Meyer Kupferman (July 3, 1926 – November 26, 2003) was a prolific American composer and clarinetist.
Meyer Kupferman was born in New York City. A self taught composer, Kupferman first gained attention in the late 1940s when his early opera "In A Garden" was premiered at the Tanglewood and Edinburgh Festivals. From 1951 to 1993 he was on the faculty of Sarah Lawrence College. He also served as Chairman of the Music Department for five terms.
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Meyer Kupferman (July 3, 1926 – November 26, 2003) was a prolific American composer and clarinetist.
Meyer Kupferman was born in New York City. A self taught composer, Kupferman first gained attention in the late 1940s when his early opera "In A Garden" was premiered at the Tanglewood and Edinburgh Festivals. From 1951 to 1993 he was on the faculty of Sarah Lawrence College. He also served as Chairman of the Music Department for five terms.
Kupferman began music at the age of five on violin. As an adult he claimed little memory of his violin instruction, but at age 10 he began to play the clarinet. He taught himself piano and studied music theory at The High School of Music & Art in New York City, subsequently attending Queens College in New York.
As a young man Kupferman played jazz in bars and clubs on Coney Island, and arranged for big bands. In 1951 he was hired as Professor of Composition and Chamber Music at Sarah Lawrence College, a position he held until 1994. In the 1950s he...
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