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Individual Artist

Dr. Burton Beerman, composer/musician, Bowling Green

Nominated By: Virtual Media Foundation

Dr. Burton Beerman is recognized internationally as a pioneer in real-time interactive composition and performance. A 21st century Renaissance man, he is a composer, clarinetist, software developer, poet and video artist. He is also a professor of music at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), where he has taught for 38 years. Beerman’s music spans many media, including chamber and orchestral music, music for documentary film, video art and performance, theatre, dance and interactive real-time electronics. One of the many awards he has received is the prestigious Barlow Endowment for Music Composition (2005) which encourages and financially supports individuals who demonstrate technical skills and natural gifts for the composition of great music. This international award is one of the highest competitive awards for music composition and is awarded only to the most consistently creative artists. His works have been recognized by many professional journals and publications, and his activities have been the subject of national and public television network broadcasts. Beerman is recognized as a major creative force in the American music arena. A recent New York Times review remarked that Beerman’s work was “the most interesting, and by far most elaborate display of imagination.” One of his most recent works, TIKVAH, is a 90 minute multimedia chamber oratorio based on the memoirs of Holocaust survivor and Torah scholar, Philip Markowicz. TIKVAH has been presented in more than 20 venues nationally and has received rave reviews as a celebration of life. Throughout his career at BGSU he has made a difference in thousands of students’ lives as a mentor and professor and as a creative artist he has transformed audiences through his music and poetry.

Dr. Burton Beerman video tribute (6:15 minutes)