Richard Lavenda

Richard Lavenda composes music that is sometimes boldly dramatic and sometimes poignantly lyrical, but always emotionally expressive and formally coherent. No matter what the piece, there are always clearly defined motives, an imaginative and personal use of instrumental color and melodic counterpoint, and strong rhythmic energy that comes as much from jazz and rock and roll as from his classical role models. His catalog of more than sixty works ranges from works for solo flute to an opera, and includes numerous pieces for orchestra and for a wide diversity of chamber ensembles.

Lavenda’s music has been commissioned, performed and recorded by, among many others, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Musica Nova/Tel Aviv, the Slovak Radio Orchestra, the Diotima, Chiara, Enso, T’Ang, and Sun String Quartets, ZAWA!, Project Trio, the Concordia Trio, and the New Israeli Vocal Ensemble. [He has been a featured composer on many campuses and concert series around the United States, at festivals and concerts in Israel, South Korea, Germany, the Czech Republic, Australia, Ukraine, Finland, and Slovenia, and on programs at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.] He has received awards and grants from organizations such including the National Opera Association, the Houston Arts Alliance, the Vaughn Family Foundation, the Miazawa Flute Company, and Da Camera of Houston.

A native of New Jersey, Lavenda received degrees from Dartmouth College, Rice University, and the University of Michigan. He joined the faculty of the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University in 1987, where he is Professor of Composition and Theory.