Michael Daugherty

Michael Kevin Daugherty (born April 28, 1954) is an American composer, pianist, and teacher. He is influenced by popular culture, Romanticism, and postmodernism. Daugherty's notable works include his Superman comic book-inspired Metropolis Symphony for orchestra (1988–93), Dead Elvis for solo bassoon and chamber ensemble, Jackie O (1997), Niagara Falls for symphonic band (1997), UFO for solo percussion and orchestra (1999) and for symphonic band (2000), Bells for Stokowski from Philadelphia Stories for orchestra (2001) and for symphonic band (2002), Fire and Blood for solo violin and orchestra (2003) inspired by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Time Machine for three conductors and orchestra (2003), Ghost Ranch for orchestra (2005), Deus ex Machina for piano and orchestra (2007), Labyrinth of Love for soprano and chamber winds (2012), American Gothic for orchestra (2013), and Tales of Hemingway for cello and orchestra (2015). Daugherty has been described by The Times as "a master icon maker" with a "maverick imagination, fearless structural sense and meticulous ear."

Currently, Daugherty is professor of composition at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michael Daugherty's music is published by Peermusic Classical, Boosey & Hawkes, and since 2010, Michael Daugherty Music/Bill Holab Music.

Life and career

Early years

Michael Daugherty was born into a musical family on April 28, 1954, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His father Willis Daugherty (1929–2011) was a jazz and country and western drummer, his mother Evelyn Daugherty (1927–1974) was an amateur singer, and his grandmother Josephine Daugherty (1907–1991) was a pianist for silent film. Daugherty's four younger brothers are all professional musicians: Pat Daugherty (b. 1956) Leader of the group New York Electric Piano, Tim Daugherty (b. 1958) jazz/pop composer of over 15 CD's featuring original compositions, Matt Daugherty (b. 1960) teacher of Music education in Florida, and Tommy D. Daugherty (b. 1961) engineer and producer for many of the Death Row artists most specifically Tupac Shukar. The record collection at the Daugherty home consisted mainly of 'easy listening music' of the fifties and music from Broadway theatre.

During his developmental years, Daugherty's mother encouraged him to paint, draw cartoons, tap dance, and play basketball and his father and uncle Danny Nicol taught him how to play rock and jazz drums. From 1963 to 1967 Daugherty played bass drum in the Emerald Knights and tom-toms in the Grenadier Drum and Bugle Corps where he competed against other Drum and Bugle Corps throughout small Midwestern towns.

During the same years, Daugherty was a piano accompanist for the Washington High School Concert Choir, a solo jazz piano performer in nightclubs and lounges, and he appeared on local television as the pianist for the country and western Dale Thomas Show.

Daugherty frequently attended "uptown" and "downtown" new music concerts in New York City; this is where he became acquainted with composers such as Milton Babbitt, Morton Feldman, and Pierre Boulez.

At Yale, Daugherty wrote his dissertation on the relationship between the music of Charles Ives and Gustav Mahler and the writings of Goethe and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

In the summer of 1982, Daugherty traveled to Germany to attend the Darmstädter Ferienkurse (Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik – Darmstadt International Summer Courses in New Music). During the following two years (1983–84), Daugherty continued to study with Ligeti while employed as a solo jazz pianist in night clubs in Cambridge, England and Amsterdam. To create "original" music, Ligeti encouraged and inspired Daugherty to find new ways to integrate computer music, jazz, rock, and American popular music with concert music. Daugherty also organized the 1988 Electronic Festival Plus Festival, which took place at Oberlin and featured music from over 50 composers. While teaching composition at Oberlin, Daugherty collaborated with renowned jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd, who taught there from 1987 to 1989. After Daugherty introduced Byrd to the W.C. Handy composition "Harlem Blues", Byrd asked Daugherty to arrange it for a commercial recording made at the Van Gelder Studio located in Englewood Cliffs, NJ for the Landmark label, with Daugherty playing synthesizers.

In 1991, Daugherty was invited to join the composition faculty at the University of Michigan School of Music (Ann Arbor). Daugherty was co-chair of the composition department with composer William Bolcom from 1998 to 2001, and chair of the department from 2002 to 2006. At the University of Michigan, Daugherty mentored many young composers, Daugherty has organized residencies of guest composers with performances of their music, including Louis Andriessen, Michael Colgrass, Michael Torke, Joan Tower, Betsy Jolas and György Ligeti.

Daugherty organized a three-day festival and conference entitled ONCE. MORE., which took place November 2–4, 2010 at Rackham Auditorium, located on the University of Michigan campus. For the first time in 50 years, the original ONCE composers Robert Ashley, Gordon Mumma, Roger Reynolds and Donald Scarvada returned to Ann Arbor to participate in concerts featuring their recent compositions and their works from the original ONCE festival held in Ann Arbor in the 1960s. the Gaudeamus International Composers Competition, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Elaine Lebenborn Award for Female Composers. He has also been a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and Tales of Hemingway for cello and orchestra.