search-1
search-1 Search

Betsy Jolas

b. 1926

French/American

Summary

Betsy Jolas, born in Paris in 1926, settled in the USA. in 1940, where she studied composition with Paul Boepple, piano with Helen Schnabel and organ with Carl Weinrich. After graduating from Bennington College, she returned to Paris in 1946 to continue her studies with Darius Milhaud, Simone Plé-Caussade and Olivier Messiaen at the Paris Conservatory. She has won many awards, including those of the Copley Foundation of Chicago, the American Academy of Arts and the Koussevitsky Foundation, becoming a member of the American Institute of Arts and Letters in 1983. Jolas was appointed to the faculty of the Paris Conservatory in 1975, and has also taught at several American universities including Yale, Berkeley, USC, San Diego and Mills College. Her works, written for a great variety of combinations, have been premiered notably by the Domaine Musical, at the festivals of Tanglewood and Royan and have been widely performed throughout the world by such artistes as Mady Mesplé, Claude Helfer, Elisabeth Chojnacka, Pierre-Yves Artaud, and by leading ensembles (Ensemble Intercontemporain, Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, London Sinfonietta, Boston Symphony Chamber Players, etc.). Her works have been recorded by EMI, Erato, CRI, Adès among others and have received various important awards.
Critical Acclaim
I’m simply thrilled to have discovered a wonderful composer that I didn’t know about. When you start talking to her she talks about when Varèse came to dinner, and when she sung the Verdi Requiem conducted by Toscanini, and it’s like a walking encyclopaedia, but the music is simply wonderful. I’m thrilled in the middle of Poulenc, Ravel and Rameau to introduce a really astonishing lady.— Sir Simon Rattle, lso.co.uk

News

Performances

5th September 2022

SOLOISTS
Nicolas Hodges, piano
PERFORMERS
BBC Symphony Orchestra
CONDUCTOR
Karina Canellakis
LOCATION
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

5th October 2022

SOLOISTS
Hakan Hardenberger
PERFORMERS
National Arts Centre Orchestra
CONDUCTOR
John Storgårds
LOCATION
Southam Hall, Ottawa , ON, Canada

6th October 2022

SOLOISTS
Hakan Hardenberger
PERFORMERS
National Arts Centre Orchestra
CONDUCTOR
John Storgårds
LOCATION
Southam Hall, Ottawa , ON, Canada

30th November 2022

PERFORMERS
Orchestre de Paris
CONDUCTOR
Klaus Mäkelä
LOCATION
Philharmonie de Paris, Paris, France

1st December 2022

PERFORMERS
Orchestre de Paris
CONDUCTOR
Klaus Mäkelä
LOCATION
Philharmonie de Paris, Paris, France
View All

Features

  • Socially Distanced Onstage Works
    • Socially Distanced Onstage Works
    • With times of uncertainty ahead for the classical music community, we have compiled a selection of repertoire for small orchestra and chamber ensembles that allows for onstage social distancing.
  • A Collection of Chamber Operas
  • Women's History Month
    • Women's History Month
    • Celebrate Women's History Month: explore a curated playlist from Wise Music Classical.

Photos

Discography