Michael Abels (born October 8, 1962) is an American composer best known for the opera '' Omar'', co-written with

Rhiannon Giddens Rhiannon Giddens (born February 21, 1977) is an American musician known for her eclectic folk music. She is a founding member of the country, blues, and old-time music band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she was the lead singer, fiddle pl ...

, and his scores for the

Jordan Peele Jordan Haworth Peele (born February 21, 1979) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for his film and television work in the Comedy film, comedy and Horror film, horror genres. He has received List of awards and nominations r ...

films ''

Get Out ''Get Out'' is a 2017 American psychological horror film written, co-produced, and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut. It stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Lil Rel Howery, LaKeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Caleb ...

'', '' Us'' and '' Nope''. The hip-hop influenced score for ''Us'' was short-listed for the

Oscars The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...

and was even named "Score of the Decade" by ''

TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...

''. 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 The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical musi ...

, ''Isolation Variation'' for

Hilary Hahn Hilary Hahn (born November 27, 1979) is an American violinist. A three-time Grammy Award winner, she has performed throughout the world as a soloist with leading orchestras and conductors, and as a recitalist. She is an avid supporter of contemp ...

, and the opera ''Omar'' co-composed with Grammy-winning singer/songwriter

. 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 The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

and a guitar concerto for Mak Grgić. 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. In 2023, the opera '' Omar'', co-written by Abels and

, won the

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted i ...

Early life

Abels was born in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. He spent his early years on a small farm in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

, where he lived with his grandparents. Introduced to music via the family piano, he began showing an innate curiosity towards music at age 4.De Lerma, Dominique-Rene
"African Heritage Symphonic Series Vol. III"
Liner note essay. Cedille Records CDR066. 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. Upon graduating from high school, Abels attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Thornton School of Music in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Abels, who is mixed race, eventually studied West African drumming techniques at

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

, and sang in a predominantly black church choir to further explore his

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

roots.

Filmography

Composer * ''

'' (2017) * '' Us'' (2019) * ''

See You Yesterday ''See You Yesterday'' is a 2019 American science fiction film directed by Stefon Bristol with a screenplay by Bristol and Fredrica Bailey based on Bristol's 2017 short film of the same name. It stars Eden Duncan-Smith, Danté Crichlow, Marsha Step ...

'' (2019) * ''

All Day and a Night ''All Day and a Night'' is a 2020 American crime Crime drama film, drama film written and directed by Joe Robert Cole. It stars Jeffrey Wright, Ashton Sanders and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. It was released on May 1, 2020, by Netflix. Plot An aspirin ...

'' (2020) * '' Bad Education'' (2020) * '' Fake Famous'' (2021) * '' Nightbooks'' (2021) * '' Allen v. Farrow'' (2021) * '' Nope'' (2022) * '' Breaking'' (2022) * '' Landscape with Invisible Hand'' (2023) * '' The Burial'' (2023) * '' The American Society of Magical Negroes'' (2024) * '' The Acolyte'' (2024) * ''

Sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology that lured sailors to their deaths. Places * Si ...

'' (2025) Additional music * ''

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

'' (2017)

Other works

* ''Global Warming'' (1990) (commissioned by the Phoenix Youth Symphony) * ''I'm Determined'' (1991) for orchestra * ''How Majestic'' (1992) for orchestra * ''American Variations on Swing Low Sweet Chariot'' (1993) (premiered by

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) ...

and the

Phoenix Symphony The Phoenix Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Phoenix, Arizona. The orchestra performs primarily at Phoenix Symphony Hall, and is the only full-time, professional orchestra in the state of Arizona. History Founded in 1947, th ...

) * ''Frederick's Fables'' (1994, 1996) four pieces for orchestra, based on selected stories of Leo Lionni * ''Dance for Martin's Dream'' (1998) for orchestra (commissioned by the

Houston Symphony The Houston Symphony is an American orchestra based in Houston, Texas. The orchestra is resident at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts. History The first concert of what was to become the Houston Symphony took place on June 21, 1 ...

and the

Nashville Symphony The Nashville Symphony is an American symphony orchestra, based in Nashville, Tennessee. The orchestra is resident at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. History In 1920, prior to the 1946 founding of the Nashville Symphony, a group of amateur a ...

