Search Pytheas   use Pytheas SiteSearch   need help searching?  

Nico Muhly (1981-    )

Nico Muhly, composerWhile he has achieved considerable success with the choral work Bright Mass with Canons (2005) and film score for The Reader (2008), Nico Muhly has generated greater notoriety for his first opera Two Boys (2011), a composition drawing decidedly mixed reviews but clearly unveiling a major new voice in opera. Remarkably, all these works and many more were written before Muhly was 30. Muhly was born in Vermont and raised in Providence, RI, where he sang in his church choir as a child and began studying the piano from age ten. He studied English at Columbia University and from his sophomore year (1999) worked with Philip Glass, often editing film scores and stage works. Muhly later earned a master's degree at Juilliard where his composition teachers included John Corigliano and Christopher Rouse. Besides opera, film, and choral music, he has written orchestral scores, various vocal works, and much instrumental fare, including percussion music and solo piano music. Muhly's style is made up of minimalist and romantic elements, and in both his thematic character and choral music he acknowledges the influence of the Anglican choral tradition. Muhly has worked as an arranger for such groups as the multi-genre ensemble Antony and the Johnsons and the rock band Grizzly Bear.
-  Robert Cummings/All Music Guide

COMPOSITIONS                                                            Muhly Links     ~ ~ ~     Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Muhly on Muhly
[under construction]



WORKS BY GENRE                                                            Muhly Links    ~ ~ ~    Muhly on Muhly     ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
Triade, dance piece, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone and piano (2008)
I Drink the Air Before Me, dance piece, ensemble, w/children's choir (2009) [choreography by Stephen Petronio]
    - Fire Down Below
    - Salty Dog
Dark Sisters, chamber opera (2010)
Two Boys, opera (2011)
Two Hearts, dance piece (2012?) [choreography by Benjamin Millepied]

Orchestra
Fits & Bursts, orchestra (2001-02)
Out of the Loop, orchestra (2003)
By All Means, chamber orchestra (2004)
So to Speak, orchestra (2004)
It Remains to be Seen, orchestra (2006)
Wish You Were Here, orchestra (2006)
From Here on Out, orchestra (2007)
Step Team, chamber orchestra (2008)
Detailed Instructions, orchestra [no violins] (2010)
    - All the Way Up
    - Tilt Your Head
    - Can't Wait
So Far So Good, orchestra (2012)
Gait, orchestra (2012)

Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Seeing is Believing, electric six-string violin and chamber orchestra (2007)
Impossible Things, tenor, violin and string orchestra (2010)

Chorus w/Orchestra
Jubilate Deo, chorus and chamber orchestra (????)
Luminous Body, semi-sacred oratorio in 3 parts, male chorus & orch (2011) [text: Craig Lucas, adapted from Gnostic Gospels]

Choral
Set Me as a Seal, chorus and piano (2003)
First Service, chorus and organ (2004)
    - Magnificat
    - Nunc Dimittis
Like as the Hart, chorus, violin and percussion (2004)
One Man With Courage Makes a Majority, chorus (2004)
A Good Understanding, chorus, organ and percussion (2005) [text: from Psalms]
Bright Mass With Canons, chorus and organ (2005)
    - Kyrie
    - Gloria
    - Sanctus
    - Agnus Dei
Expecting the Main Things from You (3 pieces), chorus, string quartet, organ and percussion (2005)
    - I Hear America Singing
    - A Farm Picture (Interlude)
    - Poets to Come
I Cannot Attain Unto It, chorus (2005)
The Sweets of Evening, children's chorus and piano (2006)
Syllables, solo voices and chorus (2007)
Two Trains, chorus (2007)
Christ and the Whale, chorus, brass quintet, percussion and organ (2008?)
Pater Noster, soprano and chorus (2008)
Senex Puerum Portabat, chorus and brass ensemble (2008)
I Drink the Air Before Me, dance piece, ensemble, w/children's choir (2009) [choreography by Stephen Petronio]
Bright Star Carol, children's choir, chorus and organ (2010)
Grief is the Price We Pay for Love, anthem, [chorus] (2011) [text: Queen Elizabeth's message to 9/11 victims]
How Soon, female chorus and ensemble [fl, cl, vln, vc, pf, perc] (2011)
Hymn on the Nativity, chorus and organ (2011)
New Song, chorus (2011)
Show Us Thy Mercy, chorus and organ (2011)

