Website: http://homepages.nyu.edu/~slr3
Dr. Steven L. Rosenhaus serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Composition at Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions; he is a composer, arranger, conductor, author, and educator, and has been a consultant within the music publishing industry and as a “show doctor” for off-Broadway musicals. Dr. Rosenhaus’ concert music has been called “clever, deftly constructed and likable” by The New York Times, while the Dresden Sächsische Zeitung referred to it as having “a lyrical beauty, within a newer soundworld.” Back Stage magazine called his music and lyrics for the off-Broadway show Critic “sprightly, upbeat, and in the ballad repertory, simply lovely.” His music is played worldwide by such performers as the Carson City Symphony, the Ploiesti Symphony Orchestra (Romania), the Dresden Sinfonietta, the United States Navy Band, the U.S. Naval Academy Band, the Meridian String Quartet, pianist Laura Leon, violinist Florian Mayer, clarinetist Guido Arbonelli, and many others. Dr. Rosenhaus is a Yamaha Piano Artist and has received numerous awards and grants from ASCAP, the American Composers Forum, and Meet The Composer, Inc.
Dr. Rosenhaus teaches classical composition, writing musical theater (music, lyrics, and libretti), and popular songwriting. In past years he has also taught classes in music theory and “Introduction to Music Publishing and Printing” and coordinated staged readings of musical theater works in progress by NYU composition majors under the umbrella of “First Stages.” Interests include post-tonal theory, especially that of George Perle’s system of twelve-tone tonality. Dr. Rosenhaus holds a Ph.D. in Composition/Theory from NYU, and M.A. and B.A. degrees from Queens College (CUNY). His composition mentors included George Perle and opera composer Hugo Weisgall.
Steven L. Rosenhaus is co-author with Allen Cohen of Writing Musical Theater (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) and the forthcoming Concertgoer’s Guide to the Symphony Orchestra (Musical Gifts Co./E.F. Kalmus). He is a contributor to music theory journals such as MTSNYS’ Theory and Practice, as well as magazines including Strings and The Instrumentalist and the American Music Center’s online magazine NewMusicBox, and liner notes for recordings. Dr. Rosenhaus currently has over one hundred original works and arrangements in print with LudwigMasters Music Publications, Theodore Presser, Music-Print Productions, and others; recordings of his music can be found on the Richardson, Capstone, Musical Tapestries, and MPP labels.
Recent commissions: Birkat haChamah (“Blessing on the Sun”) for the Carson City Symphony in celebration of its 25th anniversary; and The Etude Project—a series of graded performance etudes for chamber ensembles—for the United States Navy School of Music. Volume 1 of The Etude Project is scheduled for publication in late 2009. Recent works: Birkat haChamah (“Blessing on the Sun”) for orchestra; For the Gipsy in My Soul for four harps; Fanfare and Fair Winds and Following Seas for concert band; Undercurrents for saxophone quartet; and music (with co-composer Bo Ayars and lyricist/librettist William Strauss) for the musical Free-the-Music.Com.