) * ''You're a Grand Old Flag'' (1995) for orchestra * ''More Seasons'' (1999) * ''Limitless'' (2000) for choir, or soloist with choral accompaniment, and piano * ''Homies & Popz'' (2001) opera * ''Tribute'' (2001) for orchestra * ''Affectionate Objects'' (2004) for orchestra * ''Outburst'' (2005) for orchestra * ''Delights & Dances'' (2007) for string quartet and orchestra * ''Urban Legends'' (2008) for string quartet and orchestra (commissioned by the

Sphinx Organization The Sphinx Organization is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of young Black and Latino classical musicians. Based in Detroit, Michigan, it was founded by the American violinist Aaron Dworkin. The Sphinx was chosen to repres ...

) * ''Aquadia'' (2009) for orchestra (co-commissioned by the

Chicago Sinfonietta The Chicago Sinfonietta is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. The orchestra was founded in 1987 under the guidance of conductor and music director Paul Freeman (conductor), Paul Freeman (1936–2015) to address the disconnect be ...

and the

Shedd Aquarium Shedd Aquarium (formally the John G. Shedd Aquarium) is an indoor public aquarium in Chicago. Opened on May 30, 1930, the aquarium holds about 32,000 animals. It is the third largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere (after the Georgia Aquariu ...

) * ''Be the Change'' (2015) for choir, or soloist with choral accompaniment, and piano * ''The Open Hand'' * ''Victory Road'' (2017) for orchestra * ''Iconoclasm'' (2017) for piano * ''Liquify'' (2017) for orchestra * ''Twilight Drive'' for piano * ''Winged Creatures'' (2018) for flute, clarinet and orchestra (commissioned by Cedille Records) written for

Anthony Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the '' Antonii'', a '' gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descenda ...

and Demarre McGill * ''Pensivity'' for piano * ''Life in a Day'' * ''Struck by Enlightenment'' * ''Falling Sky'' (for concert band) (2019) * ''Falling Sky'', ballet (2020) * ''Anguish'' (from ''Falling Sky'') (2020) for piano * ''Gift of the Machine'' (2020) * ''Isolation Variation'' (2020) for unaccompanied violin (for Hillary Hahn) * ''At War with Ourselves'', oratorio - libretto by

Nikky Finney Nikky Finney (born Lynn Carol Finney on August 26, 1957, in Conway, South Carolina) is an American poet. She was the Guy Davenport Endowed Professor of English at the University of Kentucky for twenty years. In 2013, she accepted a position at ...

, commissioned for the

* '' Omar'', an original opera on the life of Omar ibn Said co-composed by

* ''Get Out'', in concert (2020) * ''Emerge'' (2021) for orchestra (co-commission from

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall (Detroit, Michigan), Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown, Detroit, ...

) * ''Guitar Concerto "Borders"'' (2022) Commissioned by

ROCO Roco may refer to: * Roco (model railroads), an Austrian manufacturer of model railway equipment * Roco (surname), surname * Roco Sandu Roco Sandu (born 30 July 1966) is a former Romanian professional footballer. He was part of one of the bes ...

& Quad City Symphony, written for Mak Grgić

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Profile at SubitoMusic.com
*
Michael Abels Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abels, Michael 1962 births 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American classical composers 21st-century African-American musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American classical composers African-American classical composers African-American film score composers African-American male classical composers American film score composers American gay musicians American LGBTQ composers American male classical composers American male film score composers Classical musicians from Arizona Classical musicians from South Dakota Gay composers LGBTQ classical composers LGBTQ film score composers Living people Musicians from Phoenix, Arizona Pulitzer Prize for Music winners USC Thornton School of Music alumni