Ben Moore (born January 2, 1960) is an American
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
whose works include
art song
An art song is a Western vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the collective genre of such songs ...
,
musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...
,
cabaret
Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or d ...
, chamber music, choral music and
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
.
[G. Schirmer]
Introducing…the songs of Ben Moore
/ref> His songs have been recorded by Deborah Voigt
Deborah Voigt (born August 4, 1960) is an American dramatic soprano who has sung roles in operas by Wagner and Richard Strauss.
Biography and career
Early life and education
Debbie Joy Voigt was born into a religious Southern Baptist family ...
, Susan Graham
Susan Graham (born July 23, 1960) is an American mezzo-soprano.
Life and career
Susan Graham was born in Roswell, New Mexico on July 23, 1960. Raised in Midland, Texas, Graham is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Manhattan School o ...
Nathan Gunn
Nathan T. Gunn (born November 26, 1970, in South Bend, Indiana) is an American operatic baritone who performs regularly around the world. He is an alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he is currently a professor of vo ...
and Lawrence Brownlee
Lawrence Brownlee (born November 24, 1972) is an American operatic tenor particularly associated with the bel canto repertoire. Describing his voice, Speight Jenkins, general director of the Seattle Opera, said: "There are other singers that sing ...
on the EMI
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
, SonyBMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout ...
, Warner Classics
Warner Classics is the classical music arm of Warner Music Group. The label began issuing new recordings under the Warner Classics banner in 1991. The company also includes the Erato Records, Teldec Records and NVC Arts labels. Based in France, W ...
and Opus Arte
Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...
labels. Other singers who have performed his music include Frederica von Stade
Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...
, Jerry Hadley
Jerry Hadley (June 16, 1952 – July 18, 2007) was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of ''Jenůfa'' (2004 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording), ''Susannah'' (1995 Grammy Awar ...
, Robert White, and Audra McDonald
Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...
.
Biography
''Ben Moore – 14 songs'' was published by G. Schirmer in 2006. The Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
's farewell gala for Joseph Volpe, broadcast nationally on PBS in 2006, featured two of his operatic parody songs. His song cycles include ''So Free Am I'' commissioned by the Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne (born January 16, 1934) is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages. She is a recipient of the Natio ...
Foundation, ''Ode to a Nightingale'' and ''Dear Theo''. Moore wrote the score for the opera ''Enemies, a Love Story'' which premiered at Palm Beach Opera in February, 2015, and for ''Odyssey'', commissioned by the Glimmerglass Festival.
Moore was born in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
and received a B.A. from Hamilton College
Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...
and an M.F.A. from the Parsons School of Design
Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...
.
Works and publications
*''Ben Moore: 14 Songs'' (G. Schirmer, Inc.)
*''The G. Schirmer Collection of American Art Song –50 Songs by 29 Composers'' (G. Schirmer, Inc.)
(Collection includes “The Cloak, the Boat and the Shoes.”)
*''The Opera America Songbook'' (Schott Music) (Collection includes "The Time to Begin")
*''Eight Songs'' (Classical Vocal Repertoire)
(Song Collection for Voice and Piano)
*''So Free Am I'' (CVR)
(Seven Settings of Poems by Women)
*''Cabaret and Theater Songs'' (CVR)
*''The Audience Song'' (CVR)
*''Content to Be Behind Me'' (CVR)
*''I Love Teaching Voice'' (CVR)
*''I’m Glad I’m Not a Tenor'' (CVR)
*''Sexy Lady'' (CVR)
*''Wagner Roles'' (CVR)
*''We Love the Opera'' (CVR)
*''John and Abigail'' (based on letters of John and Abigail Adams)
*''Henry and Company''
(musical theatre)
*''Enemies, a Love Story''
(A new opera based on the novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer with libretto by Nahma Sandrow)
*''Odyssey'' (A new opera for children based on Homer's ''Odyssey'' with libretto by Kelley Rourke)
*''Dear Theo'' (based on letters of Vincent van Gogh)
(voice and piano)
*''Dear Theo''
(for SATB chorus)
*''The Lake Isle of Innisfree''
(for SATB chorus)
*''The House on Kronenstrasse''
(for piano, viola, clarinet and narrator)[Smith, Dinitia]
"Houses and Souls, Haunted by Holocaust Ghosts"
*''New York Times*''. (October 10, 2006)
*''Henry and Company''
(musical theatre)
*''Bye Bye Broadway''
(musical theatre)
References
External links
Official website
American male classical composers
1960 births
Living people
American classical composers
20th-century classical composers
21st-century American composers
21st-century classical composers
Musicians from Syracuse, New York
Hamilton College (New York) alumni
Parsons School of Design alumni
20th-century American composers
Classical musicians from New York (state)
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American male musicians
{{US-composer-20thC-stub