Composer of the Week: Julius Eastman

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Composer of the Week

Music: Classical

Composer of the Week - Brand

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

An informative and accessible guide to composers' lives and their music.

Composer of the Week: Julius Eastman (1940-1990): Staying On It

Staying On It

Julius Eastman (1940-1990)

BBC Radio 3 - Composer of the Week, Julius Eastman (1940-1990), Staying On It

Donald Macleod follows Eastman as he makes a pivotal move in his musical game plan.

Donald Macleod attempts to unravel the enigmatic, remarkable story of Julius Eastman and his music. Today, Eastman makes a pivotal move in his musical game plan.

Donald Macleod follows Eastman as he makes a pivotal move in his musical game plan

When this week’s composer died homeless and alone in 1990, almost no one knew, not even his friends, and his work threatened to disappear with him.  Julius Eastman had lit up America’s contemporary music scene as a spellbinding performer and a visionary composer whose music is difficult to pigeonhole.  A gay, black man in the predominantly white world of new music, Eastman was often misunderstood.  His musical voice fused minimalism with pop and the avant-garde, and was inextricable from his identity politics - a sound that was provocative then and remains so today.  He collaborated with luminaries such as Pierre Boulez, Peter Maxwell Davies and Meredith Monk but also faced many struggles, leading to his premature and tragic decline.  This week, Donald Macleod shares his long-overdue story, with insights from American baritone Davone Tines, a performer and champion of Eastman’s music.

Today, Donald charts the most prolific but pivotal period in Eastman’s life. With a respectable teaching job at a prestigious university, a house, and a fulfilling performing career, things seem to be going well for him in Buffalo. But, as an unpredictable character who rarely feels at home in his environment, can it last – and where to, next? 


Joy Boy
SEM Ensemble 

Stay On It 
Georgia Mitoff, voice
Petr Kotik, piano
Benjamin Hudson, violin
Amrom Chodos, clarinet
Joseph Ford, Doug Gaston, saxophones
Dennis Kahle, Jan Williams, percussion
Julius Eastman, director

Fugue No 7
Kukuruz Quartet, pianos

Arthur Russell: Instrumentals, Part I
CETA Orchestra
Julius Eastman, conductor


Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker

Composer of the Week: Julius Eastman (1940-1990)

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Donald Macleod attempts to unravel the enigmatic, remarkable story of Julius Eastman.

Donald Macleod attempts to unravel the enigmatic, remarkable story of Julius Eastman - a spellbinding performer and visionary composer, whose music is difficult to pigeonhole.

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Julius Eastman (1940-1990)

Staying On It

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