HR0443 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0443 LRB100 12865 MST 26616 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Daniel M. Brewbaker, who passed away on May 14, 2017; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Brewbaker was born in Elgin to Daniel M. and Ruth C. Brewbaker in 1951; he graduated from Elgin High School, where he was elected president of the senior class; he studied at the University of Illinois and earned his master's and doctorate degrees from The Juilliard School; and

WHEREAS, As Daniel Brewbaker began his career as a composer, he was also active as an educator, serving on the faculties of The Juilliard School, Hunter College, Queens Colleges, and the Westminster Choir College; he also studied in Rome and other major European musical centers; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Brewbaker's first composition, Psalm 39, premiered in 1970 at the University of Illinois, beginning a body of work that grew to nearly 60 works, establishing him as an important voice among contemporary American composers; and

WHEREAS, In 1995, Daniel Brewbaker's Concerto for Cello, La Serenissima, premiered by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; in 1999, the final movement of the concerto was performed by cellist YoYo Ma at a gala concert by the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, a special recognition for the composer in his hometown; and

WHEREAS, In 1999, Daniel Brewbaker received the distinction of being the first American composer invited to compose a work for the legendary Kirov Orchestra and Chorus in St. Petersburg, Russia; his composition, The Poet, received its premiere at the White Nights Festival in June of 1999; his choral work, Cincinnatus Psalm, was performed in 2000 by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Chorus at the century old May Music Festival in Cincinnati; and

WHEREAS, In 2004, Daniel Brewbaker received a commission to write a violin concerto for the Russian violinist Vadim Repin, one of the world's leading virtuosos; it was performed by the Repin and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at the American Symphony Orchestra League convention in Washington, D. C. in 2005; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Brewbaker had a close working relationship with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra; he received a commission for a string quartet to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Juilliard School, and performed numerous times in Dublin, Ireland, a reflection of his lifelong love of Irish culture and folk music; and

WHEREAS, Among the many awards that Daniel Brewbaker received were the Nadia Boulanger Award at the Ecole des Artes Americaines in Fontainebleau, first prize in the Lilli Boulanger International Music Competition in Paris, and an Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; in 1988 and 1994, he was composer-in-residence at the Camargo Foundation in France; in 1997, he served in that capacity at the Spoleto U.S.A. festival in Charleston, South Carolina; for many years he was a Fellow at Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, New York; he was a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, the International Music Fraternity; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Brewbaker maintained a close connection with his roots in the Fox Valley and Chicago area; he was inducted into the Fox Valley Arts Hall of Fame in 2006 and composed frequently for local musical groups, including the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, the DuPage Chorale, and the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus Anima; in 2003, he composed Psalm 51 for the 100th anniversary of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Elgin, where his family had been lifelong members; he was inducted into the Elgin High School Alumni Hall of Fame in 2016; and

WHEREAS, Daniel Brewbaker was preceded in death by his parents; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Daniel M. Brewbaker, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Daniel Brewbaker as an expression of our deepest sympathy.