Brian T. Field | |
|---|---|
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| Born | December 1, 1967 United States |
| Occupation | Composer |
Brian T. Field (born December 1, 1967) is an American composer of music for chamber groups, choirs and orchestras. He is noted for thematically pairing his music with topics of activism and social issues, particularly climate change and immigration. Field has taught at Columbia University,[1] Seton Hall University, and American University.
Brian Field was raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Toledo, Ohio. He began his formal musical education with piano studies at age eight, and his first serious compositional efforts at age sixteen. Field pursued his undergraduate degree at Connecticut College under the mentorship of Noel Zahler. His academic journey was marked with numerous accolades including graduating Magna Cum Laude, being inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, and receiving the Rosemary Park Fellowship and the Mahan Music Prize for Highest Attainment in Music[2]
He earned a M.M. in composition at the Juilliard School in New York, where he was a student of Milton Babbitt subsequently earning his doctorate in composition as a President's Fellow at Columbia University as a student of Mario Davidovsky and George Edwards. His doctoral composition and analysis was a work for violoncello quartet, Metamorphoses Messianiques.[3]
Field adopts an eclectic fusion[4] in his musical approach, demonstrating a “versatility that is both striking and impressive,”[5] blending lyricism with driving rhythms to create a harmonious confluence of post-romanticism, minimalism, and jazz that are modulated based upon the particular topic of the work. This adaptive signature style has carved a unique niche for Field in the modern musical landscape, making his compositions resonate with a wide audience.
First public reviews of Field's work emerged with the release of his String Quartet #1 (2019) on a compilation of string quartets performed by the New York based Sirius Quartet. Gramophone took note of the work, and wrote that "[Field’s] First Quartet makes me want to hear more. Its four very rhythmic movements are models of concision, real dialogues between the four musicians."[6] The American Record Guide took particular focus on the second, lyrical movement of the quartet, commenting that "Field's Quartet #1 has a true gem of a second movement: here we get that delicious sense of longing, of needing, as the strings climb higher and higher on their fingerboards: almost like they're attempting to touch heaven."
In 2021, Field released a compilation of his vocal music on the Navona label, which attracted additional attention once again from Gramophone, that wrote "Field’s music has a winning melodic flow and harmonic translucency that make it easy to appreciate."[7] The bi-monthly Fanfare Magazine further commented that "Field’s versatility is both striking and impressive and stretches tonality to and beyond its limits, but always in a soaring, lyrical manner.”[8] The music monthly The Whole Note noted that the recording is "an important disc, no doubt, often dripping with sardonicism and bitterness, shrouded in the music’s frequent dissonance. Gorgeous songs complemented by great choral and solo singing, however, triumph over these feelings, in a program selected and sequenced with uncommon care, with Field drawing on his consummate musicianship fueled by hopefulness."[9]
As part of the Vocal Works compilation, Field addressed issues of immigration through musical parody of both right- and left-wing extremes in his composition “Let’s Build a Wall!" In interviews he has remarked that “the main challenge we face in this country is extremism in all its forms which leaves great room for commentary and parody. Through the music and reflection, we can form a greater self-awareness of how we all need to consider immigration issues.”[10] The Whole Note commented that through this work “Field shows that he isn’t afraid to wear his emotions on his sleeve, nor does he shrink away from the bitterness of social commentary.”[11]
In 2021, Field composed a suite for solo piano on the theme of climate change, dedicated to fellow Juilliard alum Sony Classical artist, Kay Kun Eun Kim. The work, “Three Passions for Our Tortured Planet” has become a multi-year global project involving dozens of pianists from around the world to drive awareness of climate change and raise donations for the non-profit Union of Concerned Scientists to support climate policy change. The work has since gone beyond traditional concert settings and commercial recordings, extending to underground night clubs and multimedia amplification across social media platforms.[12]
