Michael Abels

Biography

Michael Abels (born October 8, 1962) is an American composer best known for the opera Omar, co-written with Rhiannon Giddens, and his scores for the Jordan Peele films Get Out, Us and Nope. The hip-hop influenced score for Us was short-listed for the Oscars and was even named "Score of the Decade" by TheWrap. Other recent media projects include the films Bad Education, Nightbooks, Fake Famous, and the docu-series Allen v. Farrow. His most recent releases include Beauty which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix, Breaking (formerly 892) which premiered at Sundance, and his third collaboration with Jordan Peele, Nope.
Abels' works also includes many concert works, such as At War With Ourselves for the Kronos Quartet, Isolation Variation for Hilary Hahn, and the opera Omar co-composed with Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Rhiannon Giddens. Some of these pieces are available on the Cedille Records, including Delights & Dances and Winged Creatures. Recent commissions include a work for the National Symphony Orchestra and a guitar concerto for Mak Grgić.
Abels is co-founder of the Composers Diversity Collective, an advocacy group to increase visibility of composers of color in film, gaming and streaming media.
In 2023, the opera Omar, co-written by Abels and Rhiannon Giddens, won the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

Early life

Abels was born in Phoenix, Arizona. He spent his early years on a small farm in South Dakota, where he lived with his grandparents. Introduced to music via the family piano, he began showing an innate curiosity towards music at age 4. 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.
Upon graduating from high school, Abels attended the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles. Abels, who is mixed race, eventually studied West African drumming techniques at California Institute of the Arts, and sang in a predominantly black church choir to further explore his African-American roots.

Other works

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
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) 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
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