Corigliano, John Paul

Corigliano, John Paul (kôr'ĭlyän`ō, kərĭg'lē-än`ō), 1938–, American composer, b. New York City. The son of New York Philharmonic first violinist and concertmaster John Corigliano, he attended Columbia Univ. (B.A., 1959) and the Manhattan School of Music and studied with Paul Creston. While Corigliano's compositions are far from simple, they are intentionally accessible. Generally lyrical, richly rhythmic, and sometimes dissonant, his works include pieces written for the theater, film, chamber groups, and orchestra; three of his best-known compositions are concerti—for oboe (1975), clarinet (1977), and flute (Pied Piper Fantasy, 1981). He was composer-in-residence at the Chicago Symphony (1987–90) when he wrote his Symphony No. 1 (1989). Corigliano was particularly acclaimed for his opera The Ghosts of Versailles (1991), commissioned by New York's Metropolitan Opera. His other music for voice includes Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan (2000). Since 1991, Corigliano has taught composition at the Juilliard School of Music; during this period he wrote his Symphony No. 2 (2000), for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. He also won an Academy Award for his score for the film The Red Violin (1999).