Mark Swed
Mark Swed | |
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| Born | c. 1945 (age 78–79) |
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Mark Swed (born c. 1945) is an American
music critic who specializes in classical music.[1] Since 1996 he has been the chief classical music critic of the Los Angeles Times where his writings have made him a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Prior to his LA Times post, Swed was the chief music critic for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner and The Wall Street Journal, and has contributed other writings to a variety of publications including The Orchestra, an iPad application. He has a particular interest in contemporary classical music
.
Life and career
Mark Swed was born c. 1945 and attended the
Grove Music Online as a "book-length text"—for The Orchestra,[2] a well-received iPad application that featured Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia Orchestra with autoscrolling and interactive sheet music to numerous orchestral works.[4] He often makes appearances on KCRW, an NPR radio station of Santa Monica College.[1] Since 1996, he has been the chief classical music critic of the Los Angeles Times,[2] succeeding Martin Bernheimer.[5] Swed is currently engaged in writing a biography of the American composer John Cage.[3]
The recipient of numerous awards, Swed received the 1994
American Music Center.[1] The Los Angeles Music Center and the Los Angeles Press Club have also recognized his work.[3] He has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism twice, in 2007 and 2021.[2] The 2007 nomination is described as being "For his passionate music criticism, marked by resonant writing and an ability to give life to the people behind a performance".[6] For his 2021 nomination, the nomination was "for a series of critical essays that broke through the silence of the pandemic to recommend an eclectic array of recordings as entertainment and solace essential to the moment, drawing deep connections to seven centuries of classical music".[7] He is a fellow at The Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences of the University of Southern California.[3]
Selected writings
- Swed, Mark (1989). Celebrating Twenty Five years 1964–1989. Los Angeles: Music Center of Los Angeles County. OCLC 25427375.
Articles
- Swed, Mark (October 1988). "John Cage: A Celebration". JSTOR 966687.
- —— (November 1988). "Philip Glass's Operas". JSTOR 966783.
- —— (June 1989). "Schnabel the Composer". JSTOR 966028.
- —— (November 1989). "John Adams". JSTOR 1193777.
- —— (Spring 1993). "John Cage: September 5, 1912-August 12, 1992". JSTOR 742432.
- —— (Summer 1993). "Editor's Note to Philip Glass's "Akhnaten"". JSTOR 742556.
- —— (Spring 1994). "Editor's Introduction to "Synergetic Dynamics in John Cage's "Europeras 1 & 2""". JSTOR 742496.
- —— (Summer 1994). "Editor's Introduction". JSTOR 742544.
- —— (Summer 1995). "Editor's Introduction". JSTOR 742248.
- —— (Spring 1996). "Remembering "Modern Music"". JSTOR 742528.
- —— (18 November 2020). "Philip Glass and 'Einstein on the Beach': How one opera changed everything". Los Angeles Times.
- —— (8 February 2022). "Appreciation: How George Crumb became one of America's most surprisingly consequential composers". Los Angeles Times.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021. (subscription or UK public library membershiprequired)
- ^ a b c d "Mark Swed". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Mark Swed". University of Southern California. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ Service, Tom (7 December 2012). "The Orchestra: a new iPad app that strikes all the right notes". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ Swed, Mark (1 October 2019). "Commentary: With withering wit, The Times' irrepressible Martin Bernheimer transformed criticism". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
- ^ "Finalist: Mark Swed of Los Angeles Times". Pulitzer Prize. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
- ^ "Finalist: Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times". Pulitzer Prize. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
External links
- Articles by Mark Swed in the Los Angeles Times
- Mark Swed on Twitter