Freeman, Betty (1921-2009) | University of Illinois Archives

Betty Freeman (1921-2009) was a photographer and philanthropist. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of a chemical engineer and mathematics teacher. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York, attending New Rochelle High School. Freeman graduated from Wellesley College in 1942, earning a degree in English with a minor in music. Following her graduation, she worked as an art collector in New York. Through several of her acquaintances in art collecting, she was asked to contribute content for the legal defense of composer La Monte Young. This led to a lifelong passion of contributing to the work of modern composers.

In 1972, she met Harry Partch while working with the film-maker Stephen Pouliot on a documentary about the composer (The Dreamer that Remains: a Portrait of Harry Partch). Through her photographs, Freeman applied for and earned over 432 grants and commissions for 81 distinct composers. Freeman's contribution to modern American music cannot be understated, having been comissioned to photograph such major composers as Lou Harrison, La Monte Young, John Adams, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Cage, Harry Partch, Virgil Thomson, and Kaija Saariaho among many others. Several of these composers dedicated their compositions to her including works by Lou Harrison's Serenade for Betty Freeman and Franco Assetto, John Cage's Freeman Etudes, Steve Reich's Variations for Winds, Strings, and Keyboards, and John Adams's Nixon in China.