Biographical Info

• Born on March 31, 1961, in West Palm Beach

• Raised in Bexley, Ohio

• Alumnus of UCLA – BA in performance and composition and MM in composition

• Served as the first Composer-in-Residence at San Francisco Opera, 1998-2000

• Since 1993, has made his home in San Francisco, where he lives with his husband Curt Branom

Career Highlights

• Celebrating opening night of Dead Man Walking in San Francisco with Julie Andrews

• Dinners – and dozens of letters – with Stephen Sondheim

• Sharing Moby-Dick and Dead Man Walking with Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the Kennedy Center

• Served as page-turner for a life-changing recital by Leontyne Price and David Garvey in 1987 at UCLA

• Nearly 30 years of recitals, collaboration, friendship, and inspiration with Flicka, aka Frederica von Stade

Photo by Drew Altizer

Artistic Motivations

• Writes everything by hand, believing in a physical, visceral connection to the score

• Blurring the storytelling lines between art song and opera

• The opportunity to champion women in opera and song

• Uncovering and musically exploring little-known stories of the Holocaust and American history

• Bringing gay characters to the opera stage and to art song

• Mentoring young composers, singers, and pianists

• Actively seeks out projects and collaborations that invite or demand diversity and a wide range of perspectives and possibilities

Community Service

Board of Directors
Pacific Singers & Actors Workshop

Board of Trustees 
Cal Performances at UC Berkeley

Board of Trustees 
San Francisco Performances 

Honorary Board of Directors 
Opera Parallèle in San Francisco

Artistic Advisory Board of Directors
The Broad Stage at Santa Monica College

Artistic Advisory Council 
James Toland Vocal Arts Competition

Awards & Nominations

2024 “Justice in the Arts” Award for Dead Man Walking, Death Penalty Focus

2023 Gertrude Field Community Impact Award, San Francisco Community Music Center

2022 Grammy Nomination: Best Classical Solo Vocal Album – Unexpected Shadows

2022 Crescendo Award, San Francisco Opera Guild

2022 Juno Nomination: Classical Album of The Year (Solo Artist) – Songs for Murdered Sisters

2019 Grammy Nomination: Best New Composition (Classical) – Great Scott

2016 Stuart Canin Award, New Century Chamber Orchestra

2015 Champion Award, San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus

2015 Eddie Medora King Award, UT Austin

2005 Guggenheim Fellowship

2004 Maecenas Award from Pittsburgh Opera

1995 G. Schirmer Art Song Competition

Personal Anecdotes

• Gets most of his ideas when walking or swimming, and stops everything to sing them into his phone and keep them as voice memos

• Enjoys long walks with his husband all over the hills, secret stairways, and paths of San Francisco

• Can quote every line from two favorite movies: Moonstruck and What's Up, Doc?

• Loves to travel, especially to Italy and the North Coast of California

• Believes that there’s something magical about San Francisco, where he found his people, his career, his home, and a life he could never have imagined

• Is most inspired by great stories and storytelling; believes that a continual focus on The Story is what leads to extraordinary collaborations and creative explorations