Michael Abels

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Michael Abels
Michael Abels(8).Photo by Eric Schwabel.jpg
Abels In November 2019
Born (1962-10-08) October 8, 1962 (age 62)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
EducationUSC Los Angeles Thornton School Of Music
OccupationComposer

Michael Abels (born October 8, 1962) is an American composer best known for the opera Omar , co-written with Rhiannon Giddens, and his 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 .

Contents

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. Recent 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]

Early life

Abels was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He spent his early years on a small farm in South Dakota, where he lived with his grandparents. [7] Introduced to music via the family piano, he began showing an innate curiosity towards music at age 4. [8] His music-loving grandparents convinced the local piano teacher to take him on as a student despite his age. At age 8, Abels began composing music, and by age 13, his first completed orchestral work was performed. [9]

Upon graduating from high school, Abels attended the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles. Abels, who is mixed race, [7] eventually studied West African drumming techniques at California Institute of the Arts, and sang in a predominantly black church choir to further explore his African-American roots. [10]

Filmography

Composer

Additional music

Other works

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
2017Fright Meter AwardsBest ScoreGet OutNominated
World Soundtrack Awards Discovery of the YearNominated
International Online Cinema AwardsBest Original ScoreWon
2018International Film Music Critics AwardsBest Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror FilmNominated
Black Reel Awards Outstanding ScoreWon
2019 Washington DC Area Film Critics Association AwardBest Original ScoreUsWon
World Soundtrack Awards Discovery of the YearWon
Indiana Film Journalists AssociationBest Musical ScoreWon
Greater Western New York Film Critics Association AwardsBest ScoreNominated
Chicago Film Critics Association AwardBest Original ScoreNominated
Phoenix Critics CircleBest ScoreNominated
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Best Original ScoreNominated
Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Original Score- Horror FilmWon
Fright Meter AwardsBest ScoreWon
202051st NAACP Image Award Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation AlbumNominated
Critics Choice Awards Best ScoreNominated
Black Reel Award Outstanding ScoreWon
Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Film AwardBest MusicNominated
Music City Film Critics' Association AwardBest ScoreNominated
North Carolina Film Critics AssociationBest MusicNominated
Online Film & Television Association, OFTA Film AwardBest Music, Original ScoreNominated
Society of Composers and Lyricists AwardsOutstanding Original Score for a Studio FilmNominated
Austin Film Critics Association Awards Best ScoreNominated
International Film Music Critics AwardBest Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction/Horror FilmNominated
Central Ohio Film Critics AssociationBest ScoreWon
Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle AwardBest Original ScoreWon
Georgia Film Critics Association Original ScoreNominated
Gold Derby AwardsOriginal ScoreNominated
Hawaii Film Critics SocietyBest Original ScoreNominated
Hollywood Critics Association Best ScoreNominated
Houston Film Critics Society AwardsBest Original ScoreNominated
Online Film Critics Society AwardsBest Original ScoreWon
2021 73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Original Score for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)Allen v. FarrowNominated
73rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Original Main Title Theme MusicAllen v. FarrowNominated
2023 Pulitzer Prize Music OmarWon
202556th NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Original Score for Television/Motion PictureThe AcolyteWon
56th NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Original Score for Television/Motion PictureThe American Society of Magical NegroesNominated

References

  1. ↑ "At War With Ourselves - 400 Years of You". University of South Carolina . Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  2. ↑ Cooper, Michael (June 10, 2019). "Rhiannon Giddens is Writing An Opera". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Omar, A World Premiere Opera in 2022". Spoleto Festival USA. 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  4. ↑ Grgic, Mak. "GUITAR CONCERTO BY MICHAEL ABELS WITH ROCO ORCHESTRA". MakGrgic.com. Schmidt Artists International, Inc.
  5. ↑ "Composer for 'Get Out' and 'Us' Talks Diversity, Inclusiveness in Music". NBCUniversal Media . Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  6. ↑ "2023 Pulitzer Prizes". Pulitzer.org. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Michael Abels, Composer Of Jordan Peele's Us, Balances Terror With Empathy". NPR . Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  8. ↑ De Lerma, Dominique-Rene. "African Heritage Symphonic Series Vol. III". Liner note essay. Cedille Records CDR066.
  9. ↑ "Michael Abels: Biography". Kennedy Center . Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  10. ↑ Davis, Andrew (June 24, 2009). "Michael Abels: A composer makes 'Waves'". Windy City Times. Windy City Media Group. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Delights and Dances | Classical Music".
  12. ↑ "Winged Creatures | Classical Music".
  13. ↑ Cooper, Michael (June 11, 2019). "Rhiannon Giddens Is Writing an Opera". The New York Times . p. C3. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
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