Jon Polifrone

1937-2006

Jon Polifrone, a native of Michigan, was educated at Michigan State University (BM, MM) and Florida State University, where he received a Doctor of Music Degree in composition and  music history as a student of Ernst von Dohnanyi, Carlisle Floyd and John Boda. He also attended the Ecole d’Art Americaines as a student of Nadia Boulanger. During his academic career, Mr. Polifrone was on the faculty of Butler University’s Jordan Conservatory of Music and composer-in-residence at Indiana State University, University of Nebraska at Omaha and Virginia Tech. After retiring, he taught as adjunct professor at Northern Illinois University, Wheaton College and Judson Universtiy. He was named Composer of the Year by the Society of the American Composer, had numerous commissions by groups such as the Indianapolis Symphony, the Audubon String Quartet and the Terre Haute Symphony, and his works received premiers by the Aspen Wind Quintet, Ars Viva, the Grand Teton Music Festival, and members of the New York Philharmonic, Omaha Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Music of the Baroque, among others. His music was featured on a two-hour WFMT (Chicago) radio broadcast in 2007, posthumously marking his 70th birthday. For his Requiem: For Those We Love he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. His compositions include solo sonatas, duos, trios, string quartets, mixed chamber works, a wind quintet, instrumental sonatas with piano, works for solo piano, harpsichord and organ, four operas, concerti for violin, cello, piano, oboe and harp, song cycles, numerous small choral works and a requiem.

Information provided by the Foundation for the Music of Jon Polifrone.