Role

:

Composer Conductor

Genre

:

Choral

 

Buryl Red was an American composer, arranger, and conductor who made significant contributions to the world of classical music. He was born on January 9, 1921, in Little Rock, Arkansas, and grew up in a musical family. His father was a church choir director, and his mother was a pianist. Red began playing the piano at a young age and showed a natural talent for music. Red attended the University of Arkansas, where he studied music theory and composition. After graduation, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. He worked as a staff arranger for NBC and later became the musical director for the radio program "The Railroad Hour." In the 1950s, Red began working in the field of sacred music. He composed and arranged music for church choirs and wrote several cantatas and oratorios. One of his most famous works in this genre is "Celebrate Life," a cantata that celebrates the joys of life and the beauty of nature. Red also worked in the field of musical theater. He composed the music for the Broadway musical "The Happiest Girl in the World" and wrote the score for the off-Broadway production "The Fantasticks." He also wrote music for several films, including "The Great White Hope" and "The Lion in Winter." In addition to his work in sacred music and musical theater, Red was also a prolific composer of instrumental music. He wrote several symphonies, concertos, and chamber works. One of his most famous instrumental works is "The Seven Last Words of Christ," a piece for string orchestra that reflects on the final words of Jesus on the cross. Red was also known for his work as a conductor. He conducted several orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the Boston Pops. He was also the conductor of the Norman Luboff Choir, a group that specialized in choral arrangements of popular songs. Throughout his career, Red received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the world of music. He was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame in 1998 and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers in 2002. Buryl Red passed away on January 1, 2018, at the age of 96. He left behind a legacy of beautiful music that continues to inspire and delight audiences around the world.

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