Role

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Composer

Period

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Contemporary

Genre

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Avant-Garde

 

Arthur Kreiger was an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was born on August 20, 1945, in New York City, and grew up in a family of musicians. His father was a violinist, and his mother was a pianist. Kreiger began playing the piano at a young age and showed an early interest in composition. Kreiger received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music in 1967. He then went on to study composition with Milton Babbitt at Princeton University, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in 1969. Kreiger also studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen in Germany and attended the Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music. Kreiger's early works were influenced by the serialism of Babbitt and the avant-garde techniques of Stockhausen. However, he soon developed his own unique style, which combined elements of serialism, minimalism, and electronic music. One of Kreiger's most significant works is his opera, "The Bell Jar," which is based on the novel by Sylvia Plath. The opera premiered in 1981 at the New York City Opera and was later performed at the Houston Grand Opera. The opera received critical acclaim for its innovative use of electronic music and its powerful portrayal of mental illness. Kreiger's other notable works include "The Persistence of Memory," a chamber work for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, which was commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation and premiered at the Tanglewood Music Festival in 1977. He also composed "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," a work for orchestra and electronics, which was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and premiered in 1990. In addition to his work as a composer, Kreiger was also a respected teacher of music composition. He taught at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston from 1970 to 2008 and was a visiting professor at numerous universities, including Harvard, Yale, and Columbia. Kreiger's music has been performed by many of the world's leading orchestras and ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Kronos Quartet. He received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts grant, and the Rome Prize. Kreiger continued to compose music until his death on December 22, 2018, at the age of 73. His legacy as a composer and teacher of music composition continues to inspire and influence generations of musicians.

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