Paul Schoenfield (1947-2024) was an American composer and pianist from Detroit whose music drew freely on classical forms, klezmer, jazz, and folk traditions. His most widely performed work, the piano trio Café Music (1987), was commissioned by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and grew out of an evening he spent filling in as house pianist at a Minneapolis restaurant. He taught composition at the University of Michigan until retiring in 2021, then moved permanently to Jerusalem. His song cycle Camp Songs was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2003, and more than 40 albums of his music have appeared on labels including Naxos, Decca, and EMI.
UCLA's Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience presented an entire concert evening with Schoenfield's music, including the song cycle Camp Songs, in January 2026.
Chamber Music Society of Minnesota held a tribute to Schoenfield on April 6, 2025, arranged by his long-time collaborator, violinist Young-Nam Kim.
YourClassical/MPR marked the 38th anniversary of the premiere of Café Music on January 25, 2025 with a special program about the work's creation.
21st Century Consort held a memorial concert for Schoenfield on September 15, 2024 in Washington D.C. under the direction of Christopher Kendall.
Paul Schoenfield died on April 29, 2024 in Jerusalem of cancer, 77 years old.
😴 Nothing scheduled with this artist in the near future.
