Then and Now Augusta Read Thomas ’79 For Augusta “Gusty” Read Thomas ’79, Green Vale served as a music conservatory. She is now one of the leading composers working in America today. A composer featured on a Grammy-winning CD and Pulitzer Prize finalist, the American Academy of Arts and Letters described Thomas as “one of the most recognizable and widely loved figures in American music" as she was inducted into the prestigious honor society in 2009.
(above) Gusty plays at GVS with mentor Mike Mattia in 1978 (right) Graduation tile featuring a 1/4 note and an upside down 1/8 note
She is a professor of music composition at the University of Chicago where she founded the Center for Contemporary Composition. She has served as composer-in-residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Eugene Symphony Orchestra, and the New Haven Symphony. Her discography includes 88 commercially recorded CDs. In 2019, she was commissioned to write original music for the Martha Graham Dance Company. She has received countless awards and fellowships.
"The reason I compose music is to express gratitude." — Augusta Read Thomas Music critic Edward Reichel writes: “Augusta Read Thomas has secured for herself a permanent place in the pantheon of American composers of the 20th and 21st centuries.” In a recent email to Green Vale’s long-time band conductor Mike Mattia, Gusty wrote: “I remember so fondly and GRATEFULLY every music lesson you gave me, every band rehearsal, every musical experience I had under your leadership… The reason I’m an active composer all these decades later is in large part thanks to you.” After Green Vale, Gusty attended St. Paul’s School and earned degrees from Northwestern University, Yale, and the Royal Academy of Music.
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Rise to the Occasion in support of Green Vale?
The 2020-2021 Annual Fund closes June 30. Visit www.greenvaleschool.org/support or call the Development Office (516) 628-5197.
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