Peter Westergaard

Peter Talbot Westergaard (born 1931) is an American composer and music theorist. He is Professor Emeritus of music at Princeton University.

Biography

Westergaard was born in 1931 in Urbana, Illinois. He pursued undergraduate studies at Harvard University, graduating in 1953, and in 1956 obtained an M.F.A. degree from Princeton University. He studied with Roger Sessions, Walter Piston, Darius Milhaud, Edward Cone, Milton Babbitt and last but not least Wolfgang Fortner in Freiburg/Germany.

He taught at Columbia University, Amherst College, and Princeton University before retiring in 2001. Westergaard continues to be active as a composer, mainly of opera and chamber music.

Music

Operas

*"Mr. and Mrs. Discobbolos" (1966)
*"The Tempest" (1994)
*"Moby Dick: Scenes from an Imaginary Opera" (2004)
*"Alice in Wonderland" (2006)

Writings

*"An Introduction to Tonal Theory". New York: W.W. Norton, 1975.

External links

* [http://www.tam.uiuc.edu/history/Talbot/rh_talbot5.html A biograhical article]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/21/arts/music/21alic.html?ex=1152244800&en=91387f7874c95024&ei=5070 New York Times review of "Alice in Wonderland"]
* [http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pwb/04/1018/7a.shtml Article on "The Tempest" from Princeton Weekly Bulletin] http://symphonyspace.org/event/2346