Vijay Iyer

Vijay Iyer
Iyer performing in 2023
Iyer performing in 2023
Background information
Born (1971-10-26) October 26, 1971 (age 52)
Albany, New York, United States
GenresJazz, classical
Occupation(s)Composer, musician
InstrumentPiano
LabelsAsian Improv, Pi, Artists House, Savoy, ACT, ECM
Websitewww.vijay-iyer.com

Vijay Iyer ([ˌvɪdʒeɪ ˈaɪjər];[1] born October 26, 1971) is an American composer, pianist, bandleader, producer and writer based in New York City. The New York Times has called him a "social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, historical thinker and multicultural gateway".[2] Iyer received a 2013 MacArthur Fellowship,[3] a Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a United States Artists Fellowship,[4] a Grammy nomination,[5] and the Alpert Award in the Arts.[6] He was voted Jazz Artist of the Year in the DownBeat magazine international critics' polls in 2012,[7] 2015,[8] 2016,[9] and 2018.[10] In 2014, he received a lifetime appointment as the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts at Harvard University, where he was jointly appointed in the Department of Music[11] and the Department of African and African American Studies.[12]

  1. ^ "Vijay Iyer Bio". Vijay Iyer. November 20, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. ^ Jon Pareles (December 19, 2014). "Music Review: Conscience of a Composer". The New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  3. ^ "Vijay Iyer". MacArthur Foundation.
  4. ^ "Vijay Iyer". United States Artists.
  5. ^ "Vijay Iyer". Recording Academy Grammy Awards. 23 November 2020.
  6. ^ "Vijay Iyer 2003". The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts. 23 March 2013.
  7. ^ "60th Annual Critics Poll". DownBeat. August 2012. p. 24.
  8. ^ "63rd Annual Critics Poll". August 2015. p. 22.
  9. ^ "Washington, Iyer Among Winners in 2016 DownBeat Critics Poll". July 1, 2016.
  10. ^ Jon Garelick (August 2018). "Vijay Iyer Communities of Sound". p. 24.
  11. ^ "We are so very pleased to announce that Vijay Iyer has accepted our offer to join the Department of Music in January 2014. Vijay will be the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts." Harvard Music Department Facebook page, July 12, 2013.
  12. ^ Harvard Department of African and African American Studies webpage, accessed April 10, 2020.