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"polytonality, variable rhythmic groupings, prominent melodic lines and changes in mood and texture often characterize Dr. Swack’s music. His music is totally free of our century’s tug of war between complexity and simplicity. Nor does it pander to its prospective audiences." Music of Irwin Swack (Centaur). James H. North, Fanfare, 1997 Music by Irwin Swack was recently released by Centaur Records. Performed by the Krakow Radio Symphony Orchestra his Fantasie Concertante "is a two movement work in the tradition of early-twentieth century sinfoniettas, and it is a beauty. Movement I is a lively piece that uses some Prokofievian harmonies and gestures but emerges as alfresco Americana in the Harris/Copland vein. Beginning in a light mood, its turns serious toward the coda, which leads to the almost -sixteen-minute II, a calm, ruminative movement of considerable emotional strength. The Polish Radio performance is sterling, as is the sound", James H. North, Fanfare. Of Sonata for Flute and Piano performed by Sarah Hornsby and Scott Rednour, "this is a lyrical, evocative, transparently scored piece with many beautiful ideas", Lehman, American Music Guide. Swack first began working on String Quartet # 3 and Symphony # 2 while attending Tanglewood, under a Ford Foundation Fellowship. There he studied orchestration with Gunther Schuller among others. The String Quartet # 3 premiered at Carnegie Recital Hall in June 1978, and was subsequently recorded by the Alard String Quartet (Opus 1). The New Records called the piece "rich sounding, expressive and enjoyable". Symphony # 2 was performed and recorded in Europe in 1988 by the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra (CRS Records). String Quartet # 4 followed and was performed and recorded at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music by the Sierra Quartet in 1990 (Opus 1). It won the 1997 Zoltan Kodaly International Competition and was performed in Budapest, Hungary. Jazz elements and blues are especially prominent in String Quartets # 1 and 5, Divertimento, Dance Episodes, Sonata for Violin and Piano, Profiles and Themes and Variations for Woodwinds. Musical America said "String Quartet # 1 has a distinctiveness that sings and consumes itself in white intensity, and totally produces a stunning effect". The American Chamber Ensemble premiered Divertimento in 1992 which combines ragtime with blues. In 1970 Conductor Robert Johnson and the New York Pro-Musica performed Dance Episodes, an early septet that is essentially jazz-like ballet music. The New York Times called Sonata for Violin and Piano "the feature piece of the evening...It proved to be a well constructed piece in three admirably contrasted movements. Especially striking was the energetic final movement". String Quartet # 5, commissioned by the Louisiana Historical Society, is a nostalgic piece written about Louisiana using local musical expressions and idioms including ragtime jazz, hymns, spiritual and folk music. It was recorded in 1991 by the Valcour String Quartet on Centaur Records. Irwin Swack was born in Ohio and attended the Cleveland Institute of Music. After graduating with a major in violin performance he studied with Vittorio Giannini at Julliard. He went on to receive a Master's Degree in composition from Northwestern and a doctorate from Columbia University where he studied with Henry Cowell and Paul Creston. He had received numerous grants and awards including Meet the Composer (New York State Council of the Arts) and ASCAP Standard Awards for the past consecutive 16 years. Swack's music is published by Carl Fischer, Shawnee Press, Theodore Presser and Galaxy Music. Scores are in the following library collections: The New York Public Library of Performing Arts; Henry Hadley Collection, the Primrose Archives at Bringham Young University, the American Music Center Library, the Midamerican Center for Contemporary Music at Bowling Green: www.bgsu.edu/colleges/library/music/music.html and Northwestern University Music Library: www.library.nwu.edu/music