Pierce Gradone’s music echoes the strange brew of musical cultures that made up his childhood, from playing bluegrass in the hills of Appalachia, to sprinting the marathon of blinding-fast Pentecostal shout music. His recent work explores the notion of music as an embodied art, grappling with narratives of labor, personhood, and mechanical reproduction. Described as “gorgeous, expansive” (I Care If You Listen) and “engaging” (Chicago Tribune), his music has been performed throughout the world by Eighth Blackbird, Ensemble Signal, Imani Winds, Riot Ensemble, Pacifica Quartet, the Chicago Civic Orchestra, and many others. He has received awards and commissions from the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University, American Modern Ensemble, the Lyra Society of Philadelphia, Ensemble Dal Niente, Luna Nova, and Line Upon Line Percussion. After earning his Ph.D. in composition from the University of Chicago, Pierce joined the faculty of Knox College as an Assistant Professor of Music.
His composition The Watching was the 2018 winner of the Lyra Society Award in honor of Marilyn Costello (former principal harpist of the Philadelphia Orchestra and professor of harp at Curtis).