Dominick Argento - Choral Prominence and Later Life

Choral Prominence and Later Life

In the mid-1970s, he began writing choral works for the choir of Plymouth Church in Minneapolis, which his friend, Philip Brunelle, directed. The partnership with Brunelle was particularly fruitful with commissions and premieres taking place at Plymouth Church and at the Minnesota Opera where Brunelle was Music Director. It is from this period, that Argento composed Jonah and the Whale (1973) co-commissioned by Plymouth Congregational Church and the Cathedral of St. Mark-Episcopal. From this beginning, Argento began to receive larger and larger commissions for choral works, eventually penning major pieces for the Dale Warland Singers, The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Buffalo Schola Cantorum, and most recently the Harvard and Yale Glee Clubs.

In addition to his Pulitzer Prize, the recording by Frederica von Stade and the Minnesota Orchestra of his song cycle Casa Guidi won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Argento's book Catalogue Raisonné as Memoir, an autobiographical discussion of his works, was published in 2004.

Argento is now retired from teaching but he retains the title of Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota. He still lives in Minneapolis, and his musical output has remained steady. The world premiere of his latest piece, Evensong: Of Love and Angels, was presented by the Cathedral Choral Society in March 2008 at Washington National Cathedral. The work was written in memory of his late wife and in honor of Washington National Cathedral's centennial.