John Zorn Receives William Schuman Award

John Zorn

Columbia University's School of the Arts has honored composer John Zorn with the William Schuman Award, a major recognition given periodically over the past twenty-five years. Named for its first recipient William Schuman, the award, in the form of a direct, unrestricted grant of $50,000, is one of the largest to an American composer. In the language of the gift establishing the prize, the purpose of the William Schuman Award is "to recognize the lifetime achievement of an American composer whose works have been widely performed and generally acknowledged to be of lasting significance." It was awarded by the Acting Dean of the School of the Arts at Columbia University, Dan Kleinman, who said: "The School of the Arts is pleased to present the William Schuman Award to John Zorn, whose astonishingly diverse and extraordinary body of work has enlightened, startled, and enchanted its listeners. His lasting contribution to the repertoire of today has changed the landscape of composition."