Composer Robert Paterson continues to gain attention here and abroad for writing “vibrantly scored and well-crafted” music that “often seems to shimmer” (NewMusicBox). His works are praised for their elegance, wit, structural integrity, and a wonderful sense of color. Paterson was awarded The Composer of The Year at Carnegie Hall from the Classical Recording Foundation in 2011. The Book of Goddesses was on the Grammy nomination ballot this past year for Best Contemporary Classical Composition and was named one of the Top 10 favorite pieces of the year by NPR’s Best Music of 2012.
Recent performances include Ghost Theater, commissioned by the Albany Symphony, Dark Mountains with Jamie Laredo and the Vermont Symphony, and A Dream Within A Dream, commissioned by the Chamber Choir of Europe. His works have been played by numerous ensembles, including the Louisville Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and American Composers Orchestra.
Recent engagements include a commission by the Utah Arts Festival as the result of winning their 2013 competition, the one-act opera Safe Word with Fort Worth Opera's Frontiers program, Dark Mountains with the Austin Symphony and an all-Paterson choral album to be recorded with Musica Sacra and conductor Kent Tritle.
Paterson has given master classes at many colleges and universities, most recently at the Curtis Institute of Music, New York University, and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Paterson is the founder and artistic director of the American Modern Ensemble and resides in New York with his wife Victoria, a violinist, and their son Dylan.
