Christopher Cerrone

Christopher Cerrone (born March 5, 1984) is an American composer based in New York City. He was a 2014 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, ^[1] a 2014 Fromm Foundation commission recipient, ^[2] a 2015 Rome Prize winner in Music Composition, ^[3] two Grammy Awards nominations, and has received numerous awards from ASCAP. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Biography

Cerrone was born in Huntington, New York, United States. He studied music composition at the Manhattan School of Music with Nils Vigeland and Reiko Fueting, ^[7] and then earned his Masters and Doctoral degrees at Yale studying with Martin Bresnick, David Lang, Christopher Theofanidis, Ingram Marshall, and Ezra Laderman. ^[8]

In 2014 Cerrone's opera Invisible Cities based on Italo Calvino's novel Invisible Cities was produced by the Los Angeles-based opera company The Industry, the LA Dance Project, and Sennheiser. The production received glowing reviews and had a sold-out run of performances. ^{[9] [10] [11]} Cerrone has received commissions from ensembles including eighth blackbird, ^[12] the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Present Music, ^[13] and he has been the Composer-in-Residence with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, ^[14] and with Exploring the Metropolis/ConEdison. ^[15]

Cerrone was a founding member and co-Artistic Director of Red Light New Music ^{[16] [17]} and currently a member of the composers' collective Sleeping Giant, consisting of Timo Andres, Christopher Cerrone, Jacob Cooper, Ted Hearne, Robert Honstein, and Andrew Norman. ^{[18] [19]}

His works are published by Project Schott New York ^[20] and Schott Music. ^[21]

Selected works

Opera

• In a Grove (2022) for four singers (SCtTB), nine instruments, and electronics ^[22]
• Invisible Cities (2009–2013) for four solo voices, chamber choir, chamber orchestra, and electronics
• All Wounds Bleed (2011) for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and piano

Orchestra

• High Windows (2013) concerto for string orchestra
• Still Life with Violin and Orchestra (2010) for violin and orchestra
• Invisible Overture (2008) for orchestra

Chamber orchestra

• Flows Beneath (2012) for steel pan ensemble and 10 person chamber orchestra

Solo and chamber

• Double Happiness (2012) for electric guitar, percussion, and electronics
• Memory Palace (2012) for solo percussionist and electronics
• Recovering (2011/12) for clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, vibraphone, violin, and double bass
• The Night Mare (2011) for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello, and electronics
• Hoyt–Schermerhorn (2010) for solo piano and electronics
• Reading a Wave (2008/2010) for nine instruments placed throughout the audience.
• Variations on a Still Point (2006/7) for guitar, saxophone, percussion, and piano

Vocal

• I will learn to love a person (2013) for soprano, saxophone (or clarinet), percussion, and piano or soprano and piano
• That Night with the Green Sky (2012) for soprano and piano
• How to Breathe Underwater (2011) for baritone, trumpet, trombone, bass clarinet, and pre-recorded electronics
• Requiem [for K.V.] (2007/2009) for solo amplified voice and live electronics. Text by Kurt Vonnegut.
• three e.e. cummings poems (2004) for SSAATTBB choir

Awards and nominations

Ovation Awards

• 2014: Nominated for Book and for Lyrics/Music for an Original Musical for The Industry's production of Invisible Cities ^[23]

Grammy Awards (nominations only)

• 2026: Best Contemporary Classical Composition for "Don't look down"
• 2026: Best Classical Compendium for "Don't look down"
• 2025: Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for "Beaufort scales" (with Beth Willer and the Lorelei Ensemble)

References

1. "The Pulitzer Prizes – Citation". pulitzer.org.
2. "Christopher Cerrone". harvard.edu.
3. Gordon, Ted (2015-04-17). "PSNY: Christopher Cerrone Awarded 2015–16 Rome Prize". Eamdc.com. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
4. "Leonard Bernstein Award". www.ascap.com.
5. "The 2014 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composers Awards". www.ascap.com.
6. "The ASCAP Foundation Names Recipients of the 2011 Morton Gould Young Composer Awards". www.ascap.com.
7. "S01E23 – Christopher Cerrone". Greenroom Conversations: The Process Unplugged.
8. "christopher cerrone Archives – Yale School of Music". Yale School of Music.
9. "Review: An inward tour through 'Invisible Cities'". Los Angeles Times . 21 October 2013.
10. "Is This the Opera of the Future?". WIRED. 22 October 2013.
11. "WQXR – New York's Classical Music Radio Station". wqxr.org.
12. "eighth blackbird". carnegiehall.org. Archived from the original on 2015-04-03. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
13. Los Angeles Times (11 February 2014). "L.A. Philharmonic 2014–15 season includes Dessner, Cerrone works". Los Angeles Times .
14. "2013 Music Alive Residency Awardees – New Music USA". newmusicusa.org.
15. "Christopher Cerrone at Brooklyn Youth Chorus Academy". Exploring the Metropolis, Inc. Archived from the original on 2015-04-04. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
16. Kozinn, Allan (8 October 2011). "Red Light New Music Plays christopher Cerrone Review". The New York Times . Retrieved 2015-07-09.
17. Adrianne Koteen (29 May 2012). "Red Light New Music at Symphony Space". I CARE IF YOU LISTEN.
18. "Sleeping Giant Collective and the Albany Symphony – New Music USA". newmusicusa.org.
19. Adrianne Koteen (6 June 2012). "Under the influence: Deviant Septet commissions Sleeping Giant". I CARE IF YOU LISTEN.
20. "PSNY: Christopher Cerrone Works". Eamdc.com. Retrieved 2015-07-09.
21. "Schott Music – Shop – Search results". schott-music.com.
22. Waleson, Heidi (2022-02-22). "'In a Grove' Review: Kurosawa at the Opera House". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2022-03-04.
23. "Ovation Awards Nominees Announced". 22 September 2014. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2015.

External links

• Official website
• Eamdc.com
• 'Ep. 40: Christopher Cerrone, composer' Interview by Tigran Arakelyan