Composers

Tania Justina León

1943 -

About

Tania Leon (b. 1943), from Havana, Cuba, is highly regarded as a composer and conductor and recognized for her accomplishments as an educator and advisor to arts organizations. She has been profiled on ABC, CBS, CNN, PBS, Univision, Telemundo, and independent films. León has also received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Colgate University, Oberlin, and SUNY Purchase College, and has served as U.S. Artistic Ambassador of American Culture in Madrid, Spain. A Professor at Brooklyn College since 1985 and at the Graduate Center of CUNY, she was named Distinguished Professor of the City University of New York in 2006. In 2010 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her works have been performed by such orchestras as the Gewaundhausorchester, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the China National Symphony, and the NDR Orchestra. She has collaborated with authors and directors including John Ashbury, Margaret Atwood, Rita Dove, Jamaica Kincaid, Mark Lamos, Julie Taymor, and Derek Walcott. León's opera Scourge of Hyacinths, based on a play by Wole Soyinka with staging and design by Robert Wilson, received over 20 performances throughout Europe and Mexico. Commissioned by Hans Werner Henze and the city of Munich for the Fourth Munich Biennale, it took home the coveted BMW Prize. The aria "Oh Yemanja" ("Mother's Prayer") was recorded by Dawn Upshaw on her Nonesuch CD, "The World So Wide." Her honors include the New York Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award, Symphony Space's Access to the Arts, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, and the Fromm, Koussevitzky, and Guggenheim Fellowships. In 2012 she received both a Grammy nomination (for "Best Contemporary Classical Composition") and a Latin Grammy nomination (for "Best Classical Contemporary Composition") and in 2013 she was the recipient of the prestigious 2013 ASCAP Victor Herbert Award.

Related Information

http://www.tanialeon.com, http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/leon.html

Works by Tania Justina León

Title Collection Voice Type Range Poet
Canto Negro Pueblo Mulato for Soprano and Mixed Quintet Soprano B3 - B5 Nicolas Guillen
Eating Fire Atwood Songs Soprano E4 - A6 Margaret Atwood
Eating Fire Soprano E4 - A5 Margaret Atwood
Four Evasions Atwood Songs Soprano Eb4 - B5 Margaret Atwood
Habitation Atwood Songs Soprano Db4 - A5 Margaret Atwood
Memory Atwood Songs Soprano B3 - B5 Margaret Atwood
Mood 1 To and Fro Mezzo-Soprano G3 - B5 Alison Knowles
Mood 2 To and Fro Mezzo-Soprano B3 - F5 Alison Knowles
Mood 3 To and Fro Mezzo-Soprano G3 - G5 Alison Knowles
Mood 4 To and Fro Mezzo-Soprano G3 - B5 Alison Knowles
Notes towards a poem that can never be written Thoughts of Idle Hours, Three Poems Soprano C4 - Bb5 Margaret Atwood
Organillo Pueblo Mulato for Soprano and Mixed Quintet Soprano F# 3 - D#5 Nicolas Guillen
Quirino Pueblo Mulato for Soprano and Mixed Quintet Soprano A3 - G# 5 Nicolas Guillen
Title Published Size Solo with Ensemble Duration Range Level Orchestration
Acana Yes Full Orchestra 10-20 Professional 2[1.2/picc] 2 2[1.2/Bcl] 2-2221-perc(2)-pf-str
Batá Yes Full Orchestra 10-20 Professional 2[1.2/pic] 2[1.2/Eh] 2[1.2/Bcl] 2-2221-perc(2)-hp-cel-str
Bele Yes Chamber 10-20 Professional 2000-0430-perc-pf-str
Carabali Yes Full Orchestra 10-20 Professional 3[1.2.3/picc] 2[1.2/Eh] 2[1.2/Bcl] 2[1.2/Cbn]-4331-timp-perc(3)- hp-pf-cel-str
Concerto Criollo Yes Full Orchestra Piano and Timp. 20+ Professional 2222-4430-str
Desde... Yes Full Orchestra 10-20 Professional 3[1.2.3/picc] 2[1.2/Eh) 2[1.2/Bcl] 2[1.2/Cbn]-4332-timp-perc(3)-hp-pf/cel-str
Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel Yes Full Orchestra Baritone under 5 Professional 3222-2230-timp-str
Horizons Yes Full Orchestra 10-20 Professional 2[1.2/pic] 2[1.2/Eh] 2[1.2/Bcl] 2[1.2/Cbn]-4300-timp-perc(2)- str
Inura Yes String 20+ Professional perc(5)-str SATB Chorus
Kabiosile Yes Full Orchestra Piano 5-10 Professional 2[1.2/pic] 2[1.2/Eh] 2[1.2/Bcl] 2[1.2/Cbn]-4230-timp-perc-str
Para Viola y Orquesta Yes Full Orchestra Viola 10-20 Professional 2(picc, AltFl)22(Bcl)2(Cbn)-2210-timpperc(2)-cel-str
Seven Spirituals Yes Full Orchestra Baritone 20+ Professional 2[1.2/pic]111-2211-2perc-pf, str
The Golden Windows Yes Chamber 20+ Professional 21.2/picc/AltFl] 1[1/Eh]00-0100-perc-hpsd-pf-st
Tones Yes Full Orchestra 10-20 Professional 2210-1011-timp-perc(2)-pf-str
Composer Title Work Instrumentation Level Number of Movements Accompanied Size Duration Range
Tania Justina León Prelude No. 1 "Sorpresa" (Surprise) Piano 1 No Solo
Tania Justina León Prelude No. 2 "Pecera" (Aquarium) Piano 1 No Solo