Abbie Betinis (b. 1980) is an American composer. A 2009 McKnight Fellow, Betinis' compositions have been performed by The New Amsterdam Singers,Cantus, The Rose Ensemble and many other groups; she has been the recipient of numerous grants, awards and commissions. Since 2006, she has served as Composer In Residence at The Schubert Club in Minneapolis. Her work has been hailed as "inventive [and] richly melodic" by The New York Times. The Boston Globe called a recent (June 2011) world premiere "the highlight" of the concert. Primarily a choral composer, Betinis is known for her use of unconventional vocal techniques such as yodeling, crying, spitting, whistling, glottal grunting, bird-calling and keening.
Originally from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Betinis earned a B.A. in music with a linguistics concentration from St. Olaf College, and M.A. in music composition from the University of Minnesota she studied with Judith Lang Zaimont. She has also studied harmony and counterpoint in the tradition of Nadia Boulanger with faculty from The Juilliard School and the Paris Conservatory. Betinis is a three-time cancer survivor, an experience she cites as an important influence in her work.[1]
The great-niece of Alfred Burt, who composed well-known Christmas carols such as "Caroling, Caroling," Betinis has partnered with Minnesota Public Radio to continue the family tradition since 2001, penning a new work each holiday season and premiering each one on the MPR Holiday Special, to an estimated listening audience of more than 800,000.