Born: 10 February 1939, United States
Died: 21 October 2024
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Barbara Kolb (b. Feb. 10, 1939, Harford, Conn.) is an American composer and clarinetist. She studied at the Hartt School of Music of the University of Hartford with Arnold Franchetti, Lukas Foss and Gunther Schuller. From 1960 to 1966 Kolb was a clarinettist in the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. She also taught theory and composition at Brooklyn College, CUNY, Temple University and the Eastman School of Music. From 1979 to 1982 Kolb served as artistic director of the contemporary music series Music New to New York at the 3rd Street Music School Settlement, and between 1982 and 1986 she developed a music theory course, sponsored by the Library of Congress, for the blind and physically disabled. Kolb has been the recipient of many awards, including three Tanglewood Fellowships, four MacDowell Colony Fellowships, and two Guggenheim Fellowships. She was the first woman the first American woman to receive the Rome Prize (1969-1971) in music composition.