Christopher Cerrone (born March 5, 1984) is an American composer based in New York City. He was a 2014 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize,^[1] a 2014 Fromm Foundation commission recipient,^[2] a 2015 Rome Prize winner in Music Composition,^[3] and has received numerous awards from ASCAP.^[4][5][6]

Biography

Cerrone was born in Huntington, New York, United States. He studied music composition at the Manhattan School of Music with Nils Vigeland and Reiko Fueting,^[7] and then earned his Masters and Doctoral degrees at Yale studying with Martin Bresnick, David Lang, Christopher Theofanidis, Ingram Marshall, and Ezra Laderman.^[8]

In 2014 Cerrone's opera Invisible Cities based on Italo Calvino's novel Invisible Cities was produced by the Los Angeles-based opera company The Industry, the LA Dance Project, and Sennheiser. The production received glowing reviews and had a sold-out run of performances.^[9][10][11] Cerrone has received commissions from ensembles including eighth blackbird,^[12] the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Present Music,^[13] and he has been the Composer-in-Residence with the Albany Symphony Orchestra,^[14] and with Exploring the Metropolis/ConEdison.^[15]

Cerrone was a founding member and co-Artistic Director of Red Light New Music^[16][17] and currently a member of the composers' collective Sleeping Giant, consisting of Timo Andres, Christopher Cerrone, Jacob Cooper, Ted Hearne, Robert Honstein, and Andrew Norman.^[18][19]

His works are published by Project Schott New York^[20] and Schott Music.^[21]

Selected works

Opera

• In a Grove (2022) for four singers (SCtTB), nine instruments, and electronics^[22]
• Invisible Cities (2009–2013) for four solo voices, chamber choir, chamber orchestra, and electronics
• All Wounds Bleed (2011) for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and piano

Orchestra

• High Windows (2013) concerto for string orchestra
• Still Life with Violin and Orchestra (2010) for violin and orchestra
• Invisible Overture (2008) for orchestra

Chamber orchestra

• Flows Beneath (2012) for steel pan ensemble and 10 person chamber orchestra

Solo and chamber

• Double Happiness (2012) for electric guitar, percussion, and electronics
• Memory Palace (2012) for solo percussionist and electronics
• Recovering (2011/12) for clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, vibraphone, violin, and double bass
• The Night Mare (2011) for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello, and electronics
• Hoyt–Schermerhorn (2010) for solo piano and electronics
• Reading a Wave (2008/2010) for nine instruments placed throughout the audience.
• Variations on a Still Point (2006/7) for guitar, saxophone, percussion, and piano

Vocal

• I will learn to love a person (2013) for soprano, saxophone (or clarinet), percussion, and piano or soprano and piano
• That Night with the Green Sky (2012) for soprano and piano
• How to Breathe Underwater (2011) for baritone, trumpet, trombone, bass clarinet, and pre-recorded electronics
• Requiem [for K.V.] (2007/2009) for solo amplified voice and live electronics. Text by Kurt Vonnegut.
• three e.e. cummings poems (2004) for SSAATTBB choir

Awards and nominations

Ovation Awards

• 2014: Nominated for Book and for Lyrics/Music for an Original Musical for The Industry's production of Invisible Cities^[23]