In Memoriam Jacob E. Goodman (1933-2021)

We are very sad to report that Jacob Eli Goodman, the founder of this organization and unquestionably the most important leader for most of its existence, has passed away. Every one of our members has benefitted from his hard work and devotion, and by the example of his own creativity and inspiration. He was an accomplished and recognized mathematician who taught for many years at City College of New York, and he began composing only late in life. The New York Composers Circle arose out of his desire to create a comfortable space for composers to play, discuss, and even critique each other’s work, and to perform it for the public. From these modest beginnings he grew to be quite a sophisticated composer, which is testified to by the diversity of music that you can find on YouTube, much of it put there through our website. This organization was founded in 2002, and we will be celebrating 20 years of existence during the following concert season. We were most gratified by the fact that we were able to perform the world premiere of his last composition, his String Quartet No. 1, on our September concert, and he was able to hear the performance live as it streamed on our Facebook page, and again on YouTube. We will acknowledge Jacob’s leadership and contributions later through a tibute concert in his honor. As we move into the future, my greatest hope is that we can continue to grow in a manner that he would be proud of.

— Hubert S. Howe, Executive Director