Michael Abels
Composer
Michael Abels, the Pulitzer Prize-winning co-composer of the opera OMAR, is best known for his genre-defying scores for the Jordan Peele fiims GET OUT, US and NOPE. The score for US won a World Soundtrack Award, the Jerry Goldsmith Award, a Critics Choice nomination, and was named “Score of the Decade” by The Wrap. The score for NOPE was also shortlisted for the Best Original Score Oscar. Last year he scored the Disney Plus series STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE, for which Abels co-wrote the original song “The Power Of Two” with Grammy-winners Victoria Monet and D’Mile. Current media projects include the score for the Netflix limited series SIRENS starring Julianne Moore.
Abels’ creative output also includes many concert works, including the choral song cycle AT WAR WITH OURSELVES for the Kronos Quartet, the Grammy-nominated ISOLATION VARIATION for Hilary Hahn, and FREDERICKS FABLES, currently available on the Cedille label. Abels concert music has been performed by the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale and many others. Recent commissions include EMERGE for the National Symphony, the guitar concerto BORDERS for Grammy-nominated artist Mak Grgic, and UNBOUND, a symphonic tribute to Olympic champion Jesse Owens. His upcoming projects include commissions for Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, and the Detroit Symphony.
Abels is a frequent guest lecturer was the commencement speaker for the USC Thornton School of Music for 2024. 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.