Randolph Hokanson

Pianist, composer, writer, lecturer, and professor emeritus at the University of Washington. Noted, for at the age of 15, performing recitals in Seattle, Washington and Victoria, Canada. Afterwords, he studied in London with pianist Howard Samuel (known for being one of the first pianists, within the twentieth century, to focus exclusively on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach) in which, during this time, within his autobiography "With Head to the Music Bent: A Musician's Story," recounted his experiences with Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw (known for works such as 'Candida' (1894), 'Pygmalion' (1912), and 'Saint Joan' (1923) ) English pianist Dame Myra Hess (known for her interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), American novelist Edith Wharton (known for works such as 'The House of Mirth' (1905) and 'The Age of Innocence'), and his time serving during World War II where he served as an interpreter for for the Signal Battalion (communications department for the 'Echelons Above Corps Signal Unit of the New York Army National Guard' in Yonkers, New York). After the war, Hokanson continued by making scheduling a New York debut recital in 1947, where during this time, he toured as a recitalist and orchestral soloists under conductors Sir Thomas Beecham (known for acting as the leading conductors for the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras), Pierre Monteux (known for working at Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company 'Ballets Russes,' between 1911-1914, and premiering works that include 'The Rite of Spring,' 'Petrushka,' and 'The Nightingale,' by Igor Stravinsky, 'Daphnis et Chloé' [Daphnis and Chloe] by Maurice Ravel, and 'Jeux' [Games] by Claude Debussy), Arthur Fielder (known for being the leading conductors of the 'Boston Symphony Orchestra' and 'Boston Pops Orchestra' (1930-1979) ), Milton Katims (violinist and conductor of the 'Seattle Symphony Orchestra' from 1954-1976), and Stanley Chapple (know for being the director of the City of London School's opera, in 1920 at the age of 19, guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, in 1922 at the age of 21, and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra [establishing him as a conductor of various ensembles throughout Vienna, the Hague, and Warsaw], conductor of the National Symphony, in 1939 at the Watergate concerts at the age of 38, director of the 'Boston Symphony Orchestra' at Tanglewood, in 1940 at the age of 39 [in which Leonard Bernstein, conductor, most notably of the 'New York Philharmonic,' and composer, became his first student], the director of the UW School of Music in 1948, at the age of 47, [after the dean of the department had heard him at Tanglewood], the conductor of the 'Seattle Symphony Orchestra' in 1950, at the age of 49, [specializing in the public awareness of performances within opera, ballet, and theater], the director of the symphony and opera departments at the University of Washington, until his retirement in 1971 at the of 70, and director of the Seattle Senior Orchestra at the admonission of Wes Uhlman [mayor of Seattle from 1969-1978]). Apart from these relationships, he also maintained a career as a soloist with the 'Seattle Symphony Orchestra,' 'CBC Chamber Orchestra,' and the Bach Festivals of Carmel, California and Mount Angel, Oregon. In 1949, Hokanson became a member of the UW music faculty in which his performances continued through recitals throughout 1949-1984 (documented on the release "The Pianism of Randolph Hokanson: The University Years (1949-1984"). Known for his ability to explain how music works and how composers create as a teacher, in 1987 he directed a series of post-retirement classes for the UW Extension "The Piano in Concert" [a series of classes tracing the entire lineage of the piano within the Western piano repertoire] and a new venture holding lectures based on the subjects of the music of Beethoven in 1989 [documented on a recording entitled "At Home with Beethoven" in the same year]. In 2001 he married his wife, the composer, Dorothy Cadzow Hokanson [noted for works that include a three-act opera entitled "Undine" based on the character 'Undine' undertaking a journey for marriage] and continued recording [releasing in 2003 a work entitled "Character Pieces of the Nineteenth Century"] and composing, by the time of his death in 2003, working on a song cycle based on the works of Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Emily Dickinson.