Nico Muhly

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About Nico Muhly

One of the premier American composers to emerge in the 21st century, Nico Muhly has defined himself through his stylistic mobility as much as his symphonic and operatic work. While rooted in the classical tradition, he has regularly engaged in art-pop music, particularly through his connections with the Bedroom Community label collective in Iceland. Muhly was born in Vermont in 1981 to artist parents and was raised in Providence, Rhode Island. He attended Columbia University and the Juilliard School—where he studied under John Corigliano and Christopher Rouse—as part of a double-degree programme, graduating from the latter in 2004 with a master’s degree in music. While still at Juilliard, he began working for Philip Glass as an archivist and later as an assistant conductor and keyboardist in his ensemble. His first recordings focused on delicate chamber music with pop overtones, performed by a mix of classical and experimental musicians, and in 2009 he created string arrangements for the rock band Grizzly Bear’s album Veckatimest. By 2010, organisations and artists including the Britten Sinfonia, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic were commissioning work from him. Muhly’s pieces draw upon the entirety of classical music history, stretching back to the Renaissance up through the minimalism of Glass, to say nothing of ongoing collaborators like Faroe Islands pop singer Teitur and noise-rock composer Ben Frost.

HOMETOWN
Vermont, United States
BORN
26 August 1981
GENRE
Classical

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