Eugene O'Brien (born 24 April 1945) is an American composer who has been a member of th
faculty
at the

Indiana University Jacobs School of Music The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, is a music conservatory established in 1921. Until 2005, it was known as the Indiana University School of Music. It has more than 1,500 students, approximately half of whom ar ...

since 1987. He was chair of the Composition Department from 1994 to 1999, and is currently th
Executive Associate Dean
. He has also been a member of the composition faculties at the

Cleveland Institute of Music The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1920 by Ernest Bloch, it enrolls 325 students in the conservatory and approximately 1,500 students in the preparatory and continuing educatio ...

and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Biographies and descriptions of his work are included in the ''New Grove Dictionary of American Music'', ''

Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians ''Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians'' is a major reference work in the field of music, originally compiled by Theodore Baker, PhD, and published in 1900 by G. Schirmer, Inc. The ninth edition, the most recent edition, was published in 20 ...

'', and the ''Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music''.

Education

Mr. O’Brien was born in Paterson, N.J., and studied composition with Robert Beadell,

Bernd Alois Zimmermann Bernd Alois Zimmermann (20 March 1918 – 10 August 1970) was a German composer. He is perhaps best known for his opera ''Die Soldaten'', which is regarded as one of the most important German operas of the 20th century, after those of Berg. As a ...

, John Eaton,

Iannis Xenakis Giannis Klearchou Xenakis (also spelled for professional purposes as Yannis or Iannis Xenakis; el, Γιάννης "Ιωάννης" Κλέαρχου Ξενάκης, ; 29 May 1922 – 4 February 2001) was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde ...

and

Donald Erb Donald Erb (January 17, 1927 – August 12, 2008) was an American composer best known for large orchestral works such as Concerto for Brass and Orchestra and ''Ritual Observances''. Early years Erb was born in Youngstown, Ohio, graduated ...

. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees from the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, undertook post-graduate studies at the

Staatliche Hochschule für Musik 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 academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

in Köln, Germany as a Fulbright Scholar, and received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

Prizes, Fellowships and Commissions

Eugene O'Brien is the recipient of the Academy Award in Music of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, in 1971 the Rome Prize of the American Academy in Rome (Elegy for Bernd alois Zimmermann, soprano and chamber ensemble), composer Eugene O’Brien has received awards from BMI (1967, 1970),

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

, and the League of Composers / International Society for Contemporary Music, and Cleveland Arts Prize. He has received Guggenheim,

Rockefeller Rockefeller is a German surname, originally given to people from the village of Rockenfeld near Neuwied in the Rhineland and commonly referring to subjects associated with the Rockefeller family. It may refer to: People with the name Rockefeller fa ...

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

and other fellowships, and has been commissioned by the Fromm Foundation at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, the Serge Koussevitzky Foundation in the Library of Congress, by the Meet-the-Composer / Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund, and by many American and European performers and ensembles.

Music

O'Brien's music has been heard in concerts by the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Sev ...

, the Italian Radio (

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

) Orchestras of Rome and Turin, the

Omaha Symphony The Omaha Symphony is a professional orchestra performing more than 200 concerts and presentations annually in Omaha, Nebraska and throughout the orchestra's home region. The orchestra was established in 1921. It is considered a major American orc ...

, as part of the Saint Louis Symphony Discovery series, the

Louisville Orchestra The Louisville Orchestra is the primary orchestra in Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1937 by Robert Whitney (1904–1986) and Charles Farnsley, Mayor of Louisville. The Louisville Orchestra employs salaried musicians, and offers a wide ...

New Dimensions series, and in numerous other concerts and festivals throughout this country and abroad. Recorded on the cri, Golden Crest, Crystal, Capstone and Indiana University labels, his works are published b
Codex Nuovo

G. Schirmer G. Schirmer, Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. The oldest active music publisher in the United States, Schirmer publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-know ...

, and

Boosey & Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and woodwind musical instruments. Formed in 1930 throu ...

. Also active in the performance of new music, composer Eugene O’Brien co-founded the Cleveland new music ensemble Reconnaissance with

in 1978 and was associated with the group as its director until 1984. In 1985–87 he served on the production board of the Contemporary Music Forum in Washington, D.C., and directed the Indiana Universit
New Music Ensemble
from 1991 to 1993. Mr. O’Brien received several reviews about his work, including "Embarking for Cythera", "Clouds of Magellan", "Mysteries of the Horizon", "Tristan's Lament", "In the Country of Last Things", "Close Harmony", "Allures".

References

External links

*http://info.music.indiana.edu/faculty/current/obrien-eugene.shtml *http://codexnuovo.com {{DEFAULTSORT:OBrien, Eugene American male composers 21st-century American composers Jacobs School of Music faculty Pupils of Iannis Xenakis 1945 births Living people Cleveland Institute of Music faculty 21st-century American male musicians