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Biography
Dominick Argento, considered to be America's pre-eminent composer of lyric opera, was born in York, Pennsylvania in 1927. He earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees at Peabody Conservatory and his Ph.D. from the Eastman School of Music. Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellowships allowed him to study in Italy and following his Fulbright, Argento became music director of Hilltop Opera in Baltimore, and taught theory and composition at the Eastman School. In 1958, he joined the faculty of the Department of Music at the University of Minnesota, where he taught until 1997 and later held the rank of Professor Emeritus.
During his years at Eastman, Argento composed his opera, The Boor (1957), of which John Rockwell of The New York Times stated: “[it] taps deep currents of sentiment and passion.” Following his arrival in Minnesota, Argento accepted commissions from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis.
Since the early 1970s Argento's operas were heard with increasing frequency abroad. Among these are The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe (1976), Dream of Valentino (1993), and Casanova's Homecoming (1984), which Robert Jacobson of Opera News hailed as ""a masterpiece.""
Dominick Argento received the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1975 for his song cycle From the Diary of Virginia Woolf. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1979, and in 1997 was honored with the title of Composer Laureate to the Minnesota Orchestra, a lifetime appointment."
OPERA America/Opera.ca Grants Awarded
Click here to learn more about OPERA America granting programs.
| GRANT NAME | YEAR | The Opera Fund: Audience Development | 2012 | Opera for the Eighties and Beyond | 1988 | Opera for the Eighties and Beyond | 1988 | Opera for the Eighties and Beyond | 1988 | Opera for the Eighties and Beyond | 1988 | Opera for the Eighties and Beyond | 1988 | Opera for the Eighties and Beyond | 1987 | Opera for the Eighties and Beyond | 1986 |
Productions
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Artist Information
All information is derived from OPERA America's Season Schedule of Performances and titles databases which date back to 1991. OPERA America is constantly updating this data. If you feel that a work or an artist has been omitted or that information is incorrect, please use the linked forms below. Title Information Form Artist Information Form
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