Janet Maguire

Janet Maguire, born in Chicago and raised in New Rochelle, New York, began musical studies at the age of six, took a B.A. degree with a major in piano at Colorado College, then went to Paris to study composition with René Leibowitz, writing several works in the 12-tone technique.  Several summers at the Darmstadt Ferienkurse introduced her to new, freer tendencies of composition, such as the music of Gyorgy Ligeti, Luigi Nono, Karlheinz Stockhausen, among others, and encounters with Iannis Xenakis in Paris considerably widened the horizon of sound for her.

A constant search for deepening and widening her sound world has resulted, as shown in the variety of some fifty compositions written since, for diverse instrumental and vocal combinations, orchestral, chamber, choral, soloistic works, and opera.  Whatever their type, Ms. Maguire’s works have found receptive audiences in many countries.

An orchestration of selections of Offenbach’s music entitled Nuits Parisiennes (Bote & Bock), the book on orchestration Thinking for Orchestra (G. Schirmer, Inc) in collaboration with Leibowitz, and the Finale of Puccini’s Turandot, which she wrote from Puccini’s own notes, all point to a decided inclination toward the composite sounds, a massive sound universe. In 2010, a performance of  her version of the Turandot Finale will be presented at the New York City Opera.

Ms. Maguire was awarded residence at Copland House by the Aaron Copland Foundation in 2006. She worked as music critic for the International Herald Tribune in Paris.  She is currently a member of the European Society for Culture.