Ann Callaway was born in Washington DC and studied with Alvin Etler, George Crumb, and Jack Beeson, among others. Her music has been broadcast on both coasts of the US, and she is the subject of a documentary produced by Swedish Radio. She has been honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship, and orchestral commission from the National Endowment for the Arts, residencies at the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Leighton Artist Colony in Banff.
Her music includes a Concerto for Bass Clarinet, performed by the Seattle Symphony and the Cleveland Chamber Symphony; a tone poem, Amethyst, premiered in 1997 by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra with soprano Kati Guerra; and The Work of Sun, excerpts of which were read
by the Berkeley Symphony on their Under Construction series.
Among Callaway's chamber works are the sextet Devachan, written for the New York New Music Ensemble and given its West Coast premiere by Earplay; Seven Dramatic Episodes (after E. A. Poe) for flute, cello, piano and narrator; the song cycles Besides This May (E. Dickinson) for soprano, flute, and piano, and Visions From the Natural World (G. M. Hopkins, Chr. Smart, A. Callaway, for soprano & percussion), premiered by Dawn Upshaw; and a cycle in progress, Songs From the Gardener (R. Tagore) for soprano, bass, chorus and piano, written for Bella Musica. Her choral works have been performed by the Gregg Smith Singers and Alice Parker's Melodious Accord.
Callaway's compositions for organ have been played by Thomas Murray, Donald Joyce, John Butt, and Rodney Gehrke. She has also written solo pieces for flute, viola, contrabass clarinet, and piano. Her works are published by Laureate Music Press and distributed by MMB Music.
