Now at Copland House

Lembit Beecher returns to Copland House for his second residency. He grew up under the redwoods in Santa Cruz, California, a few miles from the wild Pacific. Since then, he has lived in Boston, Houston, Ann Arbor, Berlin, New York, and Philadelphia, earning degrees from Harvard, Rice, and the University of Michigan. This varied background has made him particularly sensitive to place, ecology, memory, and the multitude of ways in which people tell stories. Noted for his collaborative spirit and interdisciplinary projects, he has served as Composer-in-Residence of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Opera Philadelphia. Recent premieres include Say Home for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, The Conference of the Birds for A Far Cry, One Hundred Years Grows Shorter over Time for the Juilliard String Quartet, and Sky on Swings for Opera Philadelphia, starring Frederica von Stade and Marietta Simpson. Many of his latest projects incorporate nontraditional elements into opera, symphonic works, and chamber music, including Baroque instruments, sampled interviews, animation, and electronically-controlled sound sculptures.