Gabriel Kahane (born July 10, 1981) is an American composer and singer-songwriter.

Early life and education

Born in

Venice Beach, California Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...

, Kahane is the son of a psychologist mother and the concert pianist Jeffrey Kahane. He attended the

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on Hu ...

before transferring to

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

, where he wrote his first musical and graduated with a bachelor's degree in music.

Career

Songwriting

Kahane's style is often compared to

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...

and

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...

and has collaborated with both of these artists. Kahane released a self-titled album, ''Gabriel Kahane'', on Family Records in 2008, receiving positive reviews. In September 2011, Kahane released his second singer-songwriter album, ''Where Are The Arms'', on StorySound Records. It was recorded with many of his regular collaborators, including

Rob Moose Rob Moose (born 1982) is an American multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, conductor, and orchestrator. He primarily plays the violin, viola, and guitar. Early life and education Moose was born in 1982. He was raised in Windsor, Connect ...

on violin and guitar, Matt Johnson on drums, and Casey Foubert, who also helped mix and produce it, on various instruments. These three musicians would also collaborate with him on his next album, ''The Ambassador''. For his 2014 album, ''The Ambassador'', he used ten addresses in L.A. to write songs from the perspectives of characters both real and imaginary. The album was featured in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', ''Vogue'', and ''Paste'', and Kahane also wrote a piece about exploring L.A. through music for ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

''. The album was staged by Tony-award winner

John Tiffany John Richard Tiffany (born c. 1971) is an English theatre director. He directed the internationally successful productions ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', ''Black Watch'' and ''Once''. He has won 2 Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, a Drama ...

with set design by Tony-award winner Christine Jones at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

and Carolina Performing Arts in the fall of 2014 and at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

in the spring of 2015. The song "Empire Liquor Mart (9127 S. Figueroa St.)" from ''The Ambassador'' was selected by

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

as one of their NPR Music's Favorite Songs of 2014. After the 2016 election, he embarked on a cross-country train trip that yielded the 2018 album ''Book of Travelers''.

Composing and performance

Kahane's best-known work, the song cycle ''Craigslistlieder'', which was his first concert work and was re-released by

indie record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

Family Records in 2008, sets real

Craigslist Craigslist (stylized as craigslist) is an American classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, for sale, items wanted, services, community service, Gig worker, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums. Craig Newmark ...

ads to music. Other artists have covered this voice-and-piano piece, 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 ...

has included ''Craigslistlieder'' in her standard repertoire. Kahane performed regularly at

Rockwood Music Hall Rockwood Music Hall is a music venue at 196 Allen Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Owner Ken Rockwood, aka "The Professor", opened the establishment in 2005 as a small bar and music venue. Today, the venue features ...

, where he had artistic residencies beginning as early as 2009. In the spring of 2010, Gabriel Kahane performed as part of the American Songbook at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

, garnering praise from the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

. During the 2010–11 season, he performed with cellist

Alisa Weilerstein Alisa Weilerstein (born April 14, 1982) is an American classical cellist. She was named a 2011 MacArthur Fellow. Life and career Weilerstein was born in Rochester, New York. to a secular Jewish family. She started playing the cello at age four. ...

in a duo recital featuring music composed by Kahane, including ''Little Sleep's Head Sprouting Hair in the Moonlight''. After writing a piano concerto for

Natasha Paremski Natasha Paremski (born May 11, 1987) is a Russian-American classical pianist. Early life and education Natasha Paremski was born in Moscow, Russia. She studied at the Andreyev School of Music (Детская музыкальная школа и� ...

, he was commissioned by the

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...

to write ''The Red Book'', a string quartet based on

Anne Carson Anne Carson (born June 21, 1950) is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator, classicist, and professor. Trained at the University of Toronto, Carson has taught classics, comparative literature, and creative writing at universities across the Unit ...

Autobiography of Red ''Autobiography of Red'' (1998) is a verse novel by Anne Carson, based loosely on the myth of Geryon and the Tenth Labor of Herakles, especially on surviving fragments of the lyric poet Stesichorus' poem '' Geryoneis''. Summary ''Autobiography ...

, and by the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

for a large chamber work. ''Crane Palimpsest'', a work about the Brooklyn Bridge, was conducted by Kahane's father, Jeffrey Kahane, conducting the

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) is an American chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. LACO presents its Orchestral Series concerts at two venues, the Alex Theatre in Glendale and UCLA's Royce Hall. History James Arkatov, a ...

