Contemporary Classical – General
Notable Contemporary Classical Composers (1975 – present)
If you wish to be generally familiar with classical music, here is a short list of composers you should know from this period.
Name | Birth | Death | Nationality | Representative Pieces |
Adams, John ML410 .A233 | 1947 | American | Nixon in China (opera) Short Ride in a Fast Machine (orchestra) Phyrgian Gates (piano solo) | |
Berio, Luciano | 1925 | 2003 | Italian | Sinfonia (orchestra & 8 singers) Visage (tape) Sequenza IV (piano) Sequenza VIII (violin) |
Chen, Yi | 1953 | Chinese | Suite for Cello and Chamber Winds (chamber ensemble) | |
Corigliano, John ML410 .C786 | 1938 | American | Ghosts of Versailles (opera) The Red Violin (film score) Symphony No. 2 | |
Crumb, George | 1929 | American | Makrokosmos (amplified piano) Ancient Voices of Children (soprano & chamber) A Haunted Landscape (orchestra) | |
Glass, Philip ML410 .G398 | 1937 | American | Einstein on the Beach (opera) Satyagraha (opera) Glassworks (chamber ensemble) Photographer (theatre piece) Koyaanisqatsi (film score) | |
Higdon, Jennifer | 1962 | American | Violin Concerto (violin & orchestra) Piano Trio (violin, cello, & piano) | |
Larsen, Libby | 1950 | American | Dancing Solo (clarinet) Chanting to Paradise (soprano & piano) A Lover’s Journey (choral) | |
Ligeti, Gyorgy ML410 .L645 | 1923 | 2006 | Hungarian-Austrian | Piano Etudes (piano solo) Lux Aeterna (choral) Atmospheres (orchestra) |
Pärt, Arvo ML410 .P1755 | 1935 | Estonian | Fratres (chamber ensemble) Magnificat (a cappella choir) Für Alina (piano) | |
Penderecki, Krzysztof | 1933 | Polish | Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (string orchestra) Violin Concerto No. 1 (violin & orchestra) De Natura Sonoris No. 1 & 2 (orchestra) | |
Reich, Steve | 1936 | American | Come Out (tape piece) Music for 18 Musicians (mixed chamber ensemble) Pendulum Music (4 performers) Clapping Music (2 performers) | |
Riley, Terry ML410 .R499 | 1935 | American | In C (any number of performers) A Rainbow in Curved Air (keyboards & percussion) | |
Schickele, Peter | 1935 | American | PDQ Bach compositions Symphony No. 1 “Songlines” String Quartet No. 5 A Year in the Catskills (woodwind quintet) | |
Schwantner, Joseph | 1943 | American | And the Mountains Rising Nowhere (wind ensemble) Sparrows (soprano & chamber ensemble) Chasing Light (orchestra) | |
Stockhausen, Karlheinz ML410 .S858 | 1928 | 2007 | German | Gesang der Jünglinge (electronic & concrete music) Klavierstücke IX (piano solo) Kontakte (electronic sounds, piano, & percussion) Gruppen (3 orchestras) |
Tavener, John | 1944 | British | Mahashakti (violin and orchestra) Ikon of Light (two choirs and chamber ensemble) | |
Tower, Joan | 1938 | American | Petroushskates (chamber ensemble) | |
Whitacre, Eric | 1970 | American | Lux Aurumque (virtual choir) Ghost Train Triptych (wind symphony) Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings (musical theatre) | |
Xenakis, Iannis | 1922 | 2001 | Greek | Metastasis (orchestra) Pleiades (percussion) |