About Charles Wuorinen
Charles Peter Wuorinen (, Finnish: [ˈʋuorinen]; June 9, 1938 – March 11, 2020) was an American composer of contemporary classical music based in New York City. He also performed as a pianist and conductor. Wuorinen composed more than 270 works: orchestral music, chamber music, solo instrumental and vocal works, and operas, such as Brokeback Mountain (2014). His work was termed serialist but he came to disparage that idea as meaningless. Time's Encomium, his only purely electronic piece, received the 1970 Pulitzer Prize. Wuorinen taught at several institutions, including Columbia University, Rutgers University and the Manhattan School of Music. == Life and career == === Background === Wuorinen was born in New York City on June 9, 1938. His father, John H. Wuorinen, the chair of the Columbia University history department, was a noted scholar of Scandinavian affairs who also worked for the Office of Strategic Services and wrote five books on his native Finland. His mother, Alfhild Kalijarvi, received her M.A. in biology from Smith College. Wuorinen grew up at the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
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