Chamber
Beaming Music, marimba and organ (2002)
Clear Music, cello, harp and celeste (2003)
Flexible Music, saxophone, marimba, guitar and piano (2003)
Duet No 1: Chorale Pointing Downwards, viola and cello (2003)
Reading Into It, percussion ensemble [6 players] (2003)
Time after Time, soprano saxophone, marimba and percussion (2003)
By All Means, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello and piano (2004)
You Could Have Asked Me, flute, clarinet and string quartet (2004)
Ta & Clap, percussion quartet (2005)
Stride, string quartet (2005) [2006?]
Pillaging Music, percussion, piano, celeste and pre-recorded CD (2005)
How About Now, flute, clarinet, guitar, double bass and piano (2006)
I Know Where Everything Is, flute, clarinet, violin and cello (2007)
Triade, dance piece, trumpet, trombone, bass trombone and piano (2008)
Common Ground, violin, cello and piano (2008)
I Drink the Air Before Me, dance piece, ensemble, w/children's choir (2009) [choreography by Stephen Petronio]
Motion, clarinet, string quartet and piano (2009)
Farewell Photography, [5 violas] (2009)
Drones & Piano, piano, with viola (2010)
    - Part I
    - Part II
    - Part III (The 8th Tune)
    - Part IV
    - Part V
Fast Music with Folk Songs, 2 marimbas, vibraphone, 4 bBells, Hiradaiko Miyahaiko, and Shimdaiko Ohira (????)
Diacritical Marks, string quartet (2011?)
Planetarium,  song cycle, singer, guitar [and ????] (2012) [about the solar system]
    - The Earth
    - Venus
    - Mercury
    - Saturn
    - The Moon
    - Pluto
    - The Sun
    - Uranus
    - Jupiter
    - Neptune

Solo Instrument
Radiant Music, flute and pre-recorded CD (2002)
Honest Music, violin and tape (2003)
A Long Line, violin and tape (2003)
It’s About Time, solo percussion (2004)
Keep in Touch, viola and tape (2005)
It Goes without Saying, clarinet and pre-recorded CD (2005)
The Only Tune, multi-instrumental performer and pre-recorded CD (2009)

Percussion
Beaming Music, marimba and organ (2002)
Reading Into It, percussion ensemble [6 players] (2003)
Time after Time, soprano saxophone, marimba and percussion (2003)
It’s About Time, solo percussion (2004)
Pillaging Music, percussion, piano, celeste and pre-recorded CD (2005)
Ta & Clap, percussion quartet (2005)
I Shudder to Think, percussion quintet (2008)

Piano
Three Études, piano (2003)
A Hudson Cycle, piano (2005)
Pillaging Music, percussion, piano, celeste and pre-recorded CD (2005)
Skip Town, piano (2007)
Booklet, piano (2008?)

Vocal
Employment, [????] (2003)
The Elements of Style, song cycle, soprano, tenor, viola, banjo & perc (2005) [for Maira Kalman’s edition of Strunk & White’s bk]
The Principles of Uncertainty, song cycle, countertenor, violin, cello, banjo and piano (2007)
Mothertongue, mezzo-soprano, oboe, 3 violin, viola, harp and keyboards (2007)
Wonders, vocals, trombones, harpsichord, celeste and keyboard (2007)
    - New Things & New Tidings
    - The Devil Appear'd In the Shape of a Man
The Only Tune, multi-instrumental performer and pre-recorded CD (2007)
The Adulteress, soprano and piano (2008) [text: Psalms 63 & 56; and from The Gospel According to St. John]
Drones on "Oh Lord, Whose Mercies Numberless", countertenor & orchestra (2009) [based on an aria from Handel's "Saul"]
Vocalise on "Al lampo dell' armi" , countertenor & orchestra (2009) [based on an aria from Handel's "Giulio Cesare"]
Impossible Things, tenor, violin and string orchestra (2010)

Film
Choking Man, film score (2006)
Cricket Head, film score (2006)
Joshua, film score (2007)
Wonder Showzen, Clarence Special Report, film score (2006)
The Reader, film score (2008)
Felicitas, film score (2009)
Margaret, film score (2011)

