Francine Trester

Professor
Affiliated Departments
Composition
Faculty Bio E-Mail
ftrester@berklee.edu
Telephone
617-747-2906
Personal Websites
Francine Trester's website

For media inquiries, please contact Media Relations

Career Highlights
  • Former faculty at Tufts, Longy, Yale University, and Austin College
  • Assistant to the directors of Live Wires and Live Culture at the English National Opera; composer in residence, Queenswood School
  • Commissions from the Mirror Visions Ensemble, Richard Lalli, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Nahant Music Festival, the Scottish Clarinet Quartet, and the Rivers School Conservatory
  • Premieres at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Jordan Hall, Florence Gould Hall, Kosciusko Foundation, Joseph Papp Public Theater, and SubCulture
  • International performances in Scotland, Russia, China, France, and England
  • Performances by vocal soloists Elizabeth Anker, Robert Honeysucker, Richard Lalli, Sarah Pelletier, Jayne West, and Donald Wilkinson
  • Recipient of a Tanglewood Fellowship
  • Works recorded on Albany and Crystal Records; published by Clear Note Publications
  • Recipient of grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Fromm Foundation
Awards
  • Fulbright Scholarship in composition, Cambridge University (England)
  • American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award
Education
  • B.A., Yale University
  • M.A., Yale University
  • M.M.A., Yale University
  • D.M.A., Yale University
In Their Own Words

"When I teach, I connect concepts to real, live musical moments. I draw listening examples from a range of styles and encourage students to find their own examples and bring them into class. I incorporate my professional experience into the class through my own composition and performance on the violin and piano. By discovering your personal connection to a concept, you turn theory into practice—you make an abstraction come alive through your own musical experience."

"I'd like my students to come away from my classes with an understanding of how the diverse aspects and styles that comprise music are ultimately united by a common practice and craft—like the different branches of a single tree. An understanding of craft and continuum can truly guide a musician's professional choices."

"Berklee's a great place to study composition. The Composition Department has more than 30 faculty members—a diverse group of active composers and performers. There are many opportunities to have your compositions performed and to connect with other aspiring musicians. Additionally, the harmony and counterpoint courses emphasize creativity through composition, and final projects from those courses culminate in two showcase faculty performances."

Additional Related Links
Trester's opera, 334 Bunnies
Bus 66

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