Role

:

Composer Conductor

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

January 8, 1937 in Denver, CO

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

 

Opera

 

 

Orchestral

 

 

Vocal

 

Robert Moran is an American composer who was born on January 5, 1937, in Denver, Colorado. He grew up in a musical family, with his mother being a pianist and his father a violinist. Moran began playing the piano at a young age and later studied composition at the University of Colorado and the New England Conservatory of Music. Moran's early works were influenced by the avant-garde music of the 1960s, particularly the works of John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen. He was also interested in electronic music and collaborated with the composer Morton Subotnick on several projects. In the 1970s, Moran began to incorporate elements of popular music into his compositions, including rock and roll and disco. This can be heard in works such as "The Manson Family" (1971), an opera based on the infamous cult leader Charles Manson, and "Money" (1972), a piece for chamber ensemble that uses the sound of cash registers and other commercial sounds. Moran's most famous work is "The Desert of Roses" (1984), an opera that tells the story of a group of women who are kidnapped and held captive in a harem. The opera features a mix of Middle Eastern and Western musical styles and has been performed around the world. Other notable works by Moran include "Trinity Requiem" (2002), a choral work that commemorates the victims of the September 11th attacks, and "Eclipse" (2017), a piece for orchestra and choir that was commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra. Throughout his career, Moran has been recognized for his contributions to contemporary classical music. He has received numerous awards and honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Rockefeller Foundation grant. He has also been a professor of music at several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University. Moran's music is known for its eclectic style and use of unconventional sounds and instruments. He has been praised for his ability to blend different musical genres and create works that are both innovative and accessible to a wide audience.

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