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Lydia Busler-Blais
Lydia Busler-Blais began her compositional education in high school at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass., where she studied an independent curriculum in horn performance, theory, and composition. She studied electronic music and arranging with Peter Hazzard as well as studying composition privately at Groton Center for the Arts and Indian Hill Arts in Massachusetts. She has studied theory, counterpoint, and composition with Steven Peisch and Steve Savage at New England Conservatory, at Thayer Conservatory at Atlantic Union College with Margery Ness, and at the University of New Hampshire with Neil Sir, Christopher Kies, and Peter Urquhart. Lydia composed Villa After the Storm for two clarinets, horn, and 'cello, Andantino Spiritoso for horn and piano, and Minuet for two violins and 'cello while in college and many electronic works while still in high school. Most of these works have been used in modern dance performances. Lydia Busler-Blais' Appalachia for horn alone (1992) has been performed in multiple New England venues and Frost Cycle for soprano, horn, and piano (1998) has been performed by different groups in Boston and around Vermont. Fanfare and Processional (2002) for solo horn has been performed for ceremonies and her latest Moon Lilies (2006) for piano and horn received its premiere in April of 2006. Lydia has also arranged many holiday and sacred works for horn and organ, wind and brass quintets that have been performed repeatedly. Her work with horn students has resulted in her arrangements of Bach Chorales for horn quartets, a staple of her horn studio. Busler-Blais' vocal works aside of the Frost Cycle include several short pieces for three and four voice choir such as For the Autumnal Equinox and several ballads for voice and mixed instrumentation such as For My Love on His Birthday for voice, horn, 'cello, and vibes, and Where is the Sun? for voice and 'cello. In 1991 Lydia Busler-Blais received a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to write Townsend Common for woodwind quintet, written for the town of Townsend, Mass. Soon to be released will be Goodnight Sun for clarinet, cello, and horn and several other works for the same instrumentation as a Solstice Revels set as well as works for mixed strings and percussion and an orchestral work to be completed by September of 2006.
Lydia Busler-Blais also performs new works of other composers as often as possible, including multiple repeat performances, and has been widely received as an improvisational performance hornist. When she's not playing chamber works both new and old or composing, she teaches horn and has played with such groups as the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Jose Limon Dance Company, the New York City Ballet, the New York City Opera, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.