Vladimir Ussachevsky Biography

Vladimir Ussachevsky	Vladimir Kirilovitch Ussachevsky Born: 1911-11-03 Birthplace: Hailar Died: 1990-01-02 Location of Death: New York City Race: White Field: Composer Famous for: Tape music composer
Field: Composer

Vladimir Kirilovitch Ussachevsky (Hailar, Manchuria, November 3, 1911 – New York, New York, January 2, 1990) was a composer particularly known for his work in electronic music.

Born to Russian parents in Manchuria (now Inner Mongolia, China), Ussachevsky emigrated to the United States in 1931 and studied music at Pomona College in Claremont, California (B.A., 1935), as well as at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York (M.M., 1936, Ph.D., 1939). His early, neo-Romantic works, are composed for traditional instruments, but in 1951 began composing electronic music.

In 1947, following a stint with the U.S. Army Intelligence division in World War II, he joined the faculty of Columbia University, teaching there until his retirement in 1980. Together with Otto Luening, Ussachevsky founded, in 1959, the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York City. Ussachevsky also taught and was composer-in-residence at the University of Utah. He served as president of the American Composers Alliance from 1968 to 1970 and was an advisory member of the CRI record label, which released recordings of a number of his compositions.

His notable students include Charles Wuorinen, Alice Shields, Ingram Marshall, and Richard Einhorn.

Recordings of his music have also been released on the Capstone, d'Note, and New World labels.