John Zorn Receives Columbia University Honor

  I  

John Zorn has received Columbia University’s William Schuman Award. The prize, which honors American composers, comes with a direct, unrestricted, grant of $50,000.

“John Zorn’s astonishingly diverse and extraordinary body of work has enlightened, startled and enhanced it’s listeners,” said Dain Kleinman, acting dean of Columbia’s School of the Arts. “His lasting contribution to the repertoire of today has changed the landscape of composition.”



  • KP2_Print_copy.jpg

    ​Peplowski first came to prominence in legacy swing bands, including the final iteration of the Benny Goodman Orchestra, before beginning a solo career in the late 1980s.

  • John_Hammond_courtesy_johnhammond.com.jpg

    Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.

  • Screenshot_2026-02-03_at_5.17.03%E2%80%AFPM_copy.jpg

    ​“I play what I want and what I like,” said Andrew Cyrille. “I use my knowledge artistically and professionally.”

  • Wynton_Marsalis_by_Frank_Stewart.jpg

    Marsalis will, if he chooses to use it, have a strong voice in perpetuating his vision through a role in choosing his successors.

  • Lettuce_by_Sam_Silkworth_2026_copy.jpg

    Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall