Biography

The music of Howard Frazin has been called “genuinely touching” by the Dallas Morning News and “clear in design…ingeniously scored…[with] an almost unbearable poignancy” by The Boston Globe. His works are commissioned and performed by many leading ensembles including A Far Cry, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston, Boston Classical Orchestra, Claremont Trio, Florestan Recital Project, Lorelei Ensemble, Lydian String Quartet, and Triple Helix, and programmed at festivals including Tanglewood, Aspen, Banff, Rockport, Monadnock, Bowdoin, Kneisel Hall, and Yellow Barn. His works are published by Edition Peters and recorded on Ravello Records and MSR Classics.

Mr. Frazin’s oratorio The Voice of Isaac—a retelling of the Abraham and Isaac story from Isaac’s perspective—was commissioned by PALS Children’s Chorus and premiered at Boston’s Jordan Hall in 2003, and recently revised and performed by Coro Allegro at Sanders Theatre. Orchestral works include Of Echoes and Dreams premiered in 2018 by Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra; In the Forests of the Night, commissioned and premiered by the Boston Classical Orchestra, with subsequent performances by multiple orchestras across the United States, including Pro Arte in 2017. Other recent projects include a viola concerto for the Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms Society featuring internationally-renowned soloist Kim Kashkashian, a song cycle, Letting Go, in collaboration with the late U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall and premiered by baritone Keith Phares, and a string quartet for Boston’s Arneis Quartet. Upcoming 2020 commissioned projects include a new piano sonata for Jonathan Bass to be premiered on the Walden Chamber Players concert series, and a new work for guitarist Eliot Fisk, violinist James Buswell, and cellist Carol Ou commissioned by Music for Peace.

Mr. Frazin is co-founder and artistic director of WordSong and has taught composition at the New England Conservatory and the Longy School of Music. He was a composition student of Dominick Argento.

Listen Teaching Press

Commissions

  • A Far Cry
  • Andover Chamber Players
  • Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms Society (2)
  • Boston Classical Orchestra (2)
  • Composers in Red Sneakers (2)
  • Nicholas Davies, clarinet
  • Sidney H. Drury
  • Florestan Recital Project
  • Fromm Foundation/Composers in Red Sneakers
  • Ching-Hsin Hsu for Lone Man Orchestra
  • JAMS
  • Alexander Levine for the Lydian String Quartet
  • Naomi Gurt Lind, voice
  • Longy School of Music (2)
  • Mockingbird Trio (2)
  • New England Philharmonic
  • PALS Children’s Chorus
  • Sarah Pelletier, soprano
  • Powers Music School
  • Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra
  • Rhonda Rider, cello
  • Rivers School Conservatory (5)
  • Rockport Music
  • Roxbury Latin School
  • Sarasa Chamber Ensemble
  • Dr. Scholl Foundation (7)
  • Joan Smith (5)
  • Mark Smith and Andrew Mark, viola and cello
  • Tapestry
  • Triple Helix
  • Vento Chiaro
  • Scott Woolweaver, viola
  • WordSong (12)
  • World-wide Concurrent Premieres and Commissioning Fund, Inc.

Publications and Recordings

Collaborators

Voice

  • Kendra Colton, soprano
  • Ilana Davidson, soprano
  • Maria Jette, soprano
  • Barbara Ann Martin, soprano
  • Ann Moss, soprano
  • Sarah Pelletier, soprano
  • Michelle Trainor, soprano
  • Kristen Watson, soprano
  • Jayne West, soprano
  • Janna Baty, mezzo-soprano
  • D’Anna Fortunato, mezzo-soprano
  • Thea Lobo, mezzo-soprano
  • Krista River, mezzo-soprano
  • Elizabeth Anker, contralto
  • Emily Marvosh, contralto
  • Matthew Anderson, tenor
  • Charles Blandy, tenor
  • Frank Kelley, tenor
  • William Hite, tenor
  • Aaron Engebreth, baritone
  • Robert Honeysucker, baritone
  • David Kravitz, baritone
  • Keith Phares, baritone
  • Sumner Thompson, baritone

