COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: LEI LIANG

Lei Liang (b.1972) is a Chinese-born American composer whose works have been described as “hauntingly beautiful and sonically colorful” by The New York Times, and as “far, far out of the ordinary, brilliantly original and inarguably gorgeous” by The Washington Post. Winner of the 2011 Rome Prize, Lei Liang is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, an Aaron Copland Award, a Koussevitzky Music Foundation Commission and a Creative Capital Award. His concerto Xiaoxiang (for saxophone and orchestra) was named a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Music. His orchestral work, A Thousand Mountains, A Million Streams, won the 2021 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. LEARN MORE

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: JOHN LUTHER ADAMS

For John Luther Adams, music is a lifelong search for home—an invitation to slow down, pay attention, and remember our place within the larger community of life on earth. Living for almost 40 years in northern Alaska, JLA discovered a unique musical world grounded in space, stillness, and elemental forces. In the 1970s and into the ’80s, he worked full time as an environmental activist. But the time came when he felt compelled to dedicate himself entirely to music. He made this choice with the belief that, ultimately, music can do more than politics to change the world. Since that time, he has become one of the most widely admired composers in the world, receiving the Pulitzer Prize, a Grammy Award, and many other honors. LEARN MORE

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT: THOMAS SLEEPER

“Hauntingly Mysterious,” “Richly Lyrical,” “Soaring Melodies” - all phrases used to describe the music of Thomas M. Sleeper. His output includes six operas, fifteen concerti, five symphonies, four orchestral song cycles, works for chorus with orchestra, three string quartets, numerous other vocal and instrumental chamber works and music for film. Sleeper has developed a unique compositional voice whose vocabulary is clearly from, but not limited to, this century. Sleeper is a member of the Cherokee Tribe (Blind Savannah Clan) and currently resides in Miami, Florida, where he is Professor Emeritus at the University of Miami and Music Director of the Florida Youth Orchestra. LEARN MORE