Incidental
Iphegenia at Aulis ("Gweek Project"), incidental music (2005)
The Magnificent Cuckold, incidental music (2007)
Prayer for My Enemy, incidental music (2008)

Electronic/Electroacoustic


MUHLY  LINKS                                                            Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Muhly on Muhly      ~ top of page ~
Classical Music Dead? Nico Muhly Proves It Isn't (Lucy Jones, The Telegraph)
Eerily Composed: Nico Muhly’s Sonic Magic (Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker)
Everyday Hum Goes Classical (Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic)
First Listen: Nico Muhly, 'Seeing Is Believing' (Olivia Giovetti, NPRmusic)
High Scorer (Tim Page, Smithsonian)
Interview with Nico Muhly (The Believer)
Nico Muhly ~ On Drones (Chris McGovern, The Glass)
Nico Muhly on Early Success and Ignoring His "Flight Map" (James Jordan, Capital New York)
Nico Muhly Talks Vermont, His Bias Against Brooklyn, and How Classical is Overcoming its Porn-Like Stigma
    (Gregory Scott, Minnesota Monthly)
Nico Muhly’s Many Opinions on Polygamists, Opera and Idiocy (Patrick Stearns, Condemned to Music)
Nico Muhly: The Protest Issue Bonus Interview (John Norris, Under the Radar)
Philip Glass Dscusses the State of Modern Music with Fellow Composer Nico Muhly (The Guardian)
Reading the Career of Young Nico Muhly (My Big Gay Ears)
A Week in Culture: Nico Muhly, Composer (The Paris Review)

Composer's website   . . .   contact Nico Muhly:  here

Muhly @ Wikipedia
Muhly @ ATP
Muhly @ Bedroom Community
Muhly @ Chester Novello
Muhly @ CITWF / Complete Index to World Film
Muhly @ Classical Archives
Muhly @ Columbia College/Alumni Profiles
Muhly @ composition:today
Muhly @ Facebook
Muhly @ The Fader
Muhly @ Film Score Click Track
Muhly @ The Guardian
Muhly @ IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
Muhly @ InstantEncore
Muhly @ Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Muhly @ Minnesota Public Radio
Muhly @ Movie Music UK
Muhly @ MSN Movies
Muhly @ MusicBrainz
Muhly @ MusicWeb International
Muhly @ The New York Times
Muhly @ The New York Times/movies
Muhly @ Nowness
Muhly @ NPRmusic
Muhly @ Opera of Philadelphia
Muhly @ SoundtrackCollector
Muhly @ The Telegraph

Publisher
Muhly @ Chester Novello
Muhly @ St. Rose Music Publishing [Chester Novello]

Streaming Audio
Muhly @ Composer's website  -  check under individual work listings
Muhly @ Bedroom Community
Muhly @ Classical Archives
Muhly @ last.fm
Muhly @ The Music Show/ABC National Radio, Australia
Muhly @ MySpaceMusic (via Google Advanced Search)
Muhly @ NPRmusic
Muhly @ Q2 Music: Composer Portals/SoundCloud
Muhly @ Rhapsody.com
Muhly @ SoundCloud
Muhly @ WQXR/Obsessive Choral

Recordings
Muhly @ Composer's website
Muhly @ Amazon.com
Muhly @ ArkivMusic
Muhly @ Bedroom Community
Muhly @ CD Universe
Muhly @ ClassicsOnline
Muhly @ Discogs
Muhly @ itunes

Video
Muhly @ YouTube
Muhly @ BBC
Muhly @ Google Video
Muhly @ Vimeo (via Google Advanced Search)
                                                                                                                                                                             ~ top of page ~
Muhly on Muhly: Seeing is Believing/Aurora Orchestra (VIDEO)







Muhly on Muhly: Quick Chat w/John Banther (VIDEO)







Muhly on Muhly: Interview with Nico Muhly/Lizzie Ball (VIDEO)







. . . and check out more    Composers Speak on the Web    at Pytheas

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

HOME           ABOUT           RESOURCES           COMPOSERS           PERFORMANCES           20/21 ENSEMBLE           CONTACT US