Fellowship / Fellows

Arlene Zallman

  • 2001–2002
  • Arts
  • Wellesley College
Arlene Zallman

This information is accurate as of the fellowship year indicated for each fellow.

A professor of composition at Wellesley College, Arlene Zallman writes for a large range of instrumental and vocal ensembles, including works for solo instruments, chorus, and orchestra. Her works have been performed in public and university-sponsored concerts throughout the United States, with notable local premieres in Jordan Hall, Tsai Auditorium, and the Wang Center for the Performing Arts.

Zallman’s goal as a Radcliffe fellow is to complete a song cycle for soprano and piano on texts from the Carmina Burana, a collection of secular songs in Latin and medieval German dating back to the twelfth century, and comprising several texts in which the voice of the poet is distinctly female.

The project began in 1994 with a single song describing the plight of a young pregnant girl, vilified by the world around her. It was premiered at the Weill Concert Hall by the New York Guild of Composers. A four- or five-song cycle is projected for the completed work.

Zallman studied composition with Vincent Persichetti at the Juilliard School of Music, with George Crumb at the University of Pennsylvania, and with Luigi Dallapiccola in Florence, Italy, on a Fulbright Scholarship. Her other awards include National Endowment for the Arts and Mellon Foundation grants and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her music is published by C. F. Peters.

Our 2023–2024 Fellows

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