Alec Wilder was an American composer who bridged popular song and classical chamber music with remarkable versatility. Born in Rochester, New York, in 1907, he was largely self-taught, studying informally at the Eastman School of Music. His catalog spans hundreds of popular songs, over twenty octets, dozens of chamber works for wind quintets and brass ensembles, art songs, and educational pieces. Among his most enduring contributions to the Great American Songbook are "I'll Be Around," which became closely associated with Frank Sinatra, and "While We're Young." His octets blended jazz sensibility with classical instrumentation, recorded with support from Mitch Miller. A lifelong friend of Sinatra, Wilder also collaborated frequently with lyricists William Engvick and Loonis McGlohon. He died in Gainesville, Florida, in 1980.
