Composer Feature: Michael Gilbertson

This week, we’re spotlighting Michael Gilbertson, one of the many composers featured on this weekend’s Neighborhood Series concert, Strum!

Michael Gilbertson served as The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra’s BMI Composer in Residence from 2017 to 2022, and is currently an Associate Professor of Composition at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

He is a highly respected composer, with his works being praised as “elegant” and “particularly beautiful” by The New York Times and “genuinely moving” by the Washington Post. His works have been programmed by a number of notable ensembles, such as the New World Symphony, New England Philharmonic, and the United States Marine Band, just to name a few.

Gilbertson’s opera Breaking, a collaboration with playwright Caroline McGraw, was commissioned by the Washington National Opera and premiered at The Kennedy Center in November 2013. He has composed and conducted ballets twice for the New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute.

He was one of three finalists for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Music for his piece “Quartet”. Gilbertson has received numerous awards, including a Copland House Residency Award, five Morton Gould Awards from ASCAP, and a BMI Student Composer Award. He is also the recipient of the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Lieberson Fellowship.

Make it stand out

Gilbertson coaching the Eastman Wind Ensemble, conducted by Luci Disano, on his piece “Usonian Dwellings.”

Juventas is looking forward to performing Michael Gilberston’s work, “Quartet” at our upcoming Neighborhood Series concert, Strum! This free concert will be held on Sunday, July 20th at 2PM at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site in Brookline, MA. For more information, visit https://www.juventasmusic.org/.../neighborhood.../strum.... We hope to see you there!