Michael Daugherty

Ladder to the Moon was inspired by the urban landscapes of American artist Georgia O'Keeffe, who lived and painted in Manhattan before moving to New Mexico in 1934. From 1925-30, O'Keeffe created over...

Full Score Inspired by J. Edgar Hoover, who directed the F.B.I. from 1924 until his death in 1972. Hoover's grim, threatening, yet darkly comic personality is ever-present in this work. Incorporates p...

This piano piece in three movements was inspired by the classic American film noir cinema, in which Venetian blinds were often used to create an interplay of shadows. The composition uses Venetian bli...

Made for You and Me: Inspired by Woody Guthrie (2020) for Adaptable Band was composed in response to the need for new music that may be performed by middle and high school band ensembles of flexible s...

Note from the composer: Jackie O is a celebration of musical life in the late sixties, a pop opera that explores the interplay of musical idioms associated with 'high' and 'popular' culture in America...

Once Upon a Castle (2003; revised 2015) for organ and orchestra is Michael Daugherty's nostalgic trip down memory lane based on his visits to the Hearst Castle, the vision and private residence of Ame...

One of Daugherty's most soulful and expressive works, Songs from a Silent Land (2019) for soprano and symphonic winds is inspired by the poetry of Emily Dickinson (1830-1866) and Christina Rossetti (1...

Michael Daugherty about Raise the Roof:Raise the Roof is inspired by the construction of grand architectural wonders such as the Notre Dame Cathedral (1345) in Paris and the EmpireStateBuilding (1931)...

This flute concerto is a musical journey into the human mind which always has to discover ways to deal with upheavals, need and misery. The first movement 'where the wind blew free' was inspired by a...

Fire and Blood is a concerto for violin and orchestra inspired by Diego Rivera's famous murals entitled Detroit Industry at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Rivera's murals, which were commissioned by E...

Michael Daugherty about Brooklyn Bridge:Designed by John Roebling (1806-1869), the BrooklynBridge endures as the most admired and best-loved bridge in New York City. After the opening of the bridge to...

(2015) Reflections on the Mississippi (2015) for tuba and symphonic band was commissioned and premiered by the University of Michigan Symphony Band, conducted by Michael Haithcock, with Carol Jantsch,...

Fire and Blood is a concerto for violin and orchestra inspired by Diego Rivera's famous murals entitled Detroit Industry at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Rivera's murals, which were commissioned by E...

Michael Daugherty about Raise the Roof:Raise the Roof is inspired by the construction of grand architectural wonders such as the Notre Dame Cathedral (1345) in Paris and the EmpireStateBuilding (1931)...

Premiered in 1998, 'Route 66' for orchestra is described by composer Michael Daugherty as a symphonic road trip down Main Street America. He writes this is a high-octane nostalgic musical romp from Il...

The world of American pop culture inspires much of Daugherty's music, in the present case, the unidentified flying objects that have been an obsession in American popular culture since 1947. The soloi...

American Composer's Forum - BandQuest Series - Grade 3 Here is the first published work for young band from award-winning composer Michael Daugherty! Describing a stretch of Interstate 75 that crosses...