Primosch Receives Virgil Thomson Award in Vocal Music

James Primosch, Professor of Music, received the 2020 Virgil Thomson Award in Vocal Music. The award, endowed by the Virgil Thomson Foundation and administered by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, recognizes an American composer of vocal works and includes a prize of $40,000.

Primosch's instrumental, vocal, and electronic works have been performed throughout the U.S. and in Europe by such ensembles as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Collage, the New York New Music Ensemble, and the 21st Century Consort. Commissioned works by Primosch have been premiered by the Chicago Symphony, the Albany Symphony, Speculum Musicae, the Cantata Singers, and pianist Lambert Orkis. He recently completed commissions from the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and Lyric Fest, and two CDs featuring his vocal music were released this spring. His previous honors include a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Guggenheim Fellowship.