Julius Eastman
1940 - 1990
American
Biography
With the continued, international discovery and resurgence of Julius Eastman, the legacy of American music becomes more just and complete. The canon of American contemporary music cannot be considered complete without inclusion of Julius Eastman’s compositions, which until recently have gone largely neglected and unpublished. Now that his work has found a home at G. Schirmer, we are eager to facilitate the continued international discovery of this American master.
If available, scores can be viewed on his work pages and on our OnDemand page. Materials will become available once readied for performance — please continue to check our site for updates. In the event performance material is unavailable, a license to prepare an arrangement may be obtained by contacting the Copyright Department of our US office. To create a transcription or arrangement, please complete this form to request a license. For inquiries related to other licensing requests, please see our licensing page. For general inquires, contact schirmer@schirmer.com
Julius Eastman (1940-1990) was a composer, conductor, singer, pianist, and choreographer. A singular figure in New York City's downtown scene of the 1970s and 80s, he also performed at Lincoln Center with Pierre Boulez and the New York Philharmonic, and recorded music by Arthur Russell, Morton Feldman, Peter Maxwell Davies, and Meredith Monk. “What I am trying to achieve is to be what I am to the fullest," he said in 1976. "Black to the fullest, a musician to the fullest, a homosexual to the fullest.”
Despite his prominence in the artistic and musical community in New York, Eastman died in obscurity in a Buffalo, NY hospital. His death went unreported for eight months, until an obituary by Kyle Gann appeared in the Village Voice. Eastman left behind few scores and recordings, and his music lay dormant for decades until a three-CD set of his compositions titled Unjust Malaise was issued in 2005 by New World Records. In the years since, there has been a steady increase in attention paid to his music and life, punctuated by newly found recordings and manuscripts, worldwide performances and new arrangements of his surviving works, and newfound interest from choreographers, scholars, educators, and journalists. 'The brazen and brilliant music of Julius Eastman…commands attention: wild, grand, delirious, demonic, an uncontainable personality surging into sound', writes Alex Ross for The New Yorker.

Read 'Hammered Into Clouds: Nine Beginnings for Julius Eastman' by Sasha Frere-Jones on villagevoice.com
News
- Spotlight on Julius Eastman, George Lewis, and Matthew Aucoin at Lincoln Center's Run AMOC* Festival
- 11th June 2025
- Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City will present the Run AMOC* Festival from June 18 to July 16, 2025.
- Julius Eastman in 2025: New Edition of Femenine, Bicoastal Exhibits, Dancing to the Fullest
- 23rd January 2025
- G. Schirmer and Wise Music Group are pleased to announce a new performance edition of Femenine, a seminal work of open-form minimalism composed by Julius Eastman in 1974.
- Kyle Marshall's Julius Eastman Trilogy
- 19th November 2024
- Around the United States, Kyle Marshall Choreography continues to unveil their powerful Julius Eastman Trilogy, which honors love, liberation, queerness, and the legacy of Eastman and his music.
- Listen Now: World Premiere Recording of Julius Eastman’s Symphony No. II
- 17th September 2024
- 40 years after its composition, Symphony No. II - The Faithful Friend: The Lover Friend's Love for the Beloved by Julius Eastman has been recorded by conductor Dalia Stasevska and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
- Eastman and Sibelius symphonies at the proms
- 20th August 2024
- The BBC Symphony Orchestra perform symphonies by Eastman and Sibelius in this Saturday's prom.
- Julius Eastman’s ‘Symphony No. II‘ receives German premiere at Freiburg
- 2nd July 2024
- Symphony No. II - The Faithful Friend: The Lover Friend's Love for the Beloved by Julius Eastman is performed for the first time in Germany on July 9 by Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg under the baton of André de Ridder.
Performances
26th September 2025
- PERFORMERS
- Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
- LOCATION
- Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Saint Paul, MN, United States of America
27th September 2025
- PERFORMERS
- Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
- LOCATION
- Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Saint Paul, MN, United States of America
28th September 2025
- PERFORMERS
- Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
- LOCATION
- Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Saint Paul, MN, United States of America
22nd May 2026
- PERFORMERS
- Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
- LOCATION
- Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Saint Paul, MN, United States of America
23rd May 2026
- PERFORMERS
- Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
- LOCATION
- Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Saint Paul, MN, United States of America
Features
- Best Wise Music Recordings of 2024
- In 2024, major and independent record labels from North America and Europe have released wonderful recordings of new works, beloved masterpieces, and underappreciated gems by Wise Music composers.
- The Best Recordings of 2022 from Wise Music Classical
- Wise Music Classical invites you to enjoy a selection of the best recordings of 2022, featuring composers from across our international family of publishing houses.
- Independent Repertoire: American Optimism — Grappling with Dark and Light
- Since the early days of the United States, Americans have had a reputation for optimism and a particular attitude of possibility. Yet the U.S. has also faced great challenges in its history, from the Civil War to the Great Depression and present-day threats. Numerous scholars and cultural commentators have also noted our enduring streaks of both apocalyptic thinking and forthright engagement with life’s hardships. American composers have grappled with and balanced such forces of dark and light.
- The Best Recordings of 2023 from Wise Music Classical
- Wise Music Classical invites you to enjoy a selection of the best recordings of 2023, featuring composers from across our international family of publishing houses.
- Black History Month
- Celebrate Black History Month: explore a curated playlist from Wise Music Classical.
Photos

Discography
- LabelPlatoon
- ConductorDalia Stasevska
- EnsembleBBC Symphony Orchestra
- Released30th August 2024
- Works
- LabelNew Amsterdam Records
- ConductorChristopher Rountree
- EnsembleWild Up
- Released17th June 2022
- Works
- LabelNew Amsterdam Records
- ConductorChristopher Rountree
- EnsembleWild Up
- Released18th June 2021
- Works
- LabelSub Rosa
- Catalogue NumberSR501
- EnsembleEnsemble 0 & AUM grand ensemble
- Released19th November 2020
- Works
- LabelNeue Meister
- SoloistKai Schumacher, Patricia Martin, Mirela Zhulali, Benedikt ter Braak, pianos
- Released10th July 2020
- Works
- LabelNew World Records
- Catalogue Number80797
- SoloistJulius Eastman, piano
- Released1st November 2017
- Works
- LabelFrozen Reeds
- Catalogue Numberfr23
- EnsembleS.E.M. Ensemble
- Released4th August 2017
- Works
- LabelFrozen Reeds
- Catalogue Numberfr6
- EnsembleS.E.M. Ensemble
- Released1st August 2016
- Works
- LabelBôłt
- Catalogue NumberBR 1026
- SoloistJoanna Duda, Bartek Wąsik, Emilia Sitarz, Mischa Kozłowski, pianos
- Released1st November 2014
- Works
- LabelNew World Records
- Catalogue Number80745-2
- SoloistJoseph Kubera, piano
- Released1st March 2014
- Works
Dalia's Mixtape
Julius Eastman Vol. 2: Joy Boy | Wild Up
Julius Eastman Vol. 1: Femenine | Wild Up
Julius Eastman – Femenine
Eastman: Evil Nigger / Gay Guerrilla
The Zürich Concert
Julius Eastman – Joy Boy

Julius Eastman – Femenine

Unchained
