Global InformationMichael Abels information
Michael Abels | |
|---|---|
 Abels In November 2019 | |
| Born | October 8, 1962 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | USC Los Angeles Thornton School Of Music |
| Occupation | Composer |
Michael Abels (born October 8, 1962) is an American composer best known for the opera Omar, co-written with Rhiannon Giddens, and his genre-defying scores for the Jordan Peele films Get Out, Us and Nope. The hip-hop influenced score for Us was short-listed for the Oscars and was even named "Score of the Decade" by TheWrap. Other recent media projects include the films Bad Education, Nightbooks, Fake Famous, and the docu-series Allen v. Farrow. His most recent releases include Beauty which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix, Breaking (formerly 892) which premiered at Sundance, and his third collaboration with Jordan Peele, Nope.
Abels' works also includes many concert works, such as At War With Ourselves for the Kronos Quartet,[1] Isolation Variation for Hilary Hahn, and the opera Omar co-composed with Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Rhiannon Giddens.[2][3] Some of these pieces are available on the Cedille Records, including Delights & Dances and Winged Creatures. Current commissions include a work for the National Symphony Orchestra and a guitar concerto for Mak Grgić.[4]
Abels is co-founder of the Composers Diversity Collective, an advocacy group to increase visibility of composers of color in film, gaming and streaming media.[5]
In 2023, the opera Omar, co-written by Abels and Rhiannon Giddens, won the Pulitzer Prize for Music.[6]
- ^ "At War With Ourselves - 400 Years of You". University of South Carolina. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ Cooper, Michael (June 10, 2019). "Rhiannon Giddens is Writing An Opera". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ "Omar, A World Premiere Opera in 2022". Spoleto Festival USA. 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
- ^ Grgic, Mak. "GUITAR CONCERTO BY MICHAEL ABELS WITH ROCO ORCHESTRA". MakGrgic.com. Schmidt Artists International, Inc.
- ^ "Composer for 'Get Out' and 'Us' Talks Diversity, Inclusiveness in Music". NBCUniversal Media. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ "2023 Pulitzer Prizes". Pulitzer.org. Retrieved May 9, 2023.