The youngest of the three sons of Gwen Hagen (an artist and advertising executive) and Earl Hagen (an attorney), Hagen began composing prolifically in 1974, when his older brother gave him a recording and score of Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd. Two years later, at the age of fifteen, he conducted the premiere of his first orchestral work, a recording and score of which came to the attention of Leonard Bernstein, who enthusiastically urged Hagen to attend Juilliard to study with David Diamond. After two years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by three years of study with Ned Rorem at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Hagen moved to New York City in 1984 to complete his formal education as a student of Diamond’s at Juilliard. After graduating, Hagen lived abroad briefly, first at the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France, and then at the Rockefeller Foundation's Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio, Italy. When he returned to the United States, Hagen studied privately with Bernstein, whose guidance during the composition of Hagen's Shining Brow (1992) — the opera that launched Hagen's career internationally — prompted him to dedicate the score to Bernstein’s memory.
His first composition to attract wide attention was Prayer for Peace, premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1981. The New York Philharmonic commissioned Philharmonia for its 150th anniversary in 1990. Hagen's numerous commissions from major orchestras and performers between 1981 and 2005 included orchestral works, three symphonies, seven concertos (for Gary Graffman and Sara Sant'Ambrogio, among others), several massive works for chorus and orchestra, two dozen choral works, ballet scores, concert overtures, showpieces, two brass quintets, two piano trios, a string quartet, an oboe quintet, a duo for violin and cello, solo works for piano, organ, violin, viola, and cello, and seventeen published cycles of art songs. In 1990 Hagen began a creative collaboration with the Irish poet Paul Muldoon that resulted in four major operas: Shining Brow (1992), Vera of Las Vegas (1996), Bandanna (1998), and The Antient Concert (2005).
Noah And The Whale: '2 Atoms In A Molecule' Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:28:00 -0400 Chances are you've heard at least one song by the London-based Noah and the Whale. Recently, the folk-rock band had its immutably cheerful tune "5 Years Time" featured in a Saturn SUV commercial. Clapping, whistling and ukulele play joyfully together with choruses capable of inducing a Diabetic coma from all the sugary sweetness. But there's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes the world needs an extra dose of sunshine, and the members of Noah and the Whale make that their specialty. Andras Schiff: Scaling Beethoven's Sonatas Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:16:00 -0400 Andras Schiff has played Beethoven's colossal piano sonata, the "Hammerklavier," for years. He calls it a "monument of impenetrability." Now, he's finally recorded the piece, and critic Tom Manoff has a review. Rodney Crowell: 21st-Century Country Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:42:00 -0400 Singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell is often associated with country music, but his songs have a much wider reach, often spanning rock, folk, swing and bluegrass. Hear the musician, who recently released Sex and Gasoline, in a session with World Cafe host David Dye.
www.tennessean.com - Rss-News-Music Industry news
Ringtone royalty rate gets big boost Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:47:00 -0500 Songwriters and music publishers say they're pleased with a U.S. Copyright Royalty Board ruling issued Thursday that sets a higher rate for ringtones but keeps a 9.1-cents mechanical royalty on all other music, including compact discs and digital download services. SESAC cooks up fun for The Grascals Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:51:00 -0500 The first clue that something was up at the oft-quiet performing rights organization SESAC this week was the large powder blue-and-turquoise tour bus emblazoned with an assortment of Mayberry's Finest baking mixes parked across the street from its Music Row offices. SESAC cooks up fun for The Grascals Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:51:00 -0500 The first clue that something was up at the oft-quiet performing rights organization SESAC this week was the large powder blue-and-turquoise tour bus emblazoned with an assortment of Mayberry's Finest baking mixes parked across the street from its Music Row offices.
Rolling Stone: Features
Make-Believe Maverick Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:23:06 -0700
A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty
• VIDEO: Five Myths About John McCain
• The Double-Talk Express
• Mad Dog Palin: The Full Story
• Karl Rove's A-Team
At Fort McNair, an army base located along the Potomac River in the nation's capital, a chance reunion takes place one day between two former POWs. It's the spring of 1974, and Navy commander John Sidney McCain III has returned home from the...
The Easygoing Patriot Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:51:54 -0700
Jackson Browne on Obama's chances, what he learned from Dylan and living off the grid
Making music is one of the greatest pleasures I've ever experienced — and I'm one who sought pleasure," Jackson Browne says with a quiet laugh on an early-autumn afternoon in a New York hotel room. But, he adds, "the heart of my activism is the belief that these pleasures are for everybody. If we continue what we're doing as a country . . . " He pauses. "We're all in the same boat. That's always been the subject of my songs. We only have a little time. It's a mess, so you do everything you...
Q&A: Chrissie Hynde Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:17:19 -0700
The Pretenders singer on moving back to Ohio, opening a vegan restaurant and her rootsy new record
• Video: Behind the Scenes of the "Boots of Chinese Plastic" music video
After her 2007 tour with the Pretenders, frontwoman Chrissie Hynde vowed not to return to the stage until she wrote some new material. "Frankly, it was just embarrassing that I hadn't had a record out in so long," she says. Now, after recently resettling in her childhood home of Akron, Ohio — she has lived primarily in London for the past 35 years — Hynde can hit the road and draw from a brand-new batch...
Daron Hagen: Composer - Official site. Includes events and news, audio samples, biography, discography, works list, articles, reviews, operas, gallery, links, message board, and contact information.
Meta Description: [ Comprehensive website devoted to the music of the American concert music and opera composer. ]
About.com: Hagen Interview - Cheryl Campbell asks the composer about the creative process and what advice he may have for young composers.
Meta Description: [ Classical music resources including composer biographies, CD reviews, artist profiles, concert hall listings, and other useful information. ]
Kalvos and Damien: Daron Hagen - Pictures and recordings.
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