Lesser-Known Composer of the Month: Victoria Bond

Wait, Who?

Victoria Bond is an American composer and conductor, the daughter of a concert pianist and an operatic bass.  She was first woman to earn a doctorate in conducting from Julliard and the first to be appointed as part of the Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductor program, spending two years with the Pittsburg Symphony. 

She subsequently held posts with, among others, the Empire State Youth Orchestra, the Bel Canto Opera Company, and the Roanoke Symphony, but in 1995 she decided to give up full-time conducting positions to make more time for composition.  She continues to guest conduct, however, notably with Chamber Opera Chicago and a number of European and Chinese orchestras.

Her compositions reflect an interest in Baroque forms, contemporary techniques, jazz, and Asian music, and often incorporate quotations.

In addition to composing and conducting she has also frequently provided pre-concert lectures for the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera.

Bond has written for a wide variety of vocal and instrumental combinations, especially favoring smaller ensembles.  Many of her works incorporate dramatic features such as narration or other extramusical performance elements.

Her larger works include five ballets, concertos for piano, saxophone, saxophone quartet, and flute, harpe, and viola, and three operas.  A fourth opera, based on the life of Clara Schumann, is in progress.

A list of works is available on the composer's website.