Marti Epstein, 2018 November 16
Marti Epstein, composer and Professor of Composition at Berklee College of Music, discusses her early music experiences growing up in Nebraska, her transition to studying composition, memorable teachers, and her experience as a Tanglewood Fellow, especially working with composer Leonard Bernstein. Epstein describes her early years as a professor at Berklee in the 1990s and her approach to teaching composition. She also relates her experiences teaching at the Boston Conservatory, the Conservatory’s merger with the College, and the changes she’s observed at both Berklee and within the Composition department over the course of her career. In particular, Epstein addresses Berklee’s recent sexual harassment headlines and resultant cultural shifts on campus. She also talks about her creative process, her compositions—including a puppet opera—her experiences on the Berklee faculty union, and various former students.
Composer, pianist, and Composition professor Marti Epstein (1959- ) was born and raised in Nebraska and began her collegiate music education at the University of Iowa before transferring to the University of Colorado, receiving her Bachelor of Music degree in 1982. She later received her master’s and doctorate degrees in composition from Boston University. Epstein was also a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in 1986 and 1988. She joined the Composition department at Berklee College of Music in 1991, and for several years was the only female composer on the faculty. In 2007, she also started teaching at the Boston Conservatory. Epstein teaches courses in harmony, counterpoint, and composition, and has been on the executive committee of the Berklee faculty union since 1996. She also plays piano as part of the Epstein/Tronzo Duo. Epstein was named a 2020 Guggenheim Fellow in Music Composition.
