Michael Abels

Abels was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He spent his early years on a small farm in South Dakota, where he lived with his grandparents.^[7] Introduced to music via the family piano, he began showing an innate curiosity towards music at age 4.^[8] His music-loving grandparents convinced the local piano teacher to take him on as a student despite his age. At age 8, Abels began composing music, and by age 13, his first completed orchestral work was performed.^[9]

Upon graduating from high school, Abels attended the University of Southern California Thornton School of MusicinLos Angeles. Abels, who is mixed race,^[7] eventually studied West African drumming techniques at California Institute for the Arts, and sang in a predominantly black church choir to further explore his African-American roots.^[10]

Composer

• Get Out (2017)
• Us (2019)
• See You Yesterday (2019)
• All Day and a Night (2020)
• Bad Education (2020)
• Fake Famous (2021)
• Nightbooks (2021)
• Nope (2022)
• Breaking (2022)
• Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023)
• The Burial (2023)
• The American Society of Magical Negroes (2024)
• The Acolyte (2024)

Additional music

• Detroit (2017)

• Global Warming (1990) (commissioned by the Phoenix Youth Symphony)
• I'm Determined (1991) for orchestra
• How Majestic (1992) for orchestra
• American Variations on Swing Low Sweet Chariot (1993) (premiered by Doc Severinsen and the Phoenix Symphony)
• Frederick's Fables (1994, 1996) four pieces for orchestra, based on selected stories of Leo Lionni
• Dance for Martin's Dream (1998) for orchestra (commissioned by the Houston Symphony and the Nashville Symphony)
• You're a Grand Old Flag (1995) for orchestra
• More Seasons (1999)
• Limitless (2000) for choir, or soloist with choral accompaniment, and piano
• Homies & Popz (2001) opera
• Tribute (2001) for orchestra
• Affectionate Objects (2004) for orchestra
• Outburst (2005) for orchestra
• Delights & Dances (2007) for string quartet and orchestra^[11]
• Urban Legends (2008) for string quartet and orchestra (commissioned by the Sphinx Organization)
• Aquadia (2009) for orchestra (co-commissioned by the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Shedd Aquarium)
• Be the Change (2015) for choir, or soloist with choral accompaniment, and piano
• The Open Hand
• Victory Road (2017) for orchestra
• Iconoclasm (2017) for piano
• Liquify (2017) for orchestra
• Twilight Drive for piano
• Winged Creatures (2018) for flute, clarinet and orchestra (commissioned by Cedille Records^[12]) written for Anthony and Demarre McGill
• Pensivity for piano
• Life in a Day
• Struck by Enlightenment
• Falling Sky (for concert band) (2019)
• Falling Sky, ballet (2020)
• Anguish (from Falling Sky) (2020) for piano
• Gift of the Machine (2020)
• Isolation Variation (2020) for unaccompanied violin (for Hillary Hahn)
• At War with Ourselves, oratorio - libretto by Nikky Finney, commissioned for the Kronos Quartet
• Omar, an original opera on the life of Omar ibn Said co-composed by Rhiannon Giddens^[13]
• Get Out, in concert (2020)
• Emerge (2021) for orchestra (co-commission from Detroit Symphony Orchestra)
• Guitar Concerto "Borders" (2022) Commissioned by ROCO & Quad City Symphony, written for Mak Grgić

• Profile at SubitoMusic.com
• Michael AbelsatIMDb
• Michael Abels Website