Gabriel Kahane backstage at Carnegie Hall

As part of his 2012–2013 residency with the

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (founded 1972) is a classical music chamber orchestra based in New York City. They have won several Grammy Awards. The orchestra is known for its collaborative leadership style in which the musicians, not a cond ...

, Kahane wrote ''Gabriel's Guide to the 48 States'' inspired by the

American Guide Series The American Guide Series includes books and pamphlets published from 1937 to 1941 under the auspices of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP), a Depression-era program that was part of the larger Works Progress Administration in the United States. T ...

, commissioned by the government during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The piece received its New York Premiere at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

in April 2013 with Orpheus playing and Kahane singing. Other notable compositions include ''Come On All You Ghosts'', a three-part song cycle setting

Matthew Zapruder Matthew Zapruder (1967) is an American poet, editor, translator, and professor. His second poetry collection, ''The Pajamaist'', won the 2007 William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America, and was chosen by ''Library Journal'' ...

's poetry for a baritone and string quartet, and he frequently performs and records with such artists as

Timo Andres Timo is a masculine given name. It is primarily used in Finnish, Estonian, Dutch and German societies. It may be used as an abbreviation of Timothy. Arts and entertainment *Timo Alakotila (born 1959), Finnish musician * Timo Andres (born 1985), ...

Brooklyn Rider Brooklyn Rider is an American string quartet, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, whose members include violinists Johnny Gandelsman and Colin Jacobsen, violist Nicholas Cords and cellist Michael Nicolas. They are mainly known for ...

Punch Brothers Punch Brothers is an American band consisting of Chris Thile (mandolin), Gabe Witcher (fiddle/violin), Noam Pikelny (banjo), Chris Eldridge (guitar), and Paul Kowert (bass). Their style has been described as "bluegrass instrumentation and sponta ...

, and

Chris Thile Christopher Scott Thile (; born February 20, 1981) is an American mandolinist, singer, songwriter, composer, and radio personality, best known for his work in the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and the acoustic folk and progressive blue ...

. In August 2019 he was appointed Creative Chair of the

Oregon Symphony The Oregon Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded as the 'Portland Symphony Society' in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States. I ...

in Portland, Oregon.

Musical theater

Gabriel Kahane began to work in theater in New York City after winning a Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Award for ''Straight Man'', which he wrote in college. He worked with New York theater company

Les Freres Corbusier Les Freres Corbusier is a New York based theatre company, founded in 2003 by three then-recent Yale graduates Alex Timbers, Aaron Lemon-Strauss, and Jennifer Rogien. It is led by Artistic Director Timbers. Its most recent production was "Love's Labo ...

, music directing A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant and the LA production of

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson ''Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson'' is a rock musical with music and lyrics written by Michael Friedman and a book written by its director Alex Timbers. The show is a comedic historical rock musical about the founding of the Democratic Party. It r ...

for Michael Friedman and

Alex Timbers Alex Timbers (born August 7, 1978) is an American writer and director and the recipient of Tony, Golden Globe, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and London Evening Standard Awards, as well as two OBIE and Lucile Lortel Awards. He is the recipie ...

. His musical ''February House'', commissioned by

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

, told the story of a Brooklyn World War II-era commune, where

W.H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

Gypsy Rose Lee Gypsy Rose Lee (born Rose Louise Hovick, January 8, 1911 – April 26, 1970) was an American burlesque entertainer, stripper and vedette famous for her striptease act. Also an actress, author, and playwright, her 1957 memoir was adapted into ...

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

Peter Pears Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears ( ; 22 June 19103 April 1986) was an English tenor. His career was closely associated with the composer Benjamin Britten, his personal and professional partner for nearly forty years. Pears' musical career started ...

Carson McCullers Carson McCullers (February 19, 1917 – September 29, 1967) was an American novelist, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, and poet. Her first novel, ''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1940), explores the spiritual isolation of misfits ...

Jane Bowles Jane Bowles (; born Jane Sydney Auer; February 22, 1917 – May 4, 1973) was an American writer and playwright. Early life Born into a Jewish family in New York City on February 22, 1917, to Sydney Auer (father) and Claire Stajer (mother), Jane ...

, and

Paul Bowles Paul Frederic Bowles (; December 30, 1910November 18, 1999) was an American expatriate composer, author, and translator. He became associated with the Moroccan city of Tangier, where he settled in 1947 and lived for 52 years to the end of his ...

all lived together. His album ''The Ambassador'' was staged at

(BAM) in 2014–2015 by Tony-award winner

with set design by Tony-award winner Christine Jones. In 2017, Kahane returned to BAM to present a multi-media solo concert of his album ''Book of Travelers'', directed by Tony-award winner Daniel Fish. Kahane has been commissioned by the

Signature Theatre (Arlington, Virginia) Signature Theatre is a Tony Award winning regional theater company based in Arlington, Virginia. Overview Founded in 1989, Signature Theatre is known for its productions of contemporary musicals and plays, reinventions of classic musicals, an ...

and

in New York City and is currently under commission for new pieces for both theaters.

