News: July 2000

Steve Reich Receives William Schuman Award

Steve Reich

teve Reich was recently awarded Columbia University's William Schuman Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements. The award, and its accompanying unrestricted grant of $50,000, will be presented to Reich at a special ceremony and concert of his music on September 21 in Columbia's Miller Theater.

The Schuman family began the award in 1981. It has only been given five times in 19 years. Past winners were David Diamond, Gunther Schuller, Milton Babbitt, and Hugo Weisgall.

Bruce Ferguson, Dean of the Columbia School of the Arts, said, "Steve Reich has pursued a distinctly individual path, and in so doing has reshaped the American musical landscape. It is fitting that a composer whose work has inspired and influenced artists across many other disciplines as well, be honored... His work embodies those qualities that define great artists: vision, craft, and artistic resonance through intensely personal means."