• Most Respected Classical Music Platform
  • #classicalForever
TOP
Nancy Van de Vate

American Composer Nancy Van de Vate has Died, Aged 92

The esteemed composer and founder of the League of Women Composers has passed away in her Vienna home

 

Born in 1930 in Plainfield, New Jersey, Nancy Van de Vate was known worldwide for her music in the large forms. She was later based in Austria for many decades.

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Wellesley College, University of Mississippi, Florida State University, Dartmouth College, and the University of New Hampshire, Van de Vate studied piano, music theory, music composition, and electronic music.

She was the acclaimed composer of the operas All Quiet on the Western Front, Hamlet, and Where The Cross Is Made. In 1987, she wrote Chernobyl, as a direct reaction to the 1986 nuclear catastrophe.

As one of her 26 orchestral works, Chernobyl was widely broadcast after its 1987 record release and performed in Vienna, Hamburg, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, the Chautauqua Festival, and played by the Portland Symphony Orchestra

In 2006, Chernobyl was performed by the Yale Symphony Orchestra to mark the 20th anniversary of the nuclear accident. 

Van de Vate wrote over 100 compositions including numerous solo and chamber music for different instruments and ensembles. Nearly all of her works are published and administered by American Composers Alliance in New York City.

In 1975, Van de Vate founded the International League of Women Composers. Steadfast in her advocacy of women composers, she featured many of their works on the Vienna Modern Masters label, which she founded in 1990 and served as its president and artistic director.

As an educator, she taught music composition at Vienna’s Institute for European Studies and was a faculty member at the Jakarta Conservatory, plus at 11 colleges and universities in the U.S. 

Additionally, she participated in the 2005 World Music Council meeting in Los Angeles, and for 20 years served as a nominator for the Kyoto Prize in Music. Her biography, “Journeys Through the Life and Music of Nancy Van de Vate,” was published in 2004.

She is survived by her three children and six grandchildren. Our condolences to Ms. Van de Vate’s family, friends, students, and colleagues.

upcoming events

february 2025

07febAll Day17International "Franz Schubert and Modern Music” Chamber Music Competition(All Day) Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz, Leonhardstraße 15, A-8010 GrazEvent Type :competitions Event TagsInternational "Franz Schubert and Modern Music” Piano Trio Competition

14febAll Day22Jascha Heifetz International Violin Competition(All Day) Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall, Aušros Vartų g. 5 Vilnius, LithuaniaEvent Type :competitions Event TagsInternational Jascha Heifetz Competition for Violinists

16febAll DayChicago National Chamber Music Competition(All Day: sunday) Ravinia’s Bennett Gordon Hall, 201 St Johns Ave, Highland Park, IL 60035, United StatesEvent Type :competitions Event Tagschamber music,competition

march 2025

15marAll DayMusic Teachers National Association (MTNA) National Conference(All Day: saturday) Hilton Minneapolis, 1001 Marquette Ave. Event Type :conferences & tradeshows Event Tagschamber music,Chamber Music America,Conferences,Music Teachers National Association National Conference

18marAll DayJohansen International String Competition(All Day: tuesday) Calvary Baptist Church, 755 8th Street, NW, Washington, DCEvent Type :competitions

19marAll DayAmerican String Teachers Association (ASTA) National Conference(All Day: wednesday) HYATT REGENCY ATLANTA, 265 Peachtree St Event Type :conferences & tradeshows Event TagsAmerican String Teachers Association,American String Teachers Association National Conference,ASTA,conference

CONTACT US
x

Get ALL our latest conveniently by EMAIL

Our newsletter is trusted by over 100,000+ industry professionals around the world

We deliver news straight to your inbox and will never share your data.
You'll never miss a beat!

click left click right