Biography
Born in Israel, Amnon Wolman now divides his time equally between that country and the United States. Since the early 1980s he has produced compositions that began with orchestral and chamber ensembles before he incorporated the computer into both the writing and performance processes. Elements of romanticism persist in his output, as in the post-modern lieder Thomas and Beulah, while sociopolitical themes appear regularly in concept or title, reflecting his activism on behalf of gay rights and Middle Eastern political issues. He holds teaching positions at Northwestern University in Chicago and at Tel Aviv University.
Raised in Jerusalem, Wolman grew up in a household where music played a central role, yet he did not commit to a musical career until performing in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the age of twelve. Following compulsory military service from 1973 to 1976, he spent time working in television before enrolling at Tel Aviv University. When conflict between Israel and Lebanon intensified in 1982, the master’s student secured a government exchange scholarship to the Netherlands and entered the Institute for Sonology. Expecting to confirm his disdain for computer music, he instead found his outlook reversed. Subsequent studies at Stanford University from 1985 to 1986, including an encounter with John Cage, solidified his identity as an avant-garde composer.
Wolman joined the faculty of Northwestern University in 1989, where he also directed the computer music studio, and thereafter accepted numerous teaching and lecturing engagements worldwide. Participation in New Music America in Montreal in 1990 led to the release of his electro-acoustic piece “Man-Bridge” on the Empreintes DIGITALes compilation Électro Clips. Wergo later issued a disc devoted to his chamber music. In 1993 he directed and produced Don Giovanni Revisited, drawn from Mozart’s opera; the work opened in Chicago and subsequently toured as far as Israel. The 1994 composition Andy Warhol Diaries extended to eleven hours and solicited contributions via the Internet when the network was still emerging. Although grants and awards accumulated, his works remained largely unrecorded.
At the start of the twenty-first century the situation changed. Innova released the electro-acoustic song cycle Thomas and Beulah, setting poems by Rita Dove, while c74, a label belonging to Cycling 74, issued Dangerous Bend, a set of computer pieces that connected Wolman with the experimental electronica community.
Raised in Jerusalem, Wolman grew up in a household where music played a central role, yet he did not commit to a musical career until performing in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at the age of twelve. Following compulsory military service from 1973 to 1976, he spent time working in television before enrolling at Tel Aviv University. When conflict between Israel and Lebanon intensified in 1982, the master’s student secured a government exchange scholarship to the Netherlands and entered the Institute for Sonology. Expecting to confirm his disdain for computer music, he instead found his outlook reversed. Subsequent studies at Stanford University from 1985 to 1986, including an encounter with John Cage, solidified his identity as an avant-garde composer.
Wolman joined the faculty of Northwestern University in 1989, where he also directed the computer music studio, and thereafter accepted numerous teaching and lecturing engagements worldwide. Participation in New Music America in Montreal in 1990 led to the release of his electro-acoustic piece “Man-Bridge” on the Empreintes DIGITALes compilation Électro Clips. Wergo later issued a disc devoted to his chamber music. In 1993 he directed and produced Don Giovanni Revisited, drawn from Mozart’s opera; the work opened in Chicago and subsequently toured as far as Israel. The 1994 composition Andy Warhol Diaries extended to eleven hours and solicited contributions via the Internet when the network was still emerging. Although grants and awards accumulated, his works remained largely unrecorded.
At the start of the twenty-first century the situation changed. Innova released the electro-acoustic song cycle Thomas and Beulah, setting poems by Rita Dove, while c74, a label belonging to Cycling 74, issued Dangerous Bend, a set of computer pieces that connected Wolman with the experimental electronica community.
Albums
Singles