Choruses and Vocal Ensembles

  • Boston Arts Academy Concert Choir (Beth Willer, conductor)
  • Boston City Singers
  • Coro Allegro (David Hodgkins, director)
  • First Church Boston Choir
  • Libella Quartet
  • Liber unUsualis
  • Longy Young Performers Chamber Chorus
  • Lorelei Ensemble (Beth Willer, director)
  • Norway Pond Festival Singers (Jody Hill Simpson, director)
  • Oratorio Chorale (Emily Isaacson, director)
  • PALS Children’s Chorus [Voices Boston] (Jody Hill Simpson, director)
  • Roxbury Latin Glee Club (Rob Opdycke, director)
  • Tapestry
  • Words & Music

Piano

  • Donald Berman
  • Kate Boyd
  • Geoffrey Burleson
  • Winston Choi
  • Frank Corliss
  • Alison d’Amato
  • Judith Gordon
  • Laura Kennedy
  • Shiela Kibbe
  • John McDonald
  • Robert Merfeld
  • Linda Osborn
  • Sally Pinkas
  • Elizabeth Schumann
  • Lois Shapiro
  • Dolores Stevens
  • Thomas Stumpf
  • Janice Weber
  • Yehudi Wyner
  • Elise Yun

Percussion

  • Robert Schulz

Strings

  • Lynn Blakeslee, violin
  • Heidi Braun-Hill, violin
  • Gabriela Diaz, violin
  • Jennifer Elowitch, violin
  • Rohan Gregory, violin
  • Valeria Kuchment, violin (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
  • Julie Leven, violin
  • John Macfarlane, violin
  • Christina Day Martinson, violin
  • Sally Mermelstein, violin (Minnesota Orchestra)
  • Daniel Stepner, violin
  • Mirabai Weismehl, violin
  • Sarah Darling, viola
  • Kim Kashkashian, viola
  • Kurt Rohde, viola
  • Mark Smith, viola
  • Lisa Suslowicz, viola
  • Scott Wooweaver, viola
  • Sebastian Bäverstam, cello
  • Julia Bruskin, cello
  • Emmanuel Feldman, cello
  • Daire Fitzgerald, cello
  • Sarah Freiberg, cello
  • Joshua Gordon, cello
  • Thomas Kraines, cello
  • Ron Lowry, cello
  • Andrew Mark, cello
  • Rafael Popper-Keizer, cello
  • Rhonda Rider, cello
  • David Russell, cello
  • Brant Taylor, cello (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
  • Elizabeth Remy, harp (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)

Winds and Brass

  • Alicia DiDonato, flute
  • Peggy Friedland, flute
  • Nicole Pelonzi, flute
  • Julie Scolnik, flute
  • Fenwick Smith, flute (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
  • Jonathan Cohler, clarinet
  • Kenneth Radnofsky, saxophone
  • Philipp Stäudlin, saxophone
  • Eli Newberger, tuba
  • Mike Roylance, tuba (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
  • Gene Pokorny (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

Orchestras

  • A Far Cry
  • Andover Chamber Players
  • Boston Bar Association Orchestra (Beverly Taylor, conductor)
  • Boston Classical Orchestra (Steven Lipsitt, conductor)
  • Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms Society (Steven Lipsitt, conductor)
  • The Cadenza Players (William Drury, conductor)
  • Longy SeptemberFest Chamber Orchestra (Jeffrey Rink, conductor)
  • Longy Chamber Orchestra
  • Longy Young Performers Chamber Orchestra (George Ogata, conductor)
  • Pro Arte Orchestra of Boston (Kevin Rhodes, director; David Angus, guest conductor)
  • Rivers Symphony Orchestra
  • Rivers School Conservatory Honors String Ensemble
  • Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra (Robin Fountain, conductor)
  • Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra (Michael Korn, conductor)
  • Wellesley Symphony Orchestra (Max Hobart, conductor)

String Quartets

  • Arden String Quartet
  • Arneis Quartet
  • Lydian String Quartet
  • Quartet X
  • Semiosis String Quartet

Piano Trios

  • The Claremont Trio
  • The Meiningen Trio
  • Triple Helix
  • Trio con Anima

Wind Quintets

  • Avalerion Winds
  • Vento Chiaro

Saxophone Quartets

  • Fresno State Saxophone Quartet
  • Radnofsky Quartet

Brass Quintets

  • Brass Menagerie
  • Commonwealth Brass
  • Triton Brass Quintet

Mixed Ensembles

  • Aurea Ensemble
  • Classical Jam
  • Florestan Recital Project
  • Freon Ensemble
  • Ibis Camerata
  • Mockingbird Trio
  • Sarasa Ensemble
  • Xanthos Ensemble