Michael Abels (born 1962) is an American composer. Abels was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and studied at the University of Southern California. His best known work is Global Warming. Other works include the opera Homies and Popz commissioned by the Los Angeles Opera and premiered in 2000.^[1] Before you can upload images you will need to register an account Only use this if you hold the copyright on the image. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: , Country State Counties Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881 Government  - Type Council-Manager  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area  - City  515. ... The Trojan Shrine, better known as Tommy Trojan located in the center of University of Southern California campus. ... This article is about Opera, the art form. ... The Los Angeles Opera is a world-class opera company in Los Angeles, California. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

Early life

Abels early years were spent on a small farm in South Dakota, where he lived with his grandparents. Introduced to music via the family piano, he began showing an innate curiosity towards music at age four. His music-loving grandparents convinced the local piano teacher to take him on as a student despite his age. Michael was a quick study, and began composing at age 8, having his first completed work performed at 13. “I was totally fascinated by how music works, what it does. The fact that you can put these notes together, and that they can stir up such emotions, has always been amazing to me.” Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,116[1] sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ...

Upon graduating from high school, Abels left Phoenix for the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Being of mixed-race parents, Michael chose to live in LA to immerse himself in a multicultural urban environment. He eventually studied African drumming techniques, and joined a Baptist Church to further explore his African-American roots. Baptist churches are part of a Christian movement often regarded as an evangelical, protestant denomination. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ...

Career

The renowned gospel artist Rev. James Cleveland asked him to do some arrangements for an upcoming recording. Soon thereafter, he was commissioned by the Phoenix Symphony to write arrangements for a collaborative event with a local Baptist choir. This commission led to many subsequent arrangements for gospel choir and orchestra. Of these pieces Abels said, “They offer a really great cross-cultural experience. There is no more enthusiastic a group than a black church choir. For an orchestra to share that energy, and vice versa, brings them all to another world.” Gospel, from the Old English good tidings is a calque of Greek () used in the New Testament (see Etymology below). ... James Cleveland (December 5, 1932 - February 9, 1991) was a gospel singer, arranger, composer and, most significantly, the driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound, bringing the stylistic daring of hard gospel and jazz and pop music influences to arrangements for mass choirs. ... The Phoenix Symphony is a major U.S. symphony orchestra based in Phoenix, Arizona. ...

During the Phoenix engagement, Abels conceived of his most successful piece to date, Global Warming (1991). His description of how the piece came about is as follows:

"Global Warming was written around the time of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, when the Cold War was ending. Living in Los Angeles, I've been able to learn about music from around the world simply by opening the window; among my neighbors are immigrants from every corner of the world. I was intrigued by the similarities between folk music of divergent cultures, and decided to write a piece that celebrates these common threads as well as the sudden improvement in international relations that was occurring. Since the piece was commissioned for an orchestra in the desert city of Phoenix, AZ, "global warming" was the title that seemed to incorporate all these ideas best." East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall, November 20, 1961. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Immigration is the movement of people from one place to another. ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      International relations (IR), a branch of political science, is the study of foreign affairs and global issues among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs). ... Phoenix is the capital, largest city and largest metropolitan area in the state of Arizona, United States. ...

This genre-crossing work has had over 100 performances by many of today’s leading orchestras, solidifying its place in the repertoire. With elements from Irish and Arabic folk music, Global Warming embodies Mr. Abels’ multicultural leanings. “I’m influenced by many styles of music, so I can’t help but explore that in my own work. However, I have a definite artistic voice that is my own perspective on the world, a prism through which my ideas are reflected.”

Frederick’s Fables (1994) Scored for narrator and orchestra, Fables is based on a collection of children’s stories by Leo Lionni. During its premiere performances by Phillip Brunelle and the Plymouth Music Series of MN, narrated by both Garrison Keillor and James Earl Jones, “The charm of [Frederick’s Fables]... carried the day. The score was painted in broad strokes, underlining the narration but not detailing every point. Abels’ deft orchestration matched each change of mood and [the] spoken words carried clearly..." (St. Paul Pioneer Press). Leo Lionni (May 5, 1910 - October 11, 1999) was an author and illustrator of childrens books. ... Garrison Keillor (born Gary Edward Keillor on August 7, 1942) is an American author, humorist, columnist, musician, satirist, and radio personality. ... James Earl Jones (b. ...

