Gavin Bryars

One of the most important British post-minimalist composers, Gavin Bryars mixes classical, jazz, and modern influences in his intellectually engaging (yet still emotionally moving) music. Though his style has varied substantially since his first major piece, 1969's The Sinking of the Titanic, the onetime student of John Cage has remained a provocative yet accessible composer capable of working in a variety of settings. He premiered his first opera, Medea, in 1982; collaborated with choreographer Merce Cunningham on 1999's BIPED; set music to eight Shakespeare sonnets for 2007's Nothing Like the Sun; released a Grammy-winning cantata for choir and saxophone quartet, The Fifth Century, in 2016; and, after celebrating his 80th birthday, premiered the meditative The Bridges of Königsberg, a work for string sextet inspired by philosopher Immanuel Kant, in 2023. Bryars has also scored films, published writings including essays, and lectured widely, among other interdisciplinary pursuits.