American composer Julius Eastman died on this day in 1990 aged 49. He was one of the first composers to work in minimalist and experimental music genres.
As a conductor, musician and vocalist he worked with artists including Arthur Russell, Meredith Monk and Pierre Boulez. In the 1970s he began making music that overtly celebrated his identity with bold titles like Gay Guerilla and Nigger Faggot, Crazy Nigger and Evil Nigger.
His professional opportunities dried up in the 1980s as he struggled with substance abuse and experienced homelessness and his work faded into obscurity. There are limited details of his death in 1990 but it was possibly due to HIV.
Decades after his passing other artists rediscovered his work and began re-recording many of his compositions. In 2024 the Melbourne based Astra Chamber Music Society gave the Australian premiere of Eastman’s works.
The 2015 book Gay Guerilla: Julius Eastman and His Music presents a series of essays on the artists work and compositions.
