Murray Boren (born 1950) is a composer of opera, symphonic, chamber, and vocal works. He has written nine operas and over 100 songs and chamber compositions. He also contributed to the ''Joseph Sonnets''. Among his operas are ''Book of Gold'' and ''Emma''; both are based on

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

(LDS Church) history. In 2007, he retired from his position as composer-in-residence at the College of Music of the College of Fine Arts and Communications of

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

(BYU).

Education and career

Murray Boren received his BM and MA in composition from

(BYU) in 1975 and 1977 respectively. He received a DMA in composition from the City University of New York in 2002. Boren began his academic career as department head at the

College of Education In the United States and Canada, a school of education (or college of education; ed school) is a division within a university that is devoted to scholarship in the field of education, which is an interdisciplinary branch of the social sciences en ...

Uyo Uyo is the capital city of Akwa Ibom in South South Nigeria. Ibibio is the language spoken in Uyo. It became the capital on September 23, 1987 when Akwa Ibom was created from the former Cross River State. According to the 2006 Nigerian Cens ...

, Nigeria, from 1970 to 1980. He became a professor of composition and theory at BYU in 1980, a position he held for four years. After this, he worked in administrative positions at the City University of New York and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

from 1984 to 1994. He returned to teach composition and theory at BYU in 1994 where he served as composer in residence until he retired in 2007. Boren has written nine operas, adapting them from religious texts and LDS Church history, as well as medieval mystery plays.

Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is the first and (as of 2022) only person to win both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for both ...

was the

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

for Boren's opera ''Abraham and Isaac'' based on

Genesis 22 22 may refer to: * 22 (number) * 22 BC * AD 22 * 1922 * 2022 Music * 22 (album), ''22'' (album), a 2003 album by Parva * 22 (Lily Allen song), "22" (Lily Allen song), 2009 * 22 (Taylor Swift song), "22" (Taylor Swift song), 2013 * 22 (Sarah McTe ...

in the Bible. Boren wrote the opera ''Emma'' about

Emma Smith Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (July 10, 1804 – April 30, 1879) was an American homesteader, the official wife of Joseph Smith, and a prominent leader in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement, both during Smith's lifetime and afterward as ...

, wife of the founder of the LDS Church,

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...

. ''Emma'' received mixed reviews. It was praised for its freshness, but criticized for being overly chromatic.

Allan Kozinn Allan Kozinn (born July 28, 1954) is an American journalist, music critic, and teacher. Kozinn received bachelor's degrees in music and journalism from Syracuse University in 1976. He began freelancing as a critic and music feature writer for '' ...

of ''

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 ...

'' praised the vocal performances and the unique orchestral music; however, he criticized the opera's slow pace stating that, "the sustained slow-motion caterwauling of the first five minutes was ample warning that this would be a very, very long evening." Boren has collaborated with librettist Glen Nelson on three operas. ''The Dead'' was a one-act opera adaptation of

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...

s ''

Dubliners ''Dubliners'' is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. It presents a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century. The stories were writ ...

'', first staged in New York in 1993. They also collaborated on ''The Singer's Romance'', a three-act opera inspired by a

Willa Cather Willa Sibert Cather (; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including '' O Pioneers!'', '' The Song of the Lark'', and '' My Ántonia''. In 192 ...

short story. In 2005, Boren and Nelson collaborated to create ''The Book of Gold'', an opera about Joseph Smith. In addition to opera, Boren has written over 100 songs and chamber compositions. He wrote the music for the ''Joseph Sonnets'', which were created in co-operation with Sally Taylor. Several of Boren's pieces were first performed by orchestras directed by Kory Katseanes. Boren is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Satins and is married to Susan Alexander Boren, a soprano with whom he has performed. They have three children.

Operas

*''The Only Jealousy of Emer'' (1973) *''Abraham & Isaac'' (1977) *''A Christmas Play'' (1982) *''Emma'' (1983) *''Mormon/Moroni'' (1987) *''The Dead'' (1993) *''The Singer's Romance'' (1998) *''Eliza'' (2004) *''The Book of Gold'' (2005)

Sources

External links

The Book of Gold, MSS 7590
opera about the Book of Mormon with music by Boren, a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boren, Murray 1950 births Living people Brigham Young University alumni Latter Day Saints from New York (state) American male classical composers American classical composers American opera composers Male opera composers CUNY Graduate Center alumni Brigham Young University faculty City University of New York staff New York University staff 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers 21st-century American composers American expatriates in Nigeria 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians Latter Day Saints from Utah Harold B. Lee Library-related 20th century articles