Ezra Laderman

Ezra Laderman was one of the most successful American composers of the third quarter of the 20th century. During World War II, he served with the 69th Infantry Division and was with his unit when it discovered evidence of the Holocaust near Leipzig. After his discharge, he wrote a Leipzig Symphony that gained attention among military musicians. He earned a Guggenheim Fellowship and Rome Prizes from the American Academy in Rome. Laderman wrote many orchestral and choral works in styles ranging from tonal to serial. In 1975, he composed a set of 25 preludes in different styles for organ. His Partita No. 2 for solo cello was premiered just a year before his death at age 90. Laderman was a professor of composition and senior composer-in-residence at the State University of New York at Binghamton. Laderman became dean of the Yale School of Music, teaching composition at Yale until 2014.