Ann Loomis Silsbee
Ann Loomis Silsbee (21 July 1930 - 28 August 2003) was an American composer and poet who composed two operas, published three books of poetry, and received several awards, commissions, and fellowships. Silsbee was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She earned a bachelor's degree from Radcliffe College, a master's in music from Syracuse University, and a doctor of musical arts in composition from Cornell University.
Ann Loomis Silsbee
- Born
- 1930
- Died
- 2003
- Occupation
- poet · composer
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In this article
Commissions
Commissions
• First Street Playhouse, New York • TROIKA Association, Ithaca, New York
Fellowships
Fellowships
• Composers Conference, Vermont • Composer Fellowship Grant, National Endowment for the Arts • Yaddo Residency 1979 Silsbee served on the boards of the American Composers Alliance (ACA) and the International League of Women Composers. Her papers are archived at Cornell University. Her works were recorded commercially on the LPs TURNA TV 34704 and NORTH NR 221, and published by the ACA. They include:
Chamber
Chamber
• Another River (cello quartet and percussion) • Expressions (clarinet) • Glyphs (guitar and harpsichord) • Go Gentle (three woodwinds or three strings) • Journey (flute and percussion) • Pathway (percussion and strings) • Phantasy (oboe and harpsichord) • Pharos (cello, piano and percussion) • Quartet (clarinet, violin, cello and piano) • Quest (string quartet) • Runemusic (cello) • Spirals (string quartet; also arranged for piano and for orchestra) • Three Chants (unspecified number of flutes) • Trialogue (violin, clarinet and piano)
Dance
Dance
• River (two groups of musicians and optional dancers)
Electronic
Electronic
• Prometheus (bass, chorus, chamber ensemble and tape)
Opera
Opera
• Nightingale’s Apprentice (for children; libretto by Margaret Weaver) • People Tree
Orchestra
Orchestra
• Seven Rituals • Spirals (also arranged for string quartet and for piano) • Trois Historiettes
Piano
Piano
• Bagatelle • Corrai (prepared piano) • Doors (Burge Eastman prize) • Expressions • In and Out the Window • Letter from a Field Biologist (two pianos) • Spirals (also arranged for string quartet and for orchestra)
Vocal
Vocal
• An Acre for a Bird (motet) • Bourn (text by A. R. Ammons; soprano, tenor, cello and harpsichord) • Canticle (text after the Song of Solomon; soprano, oboe and harpsichord) • De Amore et Morte (woman's voice and chamber ensemble) • Diffraction (text by e. e. cummings; soprano, flute, piano and percussion) • Dona Nobis Pacem (chorus) • “Huit Chants en Brun” (text by Federico Garcia Lorca; translated into French by Andre Belamich) • Hymn (text by A. R. Ammons; soprano, oboe and piano) • Icarus (eight voices, recorder, and bongo drums) • Leavings (soprano, percussion and prepared piano) • Mirages (text by e. e. cummings; bass, cello and quarter tone harpsichord) • “Now” (text by e. e. cummings) • Only the Cold, Bare Moon (song cycle based on eight Chinese poems; soprano, flute and piano) • Pictures from Brueghel (soprano and chorus) • Raft (text by A. R. Ammons; narrator and percussion) • Scroll (soprano and chamber ensemble)
Books
• Book of Ga • Fullest Tide (published posthumously) • Orioling
Awards
She studied with Irving Fine, Earl George, and Karel Husa, and in Paris with unspecified teachers. Her dissertation was on a composition by Peter Maxwell Davies called Stone Litany. While at Cornell, she attended a poetry seminar led by Archibald Randolph (A.R.) Ammons, whose poetry she would later set to music. She married Robert Silsbee, a physicist who taught at Cornell, and they had three sons, Doug, David, and Peter. In 1964, Silsbee's work River was performed at the Ferienkurs fuer Neue Musik in Darmstadt, Germany. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she taught at the State University of Cortland (New York) and at Cornell University. In the early 2000s, she hosted several poetry groups and retreats. Her awards, commissions, and fellowships included:
• Burge Eastman Prize • Society for New Music
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Ann Loomis Silsbee, revision 1301005088 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Hixon, Donald L. Women in music : an encyclopedic biobibliography. Scarecrow Press. 1993. 0-8108-2769-7.
- 2.Borroff, Edith. American operas : a checklist. Harmonie Park Press. 1992. 0-89990-063-1.
- 3.Zhou, Andrew. Downriver: Ann Silsbee and the Creation of Letter from a Field Biologist.
- 4.Stern, Susan. Women composers : a handbook. Scarecrow Press. 1978. 0-8108-1138-3.
- 5.Anderson, Ruth. Contemporary American composers : a biographical dictionary. G.K. Hall. 1976. 0-8161-1117-0.
- 6.Crystal Record Company. Directory of New Music. 1983.
- 7.Cohen, Aaron I. International encyclopedia of women composers. 1987. 0-9617485-2-4.
- 8.Surtees, Warnaby, John. The Music Of Peter Maxwell Davies Based On The Writings Of George Mackay Brown. 1005982091.
- 9.Home, Bangs Funeral. Obituary for Robert H. Silsbee Bangs Funeral Home.
- 10.McVicker, Mary F. Women Opera Composers: Biographies from the 1500s to the 21st Century. McFarland. 2016-08-04. 978-1-4766-2361-0.
- 11.Heinrich, Adel. Organ and harpsichord music by women composers : an annotated catalog. Greenwood Press. 1991. 978-0-313-38790-6.
- 12.Stewart-Green, Miriam. Women composers : a checklist of works for the solo voice. G.K. Hall. 1980. 0-8161-8498-4.
- 13.Price, Nancy. Cello and Double Bass Ensemble Music. Lulu.com. 2016-02-25. 978-1-329-92715-5.
- 14.Department of Music, Idaho State University. The Clarinet. 1980.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 27 September 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Ann K. SchwaderAuthor
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