And The Butterflies Began to Sing 1988, A Desert Flowers 1989. Director, Ann Halprin’s Dance Company and San Francisco Actors’ Workshop, former Music Director of Lincoln Center Repertory Theatre. Director of electronic music at original Electric Circus, St. Mark’s Place, New York 1967-1968. Artist-in-Residence at New York University School of the Arts 1966-1969.
Visiting Professor, in Composition, University of Maryland 1968, University of Pittsburgh 1969, Yale University 1982, 1983. Has toured extensively as a lecturer and Composer/Performer. Currently.
Formerly member Denver and San Francisco symphonies, chamber and solo performances. Assistant professor, also co-founder Mills College Performing Group. Co-founder San Francisco Tape Center, 1961.Formerly museum director Repertory Theatre, Lincoln Center, 1966. Artist-in-residence intermedia program, School Arts, New York University, 1966-1968. Worked with magnetic tape, 1960-1985.Creator performances combining music, theatre and cinema, game-playing, light-shows and ritualistic phenomena suggestive of contemporary society into a new total art form (happenings) and based on indeterminacy Play Number 4. Composed for electronic music synthesizer especially for the record medium Silver Apples of the Moon, 1967. Composer for electronic music synthesizer The Wild Bull, 1968, 2: Touch, 1969, Sidewinder, 1971, 4 Butterflies, 1973, Until Spring, 1975, Return, 1984.All electronic music 2: Game for Two Players and No Audience, 1973. 2 Butterflies for Amplified Orchestra, The Balance Room, Before the Butterfly, United States Bicentennial Commission, 1976. Commissioned by Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Symphony for piano and electronic ghost score Liquid Strata, 1977, The Wild Beasts.For trombone and ghost score, 1978. The Last Dream of the Beast. For solo voice, ghost score and electronic sounds, 1978.Electronic music Score for Ice Floe, 1978, A Sky of Cloudless Sulphur, 1978. Axolotl. For cello and ghost score, 1981, Parallel Lines.For solo piccolo, 9 instruments ghost score, 1979. After the Butterfly. For solo trumpet, 8 instruments and ghost score The First Dream of Light.For tuba and ghost score, 1980. The Double Life of Amphibians: Part One, Ascent into Air. For 10 instruments and live computer sounds, 1981.The Fluttering of Wings. For string quartet and ghost score for Juilliard String Quartet, 1981. An Arsenal of Defense for viola and ghost score, 1982, Trembling, for violin, piano and ghost score, 1983 (commissioned by Library of Congress), The Double Life of Amphibians, 90 minute staged tone-poem (premiered at Los Angeles Olympic Arts Festival), 1984, The Key to Songs, for chamber orchestra and synthesizer (commissioned by Fromm Foundation), 1985.Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Künstler program composer-in-residency, West Berlin, 1981. In Two Worlds concerto for saxophone, electronic wind controller and orchestra, 1987-1988. And The Butterflies Begin to Sing for computer and chamber ensemble commissioned by Sante Fe Chamber Music Festival, 1988.Jacob's Room for voice and string quartet, 1984, Jacob's Room chamber opera for cello, computer, and 2 Voices, 1990-1993, Jacob's Room for 1 cello, 1 voice and computer Wergo Recordings, also choreographed for premier Ballet British Columbia, 1991, as chamber opera-premiered American Music Theatre Festival, Philadelphia, 1993. Hungers-A Collaboration with video artist Ed Emschwiller, 1987, commissioned by Los Angeles Arts Festival, A Desert Flowers for chamber orchestra and computer, 1989, commissioned Cleveland Chamber Orchestra. Public: European/American, All My Hummingbirds Have Alibis for Midi Pno, Midi Mallets, flute, cello, computer (commissioned by National Education Association and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, first composed for Civil Defense-ROM), 1991.Public European-American. Author Civil Defense-ROM composition program Making Music, 1995.
Faculty of the California Institute of the Arts.
Married 1st Linn Pottle in 1953 (divorced in 1971), one son one daughter. Married 2nd Doreen Nelson in 1976 (divorced in 1977). Married 3rd Joan La Barbara in 1979, one son.