American Composer Richard Wernick has Died, Aged 91

The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer composed hundreds of works

The American composer Richard Wernick, who was named the winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1977 for his work Visions of Terror and Wonder, has passed away at the age of 91.

Born in 1934 in Boston, Wernick played the piano and the clarinet in childhood, and added composition during his teens — before studying at Brandeis University. He was also a conductor and during the 1950s he studied under Leonard Bernstein at the Tanglewood Music Center, going on to conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Penn Contemporary Players (which he founded), and several other ensembles.

Having been music director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and then a professor of music at the State University of New York in Buffalo, Wernick then took a teaching position at the University of Chicago.

In 1968, composer George Crumb invited Wernick to join the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. He was to remain there until his retirement in 1996, and his tenure saw him serve as the Irving Fine Professor of Music, music department chairman, Magnin Professor of Humanities, and a mentor to student composers.

As a composer, Wernick studied with teachers including Aaron Copland, Ernst Toch, Boris Blacher, Irving Fine, Harold Shapero, and Leon Kirchner.

His works often reflected on current events: for instance, the Kaddish Requiem was written for victims of the Vietnam War, while the final movement of the Duo for Cello and Piano focused on the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001.

A prolific composer, Wernick produced hundreds of scores over his six-decade career and appeared on more than a dozen records. Alongside the Pulitzer Prize, in 1991 he also became the first composer to win the Kennedy Center's Friedheim Award for new American music.

Our condolences to Wernick's family, friends, and colleagues.