Off The Podium

Ep. 86: Stephen Hartke, composer. Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan. Winner of the 2013 GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Stephen Hartke is widely recognized as one of the leading composers of his generation, whose work has been hailed for both its singularity of voice and the inclusive breadth of its inspiration. From 1987 to 2015, he taught at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, retiring as Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He now serves as Professor and Chair of Composition at Oberlin Conservatory. “One of the most distinctive and important living composers.” - New York Times In this podcast we talk about his move from CA to OH, his passion for non-western music genres and incorporating those ideas in his compositions. We also talk about composing with boundaries and having the freedom to compose without any restrictions. Hartke also gives advice to young composers, talks about inspirational figures in his life, and the future of classical music