Zorn Awarded Schumann Prize

The composer and musician John Zorn, celebrated as the centerpiece of Manhattan's mid-1970s "downtown" music scene, was named the 2007 William Schumann Award recipient by Columbia University's School of the Arts, the school's acting dean, Dan Kleinman, announced yesterday.

In his announcement of the $50,000 prize, Mr. Kleinman cited Mr. Zorn's "astonishingly diverse and extraordinary body of work," which includes forays into musical areas as disparate as jazz, hardcore punk, and klezmer music.

Mr. Zorn is the founder and president of Tzadik Record Co. and has served as the artistic director at venues like the Knitting Factory and Tonic. His jazz octet, Electric Masada, produced the esteemed 2005 recording, "At the Mountains of Madness."

The award, whose previous recipients have included Milton Babbitt and Steve Reich, is intended "to recognize the lifetime achievement of an American composer whose works have been widely performed and generally acknowledged to be of lasting significance."

For Mr. Zorn, yesterday's announcement was the icing on an already sweet cake; he was awarded a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship, or "genius grant," in 2006.

Columbia University will host a concert and award ceremony in Mr. Zorn's honor on April 26.