Osvaldo Golijov facts for kids

Osvaldo Golijov (born December 5, 1960) is a famous composer from Argentina. He writes classical music and is also a music professor. He is well-known for his beautiful songs and music for orchestras.

About Osvaldo Golijov

Osvaldo Golijov was born and grew up in La Plata, Argentina. His family came to Argentina from Romania and Ukraine. His mother taught piano, and his father was a doctor.

Osvaldo started learning piano in La Plata. He also studied how to create music, which is called composition. His teacher was Gerardo Gandini.

His Studies and Career Start

In 1983, Osvaldo moved to Israel. There, he continued his music studies at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem.

Three years later, he moved to the United States. He studied at the University of Pennsylvania and earned a special degree called a Doctor of Philosophy.

In 1991, Golijov started teaching music at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. He became a very respected professor there. He also held a special position at Carnegie Hall, a famous concert venue, in 2012–2013.

Today, Osvaldo Golijov lives in Brookline, Massachusetts. He is married to author Leah Hager Cohen. He has three children from his first marriage.

His Music Journey

When Osvaldo was young, he listened to many different kinds of music. He enjoyed chamber music, which is played by a small group of instruments. He also loved Jewish religious music and klezmer music, which is a lively style from Eastern Europe. He was also inspired by the nuevo tango music of Ástor Piazzolla.

Many of his pieces are inspired by stories or people. For example, his work The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind was inspired by the writings of a wise rabbi.

Famous Works and Collaborations

In 1996, his piece Oceana was first performed at the Oregon Bach Festival. He also wrote La Pasión según San Marcos (St. Mark's Passion) in 2000. This was part of a project to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the death of another famous composer, Johann Sebastian Bach.

In 2010, he composed Sidereus. This piece was written for many American orchestras to celebrate Galileo, the famous scientist.

Osvaldo Golijov worked closely with a singer named Dawn Upshaw. She was a big inspiration for him. He wrote some of his pieces especially for her to sing. These include Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra and his popular opera, Ainadamar. An opera is a play where the words are sung instead of spoken. Ainadamar was first performed in 2003.

Music for Movies and More

Since 2000, Golijov has also composed music for movies. He wrote soundtracks for films like The Man Who Cried, Youth Without Youth, Tetro and Twixt.

He also writes music for smaller groups of instruments, like string quartets. He has worked with famous groups such as the Kronos Quartet and the St. Lawrence String Quartet.

His song cycle "Falling Out of Time" was inspired by a book by an Israeli author named David Grossman. A song cycle is a group of songs that tell a story or share a common theme.

More recently, Golijov composed the music for Francis Ford Coppola's movie "Megalopolis." He later turned this movie music into a symphonic work. It was performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in November 2024.

Important Compositions

Here are some of Osvaldo Golijov's well-known musical works:

• Yiddishbbuk (1992): A piece for a string quartet (four string instruments).
• The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind (1994): For a klezmer clarinet and string quartet.
• Oceana (1996): A cantata for singers and orchestra. A cantata is a vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment.
• La Pasión según San Marcos (St. Mark's Passion) (2000).
• Three Songs for Soprano and Orchestra (2001): Songs for a female singer and orchestra.
• Tenebrae (2002): For a soprano singer, clarinet, and string quartet.
• Ainadamar (2003): His first opera, with a story by David Henry Hwang.
• Ayre (2004): A group of songs for a soprano singer and an ensemble (a small group of musicians).
• Azul (2006): For a cello and orchestra. It was first played by the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
• She Was Here (2008): His orchestral version of four songs by Schubert.
• Sidereus (2010): For orchestra.
• "Megalopolis" (2024): Premiered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Awards and Special Recognition

Osvaldo Golijov has received many important awards and honors for his music.

Awards He Has Won

• Guggenheim Fellowship (1995)
• MacArthur Fellowship (2003): This is a very special award, sometimes called a "genius grant."
• Musical America Composer of the Year (2006)
• Grammy Awards (2007): He won two Grammy Awards for his opera Ainadamar. One was for Best Opera Recording and the other for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.
• Vilcek Prize in Music (2008)

Special Roles and Residencies

He has also been a composer-in-residence at many famous music festivals and concert halls. This means he was invited to work and create music there for a period of time.

• Merkin Concert Hall (New York), composer-in-residence (1998)
• Los Angeles Philharmonic Music Alive Series, composer-in-residence (2001)
• Ravinia Festival, composer-in-residence (2002)
• Spoleto Festival USA, composer-in-residence (2002, 2011)
• Ojai Music Festival, composer-in-residence (2006)
• Mostly Mozart Festival, composer-in-residence (2007)
• Chicago Symphony Orchestra, composer-in-residence (2007–2010)
• Holland Festival, composer-in-residence (2008)
• Carnegie Hall, Debs Composer Chair (2012–13)

Selected Music Recordings

Here are some of the recordings of Osvaldo Golijov's music:

Movie Soundtracks

• The Man Who Cried soundtrack
• Youth Without Youth soundtrack
• Tetro soundtrack
• Twixt soundtrack
• Megalopolis soundtrack

Vocal, Chamber, and Orchestral Music

• Yiddishbbuk
• Oceana
• Ayre
• Ainadamar (with Dawn Upshaw, Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
• La Pasión según San Marcos (The Passion according to St. Mark)
• The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind (performed by the Kronos Quartet)
• Voices of Light, Lúa Descolorida (sung by soprano Dawn Upshaw)
• Night Prayers, K'vakarat (on a recording by the Kronos Quartet)
• Caravan (arrangements for the Kronos Quartet)

See also

In Spanish: Osvaldo Golijov para niños