Gregory Wanamaker

From Wind Repertory Project
Gregory Wanamaker

Biography

Gregory Wanamaker (b. 1968) is an American composer and educator.

Prof. Wanamaker's earliest musical training began at age six in professional summer stock theater companies, and continued through both schooled and self-guided explorations through the American folk music of the 1960s, bebop and free jazz, and Western classical music of the late 20th century. He continues his study of sounds to those from around the world, to draw from a variety of musics to inform his continually evolving voice.

Prolific in all musical media from solo instrumental works to music for chorus and orchestra, Wanamaker’s best-known works are his chamber works that exploit unique timbral characteristics and technical extensions of wind instruments. To date, his virtuosic Duo Sonata for clarinet and saxophone has received over 350 performances world-wide and is featured on five commercial recordings. His Sonata deus sax machina was one of the required pieces for finalists of the 2014 Adolphe Sax International Competition in Dinant, Belgium.

He also is the recipient of a 2012 Individual Artist Commission from The New York State Council on the Arts in addition to awards from ASCAP, The National Association of Composers/USA and Britten-On-The-Bay.

Gregory also collaborates with director and writer, Garth Bardsley, with whom he has composed several substantial works. Their Adirondack Songs for chorus and large wind ensemble is available on Mark Records.

Wanamaker is professor emeritus of composition at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam where he has served from 1997 to 2023. He studied composition with William Averitt, Thomas Albert, Anthony Branker and Ladislav Kubík.


Works for Winds


Resources