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 (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 ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. 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, conductor and composer. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organis ...

, although his main teachers were

Vittorio Giannini Vittorio Giannini (October 19, 1903 – November 28, 1966) was an American neoromanticism, neoromantic composer of operas, songs, symphonies, and band works, and member of the Giannini family. Life and work Giannini was born in Philadelphia on Oct ...

and Vincent Persichetti. He entered the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

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 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 ...

, and the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. From 1980 through 1984, he held the post of artistic director at Atlanta Opera. He has composed 24 operas, the best known of which is ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...

'', composed in 1972. Two of his operas were premiered in 2007: '' Frau Margot'' by the Fort Worth Opera and '' The Hotel Casablanca'' in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. Other popular operas include ''

La Divina Maria Callas (born Maria Anna Cecilia Sophia Kalogeropoulos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised ...

'' and '' Signor Deluso''. In 1984, Pasatieri moved to

Los Angeles, California 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, ...

, where he formed his film music production company, Topaz Productions. His film orchestrations can be heard in '' Billy Bathgate'', '' Road to Perdition'', '' American Beauty'', ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

'', ''

The Shawshank Redemption ''The Shawshank Redemption'' is a 1994 American Prison film, prison Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella ''Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption''. The film t ...

'', ''

Fried Green Tomatoes ''Fried Green Tomatoes'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Avnet and based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel '' Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. Written by Flagg and Carol Sobieski, and starring Kathy Bates, J ...

'', '' Legends of the Fall'',

Thomas Newman Thomas Montgomery Newman (born October 20, 1955) is an American composer, conductor and orchestrator. He is best known for his film scores, earning accolades of six Grammy Award, Grammy Awards, an Emmy Awards, Emmy Award, two British Academy F ...

's ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a 1991 American two-part Play (theatre), play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The two parts of the play, ''Millennium Approaches'' and ''Perestroika'', may be presented separate ...

'' 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 Calvary ( or ) or Golgotha () was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified. Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage. ...

'', opera in one act; setting of the play by W. B. Yeats (April 1971; Bellevue, WA) * '' The Trial of Mary Lincoln'', opera in one act; libretto by A. H. Bailey (14 Feb. 1972;

National Educational Television National Educational Television (NET) was an American non-commercial educational, educational terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Ford Foundation and later co-owned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It op ...

) * '' 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 ...

(2 March 1972;

Seattle Opera Seattle Opera is an American opera company based in Seattle, Washington. The company's season runs from August through late May, comprising five or six operas of eight to ten performances each, often featuring double casts in major roles to all ...

) * ''

'', opera in three acts; libretto by K. Elmslie after the play by Anton Chekov (5 March 1974; Houston Grand Opera) * '' Signor Deluso'', 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) * ''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 Michigan Opera Theatre. Annually, it produces four o ...

) * ''Before Breakfast'', opera in one act; libretto by Frank Corsaro, based on the play by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

, 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 its 2013 bankruptcy, and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, dubbed "the peopl ...

) * ''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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

) * ''Three Sisters'', opera in 2 acts; libretto by Kenward Elmslie based on

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

'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 Br ...

, based on his original play ''Lyric Suite'' (2 June 2007, Fort Worth, Fort Worth Opera) * ''The Hotel Casablanca'', opera in two acts; original libretto by the composer based on

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

's play, '' A Flea in Her Ear''. (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 ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

''), 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 classical composers 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American classical composers 21st-century American LGBTQ people 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 LGBTQ classical composers American LGBTQ composers LGBTQ people from New York (state) Living people Manhattan School of Music faculty American male opera composers Pupils of Darius Milhaud