Manus Sasonkin

Sasonkin, Manus

Sasonkin, Manus. Composer, pianist, harpsichordist, musicologist, teacher, conductor, b Brooklyn, NY, 30 May 1930; B MUS (Yale) 1949, M MUS (Yale) 1950, PH D (Boston)1953. He studied composition with Quincy Porter and Paul Hindemith (Yale U), Gardner Read (Boston U), and Arnold Schoenberg (privately); harpsichord with Ralph Kirkpatrick (Yale U); musicology with Karl Geiringer (Boston U); and conducting with Pierre Monteux (Domaine School) and Leonard Bernstein (Tanglewood). Sasonkin's academic career began 1948-9 with a teaching fellowship in theory (Boston U). He was an instructor in theory, harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, composition, and 20th-century techniques at the St Louis Institute of Music 1954-66. He began teaching at the University of Alberta in 1966, where he has trained many composition students. Among his commissioned works are Festival Overture for the St Louis Little Symphony Society, Divertimento for Wind Orchestra for Washington U, Notturno for String Orchestra for the St Louis String Ensemble, Musica Post Prandia (orchestra) for Irwin Hoffman, Psalm VIII (tenor and organ) for Temple Israel of St Louis, Elegy (viola and orchestra) for the University City SO Association, Sinfonia Concertante (five solo winds and orchestra) for the New Music Circle of St Louis, Eight Interludes (harpsichord) for Fernando Valenti, and Symphony for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. Other works include eight sonatas for piano solo, four sets of interludes for piano, Suite for solo piano, Sonata for Two Pianos, Concerto for two solo pianos, Sonata for Viola and Piano, Sonata for Cello and Piano, Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano, many songs for solo voice and piano, Concerto for Orchestra, and two string quartets (revised 1988 and 1990). As a conductor, Sasonkin has led the New Haven SO, the St Louis Little Symphony, the University of Alberta Symphony, and the Edmonton SO. As a pianist and harpsichordist, he has played many university concerts in the USA and Canada, and with the Edmonton Little Symphony Orchestra. He has also been active in the theatre, both as an actor and as a composer of incidental music for many productions. He has served as vice-president of the Edmonton Chamber Music Society, and consultant in harmony for the WBM.