Personal life

Kahane spent much of his career in

Brooklyn, New York City Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

. In March, 2020, Kahane moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. He currently performs his original songs in venues across the United States. An accomplished scholastic chess player, Gabriel achieved the title of “Expert” at age 14.

Works

ORCHESTRA: * 2016 ''Nocturama'' —large orchestra, commissioned by the Interlochen Academy for the Arts * 2015 ''Freight & Salvage'' —string orchestra, commissioned by A Far Cry, The Knights, and the Orlando Philharmonic * 2013 ''Gabriel’s Guide to the 48 States''—baritone, electric guitar, banjo, and chamber orchestra, commissioned by

* 2012 ''Crane Palimpsest''—baritone and chamber orchestra, co-commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra and the

LARGE ENSEMBLE: * 2011 ''Orinoco Sketches''—piano, baritone, guitar, and large chamber ensemble, commissioned by the

CHAMBER: * 2014 ''Bradbury Studies''—string quartet, commissioned by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra * 2013 ''Without a Frame''—flute, bass clarinet, trumpet, electric or acoustic guitar, viola, and cello, written for yMusic * 2012 ''Fun House''—flute doubling piccolo, Bb clarinet doubling bass clarinet, Bb trumpet doubling piccolo trumpet and chromatic harmonica, violin doubling electric guitar, viola, and cello, written for yMusic * 2012 ''The Fiction Issue''—string quartet, piano, reed organ, two guitars, and two solo voices (one male/one female), commissioned by

for

Shara Worden Shara Nova (previously Worden) is the lead singer and songwriter for My Brightest Diamond. As a composer she is most recognized for her choral compositions and the baroque chamber opera "You Us We All". New music composers Sarah Kirkland Snide ...

, and the composer * 2012 ''Line Up!''—string quartet, commissioned by

Caramoor International Music Festival The Caramoor Summer Music Festival is a music festival founded in 1945 that is held on the estate of the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, which includes a Mediterranean-style stucco villa and is located about north of New York City in Ka ...

for the Linden Quartet * 2011 ''Come On All You Ghosts''—string quartet and baritone, commissioned by

Bravo! Vail Bravo! Vail is an annual classical music festival held in Vail, Colorado. Its current artistic director is Anne-Marie McDermott. Overview The six-week-long festival begins in late June and ends in early August. Programming consists of chamber mus ...

for the

Calder Quartet The Calder Quartet (CQ) is a string quartet based in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1998 at the University of Southern California, the group takes its name from American sculptor Alexander Calder. The ensemble is currently composed of its ...

* 2010 ''Little Sleep's Head Sprouting Hair in the Moonlight''—cello, piano, and baritone, commissioned by Linda and Stuart Nelson * 2010 ''The Red Book''—string quartet, commissioned by the

* 2009 ''Pocket Concerto''—solo trumpet, flute, clarinet, and string trio (w/ violin doubling electric guitar), commissioned by Linda and Stuart Nelson * 2008 ''For the Union Dead''—flute, clarinet (doubling bass clarinet), trumpet, banjo, piano, voice, and string trio (violin doubling electric guitar), commissioned by the

Verbier Festival The Verbier Festival is an annual international music festival that takes place for two weeks in late July and early August in the mountain resort of Verbier, Switzerland. Founded by Swedish expatriate in 1994, it has attracted international so ...

KEYBOARD: * 2016 ''Works on Paper''—piano, commissioned by Carnegie Hall for Timo Andres * 2011 ''Being Alive'' (after

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

)—piano, commissioned by Anthony De Mare * 2011 ''The Baffled King'' (after

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

)—piano, commissioned by the Ecstatic Music Festival * 2009 ''Django: Tiny Variations on a Big Dog''—piano, commissioned by Jeffrey Kahane * 2008 Sonata—piano, commissioned by Linda and Stuart Nelson VOCAL: * 2015 ''Sorkin Rants''—voice and piano * 2013 ''Three Vernacular Songs''—voice and piano * 2011 ''The Memory Palace''—baritone and piano, commissioned by

New York Festival of Song The New York Festival of Song (NYFOS) presents an annual series of concerts in New York City dedicated to the art of song, classical, modern and popular. In addition, this organization commissions new works and recordings, including the Grammy Aw ...

