Christopher Cerrone (born March 5, 1984) is an American composer based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He was a 2014 finalist for the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

, a 2014 Fromm Foundation commission recipient, a 2015

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Recipients must be American citizens. Prizes have been aw ...

winner in Music Composition, and has received numerous awards from

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

Biography

Cerrone was born in

Huntington, New York Huntington is one of ten Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States. The town's population was 204,127 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 11 ...

, United States. He studied music composition at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

with Nils Vigeland and Reiko Fueting, and then earned his Masters and Doctoral degrees at

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

studying with Martin Bresnick, David Lang, Christopher Theofanidis,

Ingram Marshall Ingram Douglass Marshall (May 10, 1942May 31, 2022) was an American composer and a onetime student of Vladimir Ussachevsky and Morton Subotnick. Early life and education Marshall was born in Mount Vernon, New York. He was the son of Bernice Dou ...

, and

Ezra Laderman Ezra Laderman (29 June 1924 – 28 February 2015) was an American composer of classical music. He was born in Brooklyn. Biography Laderman was of Jewish heritage. His parents, Isidor and Leah, both emigrated to the United States from Poland. Thou ...

. In 2014 Cerrone's opera ''Invisible Cities'' based on

Italo Calvino Italo Calvino (, ; ;. RAI (circa 1970), retrieved 25 October 2012. 15 October 1923 – 19 September 1985) was an Italian novelist and short story writer. His best-known works include the ''Our Ancestors'' trilogy (1952–1959), the '' Cosm ...

'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. Cerrone has received commissions from ensembles including eighth blackbird, the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

, Present Music, and he has been the Composer-in-Residence with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and with Exploring the Metropolis/ConEdison. Cerrone was a founding member and co-Artistic Director of Red Light New Music and currently a member of the composers' collectiv
Sleeping Giant
consisting of Timo Andres, Christopher Cerrone, Jacob Cooper, Ted Hearne, Robert Honstein, and Andrew Norman. His works are published by Project Schott New York and

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second-oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were foun ...

Selected works

Opera * ''In a Grove'' (2022) for four singers (SCtTB), nine instruments, and electronics * ''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 or 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 The Ovation Awards were a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They were given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Win ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

: Nominated for Book and for Lyrics/Music for an Original Musical for The Industry's production of ''Invisible Cities''

References

External links

Official website

Eamdc.com

'Ep. 40: Christopher Cerrone, composer'
Interview by Tigran Arakelyan {{DEFAULTSORT:Cerrone, Christopher American male classical composers Living people 1984 births 21st-century American classical composers People from Huntington, New York Manhattan School of Music alumni Yale School of Music alumni Pupils of Martin Bresnick Classical musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American male musicians