Thomas Pasatieri (born October 20, 1945) is an American opera composer.

Life and career

Pasatieri was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. He began composing at age 10 and, as a teenager, studied with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

. He entered the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

at age 16 and eventually became the school's first recipient of a doctoral degree. Pasatieri has taught composition at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. From 1980 through 1984, he held the post of artistic director at

Atlanta Opera The Atlanta Opera is an opera company located in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Founded in 1979, it produces mainstage opera productions and arts education programs for Metropolitan Atlanta and the Southeast. In 2007, The Atlanta Opera moved into ...

. He has composed 24 operas, the best known of which is ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises th ...

'', composed in 1972. Two of his operas were premiered in 2007: '' Frau Margot'' by the

Fort Worth Opera Fort Worth Opera is the oldest continually-performing opera company in the state of Texas and among the oldest in the United States, according to the company. While originally presenting operas one at a time over a fall/winter season, it changed ...

and '' The Hotel Casablanca'' in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Other popular operas include '' La Divina'' and ''

Signor Deluso ''Signor Deluso'' is an opera buffa in one act composed by Thomas Pasatieri. The English-language libretto, written by the composer, is loosely based on Molière's 1660 comedy ''Sganarelle, ou Le Cocu imaginaire'' ("Sganarelle, or The Imaginary ...

''. In 1984, Pasatieri moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where he formed his film music production company, Topaz Productions. His film orchestrations can be heard in ''

Billy Bathgate ''Billy Bathgate'' is a 1989 novel by author E. L. Doctorow that won the 1989 National Book Critics Circle award for fiction for 1990, the 1990 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the 1990 William Dean Howells Medal, and was the runner-up for the 1 ...

'', ''

Road to Perdition ''Road to Perdition'' is a 2002 American crime drama film directed by Sam Mendes. The screenplay was adapted by David Self from the graphic novel of the same name written by Max Allan Collins and illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner. The film ...

'', '' American Beauty'', ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

'', ''

The Shawshank Redemption ''The Shawshank Redemption'' is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella ''Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption''. It tells the story of banker Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), w ...

'', '' Fried Green Tomatoes'', '' Legends of the Fall'',

Thomas Newman Thomas Montgomery Newman (born October 20, 1955) is an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career that has spanned over four decades, he has scored numerous films including '' The Player'' (1992); '' The Sh ...

's ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award f ...

'' and '' Scent of a Woman'', among many others. In 2003, Pasatieri returned to New York to continue his concert and opera career.

Works

Operas

* ''The Trysting Place'', opera in one act; libretto by the composer (1964, unperformed) * ''Flowers of Ice'', opera in one act; libretto by the composer (1964, unperformed) * ''The Women'', opera in one act; libretto by the composer (20 August 1965; Aspen, CO) * ''La Divina'', opera in one act; libretto by the composer (16 March 1966; New York) * ''Padrevia'', opera in one act; libretto by the composer after Boccaccio (18 November 1967; Brooklyn, NY) * '' Calvary'', opera in one act; setting of the play by W. B. Yeats (April 1971; Bellevue, WA) * ''

The Trial of Mary Lincoln ''The Trial of Mary Lincoln'' is an opera in one act by composer Thomas Pasatieri. Commissioned for television by the National Educational Television network under the leadership of Peter Herman Adler, the work uses an English language libretto by ...

'', opera in one act; libretto by A. H. Bailey (14 Feb. 1972;

National Educational Television National Educational Television (NET) was an American educational broadcast television network owned by the Ford Foundation and later co-owned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It operated from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970, and ...

) * '' Black Widow'', opera in three acts; libretto by the composer after Dos madres by

Miguel de Unamuno Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca. His major philosophical essa ...

(2 March 1972;

Seattle Opera Seattle Opera is an opera company based in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1963 by Glynn Ross, who served as its first general director until 1983. The company's season runs from August through late May, comprising five or six operas of ...

) * ''

'', opera in three acts; libretto by K. Elmslie after the story by Anton Chekov (5 March 1974; Houston Grand Opera) * ''

'', opera in one act; libretto by the composer after Sganarelle by Molière (27 July 1974; Vienna, VA) * ''The Penitentes'', opera in three acts; libretto by A. H. Bailey (3 August 1974; Aspen, CO) * ''Inés de Castro'', opera in three acts; libretto by B. Stambler (1 April 1976; Baltimore,

Baltimore Opera The Baltimore Opera Company (BOC) was an opera company in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A., based at the Baltimore Lyric Opera House. On 12 March 2009, the 58-year-old opera company announced plans to pursue Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation, the r ...

) * ''Washington Square'', opera in two acts; libretto by K. Elmslie after Henry James (1 October 1976, Detroit,

Michigan Opera Theatre Detroit Opera is the principal opera company in Michigan, USA. The company is based in Detroit, where it performs in the Detroit Opera House. Prior to February 28, 2022, the company was named the Michigan Opera Theatre. Each year it presents an op ...

) * ''Before Breakfast'', opera in one act; libretto by Frank Corsaro, based on the play by Eugene O’Neill, Revised 2006. (9 October 1980,

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

) * ''The Goose Girl'', a children's opera in one act; libretto by the composer, based on a story by J.L. and W.C. Grimm (15 February 1981, Fort Worth, Texas) * ''Maria Elena'', an opera in one act; libretto by the composer based on a true story (6 April 1983,

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

) * ''Three Sisters'', opera in 2 acts; libretto by Kenward Elmslie based on Anton Chekhov's play, '' Three Sisters'' (13 March 1986, Columbus, Opera Columbus) * '' Frau Margot'', opera in three acts; libretto by

Frank Corsaro Frank Corsaro (December 22, 1924, New York City, New York – November 11, 2017, Suwanee, GeorgiaRobert ViagasNight of the Iguana Director Frank Corsaro Is Dead at 92/ref>) was one of America's foremost stage directors of opera and theatre. His Bro ...

