Paul Reale was born in New Jersey in 1943 and received his education at Columbia College in English Literature and the hard sciences. Although music was a lifelong study, it was not until 1967 that he received a degree in composition at Columbia under the primary tutelage of Chou Wen-Chung and Otto Luening. A decision to enter college teaching prompted further study at the University of Pennsylvania where he came under the influence of George Rochberg and George Crumb.

Since 2004 he is Professor Emeritus at UCLA in the rich, multicultural environment of Southern California. The composer’s catalogue includes ten piano sonatas, nine concertos for various instruments, including Columbus Concerto for Organ and Winds, which was written for the 500th aniversary of the discovery of America and three piano concertos, two song cycles, and dozens of other vocal and dramatic works. Most recently completed are Sonata for Violin and Piano, “Celtic Wedding” in a new version for publication and “Sacred Geometry 2” for violin and viola. Another recent project is Your Reality Check is in the Mail, commissioned by the Definiens Project, having won their 2006 Music Composition Contest. The piece premiered in their 2006–2007 season.

Also, Sacred Geometry 2 for violin and viola received a “Special Mention for the personal language in balance between tradition and innovation” at the 2005 International EPICMUSIC Composition Competition.

Piano Sonata No. 6, “The Waste Land,” Has been recently revised and has received one of the prizes in the New Ariel Music Competition, 2007. The piece will be coming out on commercial CD under the Capstone label in 2008.

Piano and chamber works are recorded on Cinnabar Records (new release of CD of Concerto “Dies Irae” (available at CD Baby,) Music & Arts CD’s (CelloAmerica, TrioAmerica, and 20th Century Piano series) and published by Carl Fischer Inc., Theodore Presser Co., Laurendale Associates, and Yelton Rhodes, which now carries two volumes of Classy Contemporaries and Finger Teasers, solo piano pieces for beginners, using contemporary techniques. He has written both aesthetic and analytical articles on twentieth-century topics from Ives to Boulez (most recently a number have appeared as booklets to accompany CD’s). In 1995 he received the Charles and Harriet Luckman Award for Distinguished Teaching.

More information and a complete catalog may be obtained at the Reale-Rydell Website: http://www.minotaurz.com/minotaur.

(Contribution by Paul Reale.)