Freshman class

Cultural notes

Ralf Gawlick, assistant professor of music

DMA, New England Conservatory of Music

Representative composition: Concerto Concertante per Sei Instrumenti, op. 7 (1998-99)

I was born in Germany and have lived, worked, and studied on both sides of the Atlantic. Through my wife, Poland became my adopted country in the last decade. The variety in my cultural background and experiences has helped shape my compositional voice.

I came to music relatively late, but once it entered my life, it completely consumed me. At the age of 13 I began studying the piano, and by 15 I knew I wanted to be a composer. My scholarly work, my "research," is composing. I write in a variety of genres, including solo, chamber, vocal, and orchestral (with and without soloists and/or chorus), and my music frequently draws inspiration from literature, the visual arts, and philosophy.