The music of Schubert Club Composer-in-Residence Abbie Betinis (b. 1980) is being performed increasingly in the United States and abroad. Praised for its melodic impulse and unfolding dramatic design, her music is also characterized by rhythmic vigor and playfulness. She has been commissioned by more than 40 music organizations including the American Suzuki Foundation, Cantus, Cornell University Chorus, and the Dale Warland Singers. Betinis holds a BA from St. Olaf College, MA in music composition from the University of Minnesota, and has traveled on scholarship to Paris, France through the European American Musical Alliance to study harmony and counterpoint in the tradition of Nadia Boulanger. She has received grants and awards from the American Composers Forum, American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP), the Jerome Foundation, and the Minnesota Music Educators Association. Besides her work at The Schubert Club, Betinis has also held residencies with The Singers-Minnesota Choral Artists and The Rose Ensemble.
From solo to orchestra, epigram to epic, Schubert Club Composer-in-Residence Edie Hill's music unfolds seamlessly in all spaces and idioms. Born in New York City (1962), her works are widely performed in the United States, Canada, Eastern and Western Europe. Venues and presenters have included Lincoln Center, LA County Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, Walker Arts Center, Cape May Festival (NJ), The Downtown Arts Festival (NYC), Liviu Cultural Center (Romania), Feszek Müvészklub (Budapest), the towns of Alkmaar, Zeist, Groningen, Zutphen, Breda and Bilthoven (The Netherlands), Saint Paul’s Schubert Club, classrooms and cafes, basilicas and back yards. A three time McKnight Artist Fellow and a two-time Bush Artist Fellow, Hill has been awarded grants from the Jerome Foundation, ASCAP, Meet The Composer and Chamber Music America to name a few. She actively cultivates the talents of young composers and musicians as well as educating and engaging the public in the music of today. She has been a guest lecturer at such institutions as Syracuse University, the American Composers Forum, the Iowa Composers Forum Nuts N’ Bolts Festival, Tufts University, the University of Michigan and Delft University (Netherlands). Hill earned a B.A. in music composition and piano performance at Bennington College where she studied with Vivian Fine, then earned her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Minnesota with principle composition teacher Lloyd Ultan. She has also studied extensively with Libby Larsen. She resides in Minneapolis where she works as a freelance composer.
Past Artists-in-Residence:
Past artists-in-residence include composer David Evan Thomas, pianist Roderick Kettlewell, composer Cung Tien, oboist Stanley King, gamelan musician Joko Sutrisno, and early music ensemble Belladonna.
music in photo above by David Evan Thomas