Michael Abelsย (born October 8, 1962) is an American composer best known for the operaย Omar, co-written withย Rhiannon Giddens, and his scores for theย Jordan Peeleย filmsย Get Out,ย Usย andย Nope. The hip-hop-influenced score forย Usย was short-listed for theย Oscarsย and was even named "Score of the Decade" byย TheWrap. Other recent media projects include the filmsย Bad Education,ย Nightbooks,ย and Fake Famous, and the docuseriesย Allen v. Farrow. His most recent releases includeย Beauty, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is now streaming on Netflix;ย Breaking (formerlyย 892), which premiered at Sundance; and his third collaboration with Jordan Peele,ย Nope.
Abels' works also include many concert works, such asย At War With Ourselvesย for theย Kronos Quartet,ย Isolation Variationย forย Hilary Hahn, and the operaย Omar,ย co-composed with Grammy-winning singer/songwriterย Rhiannon Giddens. Some of these pieces are available onย Cedille Records, includingย Delights & Dancesย andย Winged Creatures. Recent commissions include a work for theย National Symphony Orchestraand a guitar concerto forย Mak Grgiฤ.
Abels is a co-founder of the Composers Diversity Collective. This advocacy group increases the visibility of composers of colour in film, gaming, and streaming media.
In 2023, the operaย Omar, co-written by Abels andย Rhiannon Giddens, won theย Pulitzer Prize for Music.
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