Tower, Joan

Tower, Joan

(born Sept. 6, 1938, New Rochelle, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. composer. She studied piano as a child, attended Bennington College, and completed her music studies at Columbia University. In 1969 she formed the Da Capo Chamber Players, for which she played piano and wrote many pieces; she left the group in 1984. She is chiefly known for her colourful and often whimsical orchestral compositions, including Sequoia (1981), Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman (1987), and Silver Ladder (1987). Since 1972 she has taught at Bard College.