Laurence Traiger

rdf:langString Laurence Traiger

rdf:langString Laurence Traiger (born October 16, 1956) is an American composer. Originally from Bellmore, Long Island, New York, he has studied and worked in Europe since 1976. At age 11 he composed duos for violin; at age 14 he took lessons in harmony, counterpoint and composition from his violin instructor, William Cosgriff, and at 16 had a work performed at the Hartt School of Music. In 1974 he graduated from John F. Kennedy High School (Bellmore, New York) where he studied under Barry A. Beeber and performed with the Long Island Youth Orchestra. He received a scholarship from the University of Kansas, studying composition under Prof. John Pozdro. Leaving Kansas after his sophomore year, he moved to Europe. He first studied with Prof. Cesar Bresgen at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg, graduating in 1980. From 1980 to 1982 Traiger studied at the Conservatoire National in Paris with Ivo Malec. In 1982 he became a student in the master class of Wilhelm Killmayer at the Munich College of Music. His list of works include chamber music, choral music, orchestral music, film music as well as compositions for educational works and historical instruments. Many of his works reflect an interest in Jewish mysticism. For didactic works he strives to provide something that the student could use as a vehicle for expression, attempting to capture the teenage disposition in a moody and thoughtful, yet energetic and optimistic tone. Traiger has received numerous commissions from renowned ensembles and radio choirs. Traiger has had many collaborations with the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk Choir, including an invitation to compose a piece for Schumann-2010, honoring the 200th anniversary of Robert Schumann's birth. His work has appeared on MDR's CD "Das Hohelied Salomos." He has been described by Howard Arman as one of the few composers of music for Baroque instruments today. Laurence Traiger teaches at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and the Innsbruck branch of Mozarteum University of Salzburg. His areas of interest include music history, theory for music teachers, composition and arrangement, and vocal polyphony of the 16th Century. At the 2013 Internationale Sommerakademie Mozaertum, Traiger was featured in a Komponistenporträt (the presentation of a living composer in talk and music).