* 2006 ''Craigslistlieder''—voice and piano MISCELLANEOUS: * 2010 ''Étude: Cobalt Cure''—solo violin, commissioned by Festival Vestfold THEATER WORKS: * 2012 ''February House''—two acts, ensemble cast, commissioned by

* 2007 ''Caravan Man''—one act, ensemble cast, commissioned by the

Williamstown Theatre Festival The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a resident summer theater on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Williams College news director Ralph Renzi and drama program chairman David C. Bryant. I ...

Discography

AS GABRIEL KAHANE: * 2022 ''Magnificent Bird''—

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly called Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Non ...

* 2018 ''Book of Travelers''—

* 2014 ''The Ambassador''—

Sony Masterworks Sony Music Masterworks (Sony Masterworks) is a record label, the result of a restructuring of Sony Music's classical music division. Before the acquisition of Bertelsmann's shares in the former Sony BMG, the label was known as Sony BMG Masterwor ...

* 2011 ''Where are the Arms''—StorySound Records * 2008 ''Gabriel Kahane''— Family Records/Wasted Storefront * 2007 ''Walking Away from Winter'' (EP)—self-released * 2005 ''Five Songs'' (EP)—self-released COMPILATIONS: * 2014 '' Red Hot + Bach''—Sony Masterworks SIDEMAN/ARRANGER: * 2012

Loudon Wainwright III Loudon Snowden Wainwright III (born September 5, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor. He has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, and six compilations. Some of his best-known songs include "The Swimmin ...

: Older Than My Old Man Now—StorySound Records—(piano, arrangements) * 2010

: The Age of Adz—

Asthmatic Kitty Asthmatic Kitty is an American independent record label founded in 1999 by a community of musicians from Holland, Michigan led by Sufjan Stevens and his stepfather Lowell Brams. Some were Holland natives, and others had come to attend local coll ...

—(string arrangements, background vocals) * 2010

: All Delighted People—

—(string arrangements, background vocals) * 2009

: High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project—StorySound Records—(piano) * 2009

Dark Was the Night Dark Was the Night may refer to: * ''Dark Was the Night'' (album), a 2009 compilation album * ''Dark Was the Night'' (2014 film), an American thriller film * ''Dark Was the Night'' (2018 film), an American drama film * "Dark Was the Night" (''Grey' ...

— Red Hot compilation released by 4AD—(piano cadenza) * 2009 Osso:

Run Rabbit Run "Run, Rabbit, Run" is a song written by Noel Gay and Ralph Butler. The music was by Noel Gay and the song was originally sung by Flanagan and Allen accompanied by the Harry Bidgood orchestra. Background This song was written for Noel Gay's show ' ...

—

—(arrangements) *

Brad Mehldau Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Mehldau studied music at The New School, and toured and recorded while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Quar ...

: ''

Finding Gabriel ''Finding Gabriel'' is an album by Brad Mehldau. It was recorded over an 18-month period in 2017–18 and was released by Nonesuch Records in 2019. It won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Background Mehldau wrote that "''F ...

'' ORIGINAL CAST ALBUMS * 2012 ''February House''—StorySound Records COMPOSER: * 2013 yMusic: ''Year of the Dragon (Single)''—

Record Collection Record Collection may refer to: * Record Collection (record label), a Los Angeles-based music studio * ''Record Collection'' (album), a 2010 album by Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. *"Record Collection", a song by Kaiser Chiefs on the 2019 album, ...

* 2013

Henning Kraggerud Henning Kraggerud (born 23 June 1973) is a Norwegian musician and composer. Career Kraggerud was born in Oslo. He studied with Camilla Wicks, Emanuel Hurwitz, and Stephan Barratt-Due, before embarking on a career that has brought solo appeara ...

: ''Munch Suite''—Simax Classics * 2012 ''Five Borough Songbook''—GPR Records * 2011 yMusic: ''Beautiful Mechanical''—

New Amsterdam Records New Amsterdam Records is a record label in New York City that was formed in 2008 by Judd Greenstein, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and William Brittelle to promote classically trained musicians who fall between traditional genre boundaries. Often abbrev ...

* 2011 Natasha Paremski: ''Brahms, Kahane, Prokofiev''—Arioso Classics

References

External links

Kahane's official website
at which his songs can be found.
IMG Artist Profile

Kahane's publisher
at which his music can be purchased or rented. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kahane, Gabriel 1981 births Living people 20th-century American Jews Brown University alumni American male composers American male singer-songwriters American singer-songwriters American rock singers American rock songwriters American musical theatre composers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American Jews