Steve Reich has been awarded Juilliard’s President’s Medal as the pioneering US composer celebrates his 90th year.
The honour was presented by Juilliard President Damian Woetzel on Tuesday 22nd September, before a concert of Reich’s music performed by students at the New York school where he studied. Before the concert, he met with music students to reflect on his career and creative practice, followed by a Q&A with David Serkin Ludwig, Dean and Director of Juilliard’s Music Division.
Reich studied composition at Juilliard in the early 1960s and received an honorary doctorate from the school in 2009. Over a career spanning more than six decades, his music has transformed the language of contemporary composition, with works such as Drumming, Music for 18 Musicians, Tehillim and Different Trains bringing pulse, repetition and gradual musical transformation to audiences far beyond the traditional concert hall.
In presenting the medal, Woetzel praised Reich for “changing the way others understand what music can be”, highlighting his influence on successive generations of composers and performers.
The Juilliard President’s Medal was established in 2005 to recognise individuals who have made a lasting contribution to the arts and served as significant role models at Juilliard and beyond. Reich is the third recipient during Woetzel’s presidency, following civil rights figure Clarence B Jones and choreographer Jacqulyn Buglisi.
