Daniel Asia: Composer
Daniel Asia (b. 1953) stands among the most versatile composers of his generation, having traversed orchestral, chamber, vocal, and operatic realms with equal mastery. A 2009 recipient of an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award and inducted into the American Academy of Sciences and Letters in 2024, Asia has been hailed as "a genuine creative spirit" and "a welcome addition to the roster of our strongest group of living composers."
His orchestral works have been commissioned and performed by major symphony orchestras including Cincinnati, Seattle, Milwaukee, Phoenix, and the American Composers Orchestra in New York City. Renowned conductors such as Jesús López-Cobos, Eiji Oue, Gerard Schwarz, and Zdeněk Mácal have championed his music on stages across America and Europe.
Asia served as Professor of Music at the University of Arizona from 1988-2024 and currently serves as President of Polyhymnia (Center for American Culture and Ideas). His distinguished career includes a Guggenheim Fellowship, four NEA Composers Grants, a Fulbright Arts Award Fellowship, and numerous other honors recognizing his contribution to American music.
Voice and Piano
Adrift on Blinding Light
Expressive, affecting
— Fanfare Magazine
This cycle includes four settings of poems by Paul Pines from his book of the same name, published in 2011. The poems explore themes of love, loss, and the ephemeral nature of life. The music was written in 2017.
In the recording from the album A Mask that Changes, Robert Swensen and pianist Tannis Gibson explore texts that evoke cosmic imagery and existential questions. The four songs contemplate our place within the vastness of the universe and examine how language, voice, and meaning interact with the unknown.
The title itself suggests being lost in overwhelming brilliance or perception — a state of bewilderment in the face of beauty or truth too intense to fully comprehend. Asia's music mirrors this with short, concentrated explorations that feel both mysterious and pointed, creating an atmosphere of wonder tinged with uncertainty.
The lyrics are drawn from Pines' eponymous 2003 book of poetry.
7. Adrift on Blinding Light (3:13)
8. The Long Goodbye (4:03)
9. It Wasn't Me (2:40)
10. You Said, Tell Me (3:07)
An E.E. Cummings Songbook
Daniel Asia's An E.E. Cummings Songbook is a cycle of 15 songs composed between 1997 and 1998, featuring musical settings of various poems by E.E. Cummings. Scored for tenor (or soprano) and piano, the complete cycle lasts approximately 24 minutes. The music is often described as a bridge between tonality and modernism, influenced by neoromanticism and composers like Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.
It was first performed by tenor Robert Swensen and pianist Tannis Gibson on November 3, 1999, and again on October 1, 2000, at Crowder Hall in Tucson, Arizona.
E.E. Cummings
Song List
- quick i the death
- luminous tendril
- hair you're a brook
- three wealthy sisters
- feather rain
- I'm asking
- when faces called flowers
- if a cheerfullness
- (swooning) a pillar of youngly
- this day died again
- dying is fine (let's remember)
- blossoming are people
- two old
- if the
- the great advantage of
Pines Songs
Available for: Woodwind Quintet, Piano & Soprano/Mezzo-soprano — or Soprano/Mezzo-soprano & Piano
"Pines Songs is appealing, in its Impressionistic way."
—The New York Times
Pines Songs
A seven-movement song cycle setting the poetry of Paul Pines to music, featured on the album Songs from the Page of Swords (Summit Records, 2000). Performed by soprano Carmen Pelton with the chamber ensemble Musical Elements under Daniel Asia's direction.
- "White Pillars" (2:17)
- "I'll Never Understand" (6:18)
- "Fantasy No. 1" (4:15)
- "A Little Girl" (1:20)
- "Dear Frank" (1:33)
- "Fantasy No. 2" (7:03)
- "I Walk Out" (3:36)
"Sand II... is an evocative setting of six poems by Gary Snyder, in which the vocal line often seems to rise out of crumbling sonorities."
— The New York Times
"Beautiful textures and mysterious moods... an attractive addition to the literature."
— Peter G. Davis, New York Magazine
"Post-Webern Impressionism... blurred textures and inventive scoring."
— Fanfare Magazine
Sand II
Instrumentation
Mezzo-soprano, 2 Flutes (one doubling Piccolo), B♭ Clarinet, 2 Pianos, 2 Percussion
Text & Premiere
Settings of poetry by Gary Snyder. Premiered by Musical Elements.
Breath in a Ram's Horn
"American classical music has finally taken a sharp turn for the better – back towards tonality, accessibility and immediacy. Daniel Asia is one of the composers who has his hands on the wheel. He's an important new voice and Breath in a Ram's Horn is the best possible way to find out what his fresh and engaging music is all about."
— Terry Teachout, TIME
"I detect that in his vocal music, Asia has indeed found an ideal medium for his style—and one in which he seems most at home. While very difficult to perform, the songs are richly and sympathetically conceived."
— MusicWeb International / Journal of the American Musicological Society
"astonishingly powerful."
— Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine
About the Work
Core Instrumentation
- Vocalist: Written for tenor or soprano. Originally commissioned and premiered by tenor Paul Sperry.
- Piano: The score is published as a vocal score featuring piano.
Chamber Ensemble Variant
Frequently performed as a duo, the work has also been presented for larger chamber ensemble (as performed by Network for New Music):
- Voice
- Woodwinds: Flute and Clarinet
- Strings: Violin and Cello
- Piano
Thematic Forces
- Text: A setting of five poems by Paul Pines
- Subtitle: "Songs for My Father" — reflecting a son's search for his father's faith and the intertwining of family and Judaism
"Asia's song writing offers a mesmerizing synthesis of tonal and atonal elements, always at the service of expressivity. " — Ken Meltzer, Fanfare Magazine
"Five stars: Asia's music resonates on long after the last note is sounded." — Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine
Forces: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and voice.
1. God's Hand is in the World (3:53)
2. Jerusalem (2:31)
3. Through Two Points Only One Straight Line Can Pass (3:29)
4. Sonnet from the Voyage (3:07)
5. Almost a Love Poem (2:00)
6. A Young Soldier (3:53)
Amichai Songs: Wrestling with Faith
This cycle sets poetry by Yehuda Amichai, one of Israel's most celebrated modern poets. His texts grapple with profound spiritual questions — the presence of God in a world marked by conflict, the beauty and tension of Jerusalem, and the everyday realities of war and peace.
Asia's music supports and intensifies these ideas through a wide, expressive musical language that honors the emotional depth embedded in each poem. Rather than merely setting words to music, the cycle engages with the lived experience and spiritual struggles behind them, offering listeners a deeply personal and philosophical journey through the six songs.
Voice(s) & Orchestra: Full & Chamber
Daniel Asia is "Restoring Spirituality To Music."
Forward
Many of Asia's song cycles are based on the poetry of Jewish-American writer and poet Paul Pines, drawing on his work to explore themes of identity, spirituality, and the human condition.
Ossabaw Island Dream
Based on poems of Paul Pines;
Originally composed for Mezzo-soprano & Full Orchestra;
Forces: 3(pic,alto)-3(EH)-3(B)-2;4-3-4-tba/pno(cel),hrp/timp,perc(4)/MZ/Strings
Also available for chamber orchestra
35 minutes (15 minutes)
World Premiere Consideration
Never recorded
Ossabaw Island Dream for Chamber Orchestra
For small orchestra Perc(1player)/pno(celeste, elec.org)/hrp/MS/strings
35 minutes (15 minutes)
Commissioned by The Cleveland Chamber Orchestra, Edwin London, Music Director
Never recorded
Pines Songs II
Based on poems of Paul Pines;
2-2-2-2;2-2-2;perc(1);hp;T(or S);strings
15 minutes
World Premiere Consideration
Never recorded
Performers & Conductors
Daniel Asia's symphonic works have been brought to life by some of the world's most distinguished ensembles and conductors, showcasing the breadth and appeal of his compositional voice across the international classical music community.
Distinguished Ensembles
Dorian Wind Quintet, American Brass Quintet, Meadowmount Trio, Cypress Quartet, Amernet String Quartet
Acclaimed Soloists
Andre-Michel Schub, Alex Klein, Benjamin Verdery, John Shirley-Quirk, Sara Watkins, Christopher Pedro Trakas, Faye Robinson, Robert Dick, Carter Brey, Julian Schwarz, Robert Swensen, Jeremy Huw Williams, Carmen Pelton, Mary Feinsinger
Renowned Conductors
Zdenek Macal, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Eiji Oue, Lawrence Leighton Smith, Carl St. Clair, James Sedares, Stuart Malina, George Hanson, Kirk Trevor, Koji Kawamoto, Gerard Schwarz, Odaline de la Martinez, Jonathan Shames
Distinguished Recognition
Throughout his career, Daniel Asia has received some of the most prestigious honors available to American composers, reflecting both the quality of his work and his significant contribution to contemporary classical music.
American Academy of Sciences & Letters induction ceremony, 2024
American Academy of Arts and Letters Award
2009
American Academy of Sciences and Letters
Inducted 2024
Guggenheim Fellowship
United Kingdom Fulbright Arts Award Fellowship
National Endowment for the Arts
Four NEA Composers Grants
Major Foundation Support
M.B. Rockefeller Grant | Aaron Copland Fund for Music Grant
Artist Residencies
MacDowell Colony Fellowship | Tanglewood Fellowship | DAAD Fellowship (Germany)
Composition Prizes
ASCAP Composition Prize | BMI Composition Prize
Orchestra Residency
Meet The Composer/Composer in Residence with the Phoenix Symphony 1991-94
Connect With Us
Igor Reznik
Agent & Producer
Momentum Artists
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +1-646-975-8402
Artist Websites
Organizations & Resources
Daniel Asia: Solo Vocal Works (for Piano, Ensemble, and Orchestra)