, based on his original play ''Lyric Suite'' (2 June 2007, Fort Worth,

) * ''The Hotel Casablanca'', opera in two acts; original libretto by the composer based on

George Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parent ...

's play, ''

A Flea in Her Ear ''A Flea in Her Ear'' (french: La Puce à l'oreille) is a play by Georges Feydeau written in 1907, at the height of the Belle Époque. The author called it a vaudeville, but in Anglophone countries, where it is the most popular of Feydeau's play ...

''. (3 August 2007, San Francisco, San Francisco Opera Merola Program) * ''The Heir Apparent'' (2008) * ''The Family Room'', libretto by Daphne Malfitano (2009) * ''God Bless Us Everyone'' (after '' A Christmas Carol''), an opera for Christmas (2010) * ''The Martyrs'', libretto by Daphne Malfitano, an opera in two acts for two singers and piano solo (2011) * ''The Vaudevillian'' (2015) Opera in two acts; libretto by the composer.

Orchestral

* ''Invocation'' (1968) * Symphony No. 1 * Symphony No. 2 * Symphony No. 3

Concertante

* ''Serenade'' for violin and chamber orchestra (also an alternate version for violin and piano) (1992) * Concerto for piano and orchestra (1993) * Concerto for 2 pianos and strings (1994) * Concerto for harpsichord and chamber orchestra (2007) * Concerto for viola and orchestra (2012)

Instrumental and chamber music

* Piano Sonata No. 1 (1966) * Piano Sonata No. 2 (1969) * Piano Sonata No. 3 (1993) * ''Cameos'' for solo piano (1969) * ''Theatrepieces'' for clarinet, violin and piano (1987) * Quartet for flute and strings (1995) * Sonata for viola and piano (1995) * Sonata for flute and piano (1997) * Piano Sonata No. 3 (1997) * ''Rhapsody'' for trombone and piano (2006) * ''Manifesto'' for unaccompanied viola (2012)

Vocal music

Choral

*''Permit Me Voyage'' (James Agee) (1976) *''Mass'' (1983) *''A Joyful Noise'' (1985) (The Bible) *''Three Mysteries'' (Walt Whitman, G. Meredith, P. Sidney) (1991) *''The Harvest Frost'' (Carl Sandburg) (1993) *''Bang the Drum Loudly'' (Thomas Pasatieri) (1994) *''Canticle of Praise'' (1995) *''Mornings Innocent'' (May Swenson, Bill Wright, Adrienne Rich) (1995) * ''In the light of angels'' (2013) Children's chorus, solo soprano, mezzo, baroque orchestra

Voice and chamber ensemble

*''Heloïse And Abelard'' (Louis Phillips) (1973) *''Far From Love'' (Emily Dickinson) (1976) *''Canciones del barrio'' (Voice and string quartet, 1993) *''Letter to Warsaw'' (Pola Braun) (2003)

Voice and orchestra

*''Rites Of Passage'' (Louis Phillips) (1974) *''Voice and chamber orchestra or string quartet'' *''Sieben Lehmannlieder'' (Lotte Lehmann) (1988) *''Alleluia'' (1991)

Voice and piano

*''Day of Love'' (Kirstin van Cleave) (1983) *''Three Sonnets from the Portuguese'' (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) (1984) *''Sieben Lehmannlieder'' (Lotte Lehmann) (1988) *''Windsongs'' (1989) :*''Three Poems of Theodore Ramsay'' ::1.''Love'' ::2.''Remembering'' ::3.''On Parting'' :*''Vocalise'' :*''Three California Songs'' (Robert H. Deutsch) ::1.''Brother'' ::2.''Song'' ::3.''The Middle-Aged Shepherd'' :*''Windsong'' (Richard Nickson) *''Alleluia'' (1991) *''Three Poems of Oscar Wilde'' (1998) *''A Rustling of Angels'' (2003) *''Letter to Warsaw'' (Pola Braun) (2003) *''The Daughter of Capulet'' (monodrama) (2007) *''Lady Macbeth'' (monodrama) (2007) * The Bride of the Moor (monodrama) *''Three Songs of Kirsten Van Cleave'' *''The Last Invocation'' (Walt Whitman) *''Orpheus'' (William Shakespeare) *''Dream Land'' (Christina Rossetti) *''Three Poems of James Agee'' *''Ophelia’s Lament'' (William Shakespeare) *''Vocal Modesty'' (Gerald Walker) *''Overweight, Overwrought Over You'' (Sheila Nadler) *''Divas of a Certain Age'' (Thomas Pasatieri) * Bel Canto Songs (William Blake) * Duets

References

New York Times review by Steve Smith, ''The Hotel Casablanca (Dicapo Opera)'' (25 January 2010), accessed 19 February 2010Bakersfield.com review by Susan Scaffidi ''Opera 101 starts with sweet story'' about Pasatieri's children's opera ''The Goose Girl'' (27 January 2010), accessed 19 February 2010

External links

Thomas Pasatieri's page at Theodore Presser Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pasatieri, Thomas 1945 births 20th-century American composers 20th-century classical composers 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century American composers 21st-century classical composers 21st-century LGBT people American classical composers American male classical composers American opera composers American people of Italian descent Classical musicians from New York (state) Composers from New York City Juilliard School alumni Juilliard School faculty LGBT classical composers American LGBT musicians LGBT people from New York (state) Living people Manhattan School of Music faculty Male opera composers Musicians from New York City Pupils of Darius Milhaud