Also receiving much acclaim is Abels’ homage to black civil rights leader Martin Luther King called Dance for Martin’s Dream (1997). After an elegiac opening section, the piece bristles with celebratory dance rhythms throughout. The work offers an array of styles, from bluegrass mountain music to the vocalized “beat-boxing” technique found in hip-hop (used as an evocation of the chanted slogans of civil rights rallies). Dance for Martin's Dream expresses “the unbelievable positive difference [King’s] courage and the courage of those who marched with him has made.” (from the composer’s website) Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... Martin Luther King redirects here. ...

Mr. Abels has been the recipient of two Meet The Composer grants, both of which support the creation of new work with an educational slant. The first, a three-year New Residencies grant, took place at the Watts Tower Arts Center in South Los Angeles. During his time there, he composed music for several world-premiere plays for the community-oriented Cornerstone Theater, and a work for the USC Percussion Ensemble, which was premiered at the Watts Towers’ annual Day of the Drum Festival. Watts Towers, 1765 East 107th St. ... South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. ...

Also during his Watts residency, Mr. Abels began a mentoring program for disadvantaged youths in music technology and production techniques. Students learn how to operate samplers, MIDI devices, and drum machines; tools used to create much of today’s popular music. As the students sample old vinyl records from their parents’ unused collections, they come up against basic musical ideas such as phrasing, tempo, and key. Abels capitalizes on these moments, finding this a relevant approach to teaching music appreciation. “The traditional method is backwards: usually students are taught how to listen to music they wouldn’t otherwise like. Film classes, on the other hand, generally start with works that are already familiar to encourage critical thinking about film as an art. With this knowledge, they then can appreciate silent films and Citizen Kane. Music appreciation should start by simply spinning the radio dial, and then relate that back to Mozart.” An AKAI MPC2000 sampler Playing a Yamaha SU10 Sampler A sampler is an electronic music instrument closely related to a synthesizer. ... Musical Instrument Digital Interface, or MIDI, is a system designed to transmit information between electronic musical instruments. ... A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ... Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more of the mass media. ... ... The first two measures of Mozarts Sonata XI, which indicates the tempo as Andante grazioso and a modern editors metronome marking: = 120. “Andante” redirects here. ... Look up key in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Citizen Kane is a 1941 mystery/drama film released by RKO Pictures and directed by Orson Welles, his first feature film. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ...

His second Meet The Composer residency began this month in Richmond, Virginia. He’ll be working with the Richmond Symphony and its youth orchestra as part of MTC’s Music Alive program, co-sponsored the American Symphony Orchestra League. During his first visit, he worked with The Richmond Symphony as they prepared for a “side-by-side” performance of Global Warming with members of the youth orchestra. Abels also began mentoring several youth orchestra members in composing their own orchestral music for a reading by the Richmond Symphony. The residency was originally scheduled for October of last year, but the tragic events of 9/11 forced them to postpone until now. In light of this, the orchestra will be performing his recent work reflecting on those events, Tribute (2001), which was commissioned and premiered by the National Symphony Orchestra.^[2] Nickname: Motto: Sic dic Itur Ad Astra (Thus do we reach the stars) Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia Coordinates: , Country State County Independent City Government  - Mayor L. Douglas Wilder (I) Area  - City 62. ... The Richmond Symphony Orchestras Logo The Richmond Symphony Orchestra is based in Richmond, Virginia. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), founded in 1931, is a major American symphony orchestra that performs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, USA. Since 1996, the music director of the orchestra is the American conductor Leonard Slatkin. ...

Other current activities include work on a new piece for orchestra called River of Jewels. Abels is exploring some of the interesting ideas raised by the sampling methods of his music technology students. He generates original materials, and then “samples” himself in various ways. And finally, Cedille Records has a fall ’02 release planned for the premiere recording of Global Warming, performed by the Chicago Sinfonietta. The work is part of a compilation of music by African-American composers titled African Heritage Symphonic Series, Vol. III.* Cedille Records Cedille Records is the independent record label of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation — a foundation dedicated to preserving Chicago’s rich musical heritage by documenting the work of its finest musicians, ensembles, and composers. ...

References

1. ^ (1996) Brass Music of Black Composers: A Bibliography . Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313298262. 
2. ^ Marin Alsop and Washington's National Symphony Orchestra Gail Wein, Andante, (10 November 2001).