REVIEWS
Reviewing the 2014 Naxos CD called “Shattered,” Jordan Borg from NewMusicBox wrote, "From the relentless, primal energy of 'Shattered Glass' to the naked beauty of 'Whom do you call angel now? Brouwer’s music represents just how uniquely diverse the output and voice of a single composer can be."
“devoid of slickness…true to a vision” (New York Times)
“inhabiting its own peculiarly bewitching harmonic world” (New York Times)
“a marvelous example of musical imagery.” (American Record Guide)
NEWS
The Music Division of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center has created a Margaret Brouwer Collection. Brouwer's scores, manuscripts, papers, and recordings will be made available for research by scholars, composers and performers.
RECENT COMMISSIONS
Dallas Symphony
Detroit Symphony
Rochester Philharmonic
American Pianists Association
American Composer's Orchestra
CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra
AWARDS
National Endowment for the Arts Award 2012, 2003
Guggenheim Award 2004
Ohio Council for the Arts Individual Fellowship 2005
Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Music 2006
Elaine Lebenbom Memorial Award 2009
Meet the Composer Commissioning Award 2010
Watch a trailer of “Voice of the Lake” to hear the beautiful music of Brouwer’s environmental oratorio
On October 19, 2018, Blue Streak Ensemble premiered the revised version of Margaret Brouwer's environmental oratorio Voice of the Lake at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The performance was professionally recorded and is now available for purchase for $30.00 (plus $5 shipping)! For each DVD purchased, we will donate $8 to the North American Lake Management Society.
MARGARET BROUWER was named one of “The Best of Female Classical Composers” on Naxos’ album POWER TO THE WOMEN. Brouwer’s Sizzle, performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gerard Schwarz, is featured on this all female album alongside legends such as Joan Tower, Jennifer Higdon, Clara Schumann, and Hildegard.
RECENT RELEASE
Announcing the release of a CD featuring Margaret Brouwer's "Concerto for Viola" played by Ellen Rose and "Concerto for Violin" played by Gary Levinson, recorded by members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Jaap van Zweden.
Listen to Margaret Brouwer's chamber CD, "Shattered," released by Naxos in 2014. It is available for purchase on Amazon.
CD REVIEWS
"Margaret Brouwer has an ear for creating some exquisite sounds and textures that listeners will find beguiling. The performances are first rate as is the recording ..."
Read the full review on The Classical Reviewer
"Musically, the contemporary instrumental works on this release tend toward an effective fusion of traditional and extended techniques. Unlike many such attempts, the music heard here blends the two without the extended materials becoming gimmicky or distracting. In fact, the nuanced and appropriate inclusion of these elements enhances the music, achieving in an arena where musical success is often elusive." Read the full review on Second Inversion
"(Brouwer) has a talent for taking the simplest melody and through her expansive array of compositional techniques, develop it into a polished musical gem. And even when employing a twelve-tone row, Brouwer never ventures into the realm of compositional gimmickry. Every note she writes has musical purpose." Read the full review on ClevelandClassical
"The music switches from a cool neo-Classical demeanor, all buoyant rhythms and sleek textures, to howls of Expressionist anguish - and then back again without a hitch. The emotional vividness of the result is remarkable, and the performances by the Blue Streak Ensemble and the Maia String Quartet with clarinetist Daniel Silver only underscore Brouwer’s versatility." Read the full review in the San Francisco Chronicle
"From the relentless, primal energy of 'Shattered Glass' to the naked beauty of 'Whom do you call angel now?' and lushness of her arrangement of Debussy’s 'Clair de Lune', Brouwer’s music represents just how uniquely diverse the output and voice of a single composer can be." Read the full review on NewMusicBox
“The music makes a very strong impression and there is a high level of invention, emotional pull and craftsmanship to be heard…All that needs to be said is that the sound is dynamic and thrilling. The playing is faultless and brilliant.” Read the full review on MusicWeb International