Stephen Paulus (born August 24, 1949 in Summit, New Jersey) is an American composer, best known for his operas and choral music. His best-known piece is his 1982 opera The Postman Always Rings Twice, one of several operas he has written for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, which prompted The New York Times to call him "a young man on the road to big things".[1] His style is essentially tonal, and melodic and romantic by nature.[2] He has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Guggenheim Foundation and won the prestigious Kennedy Center Friedheim Prize. He has been commissioned by such notable organizations as the Minnesota Opera, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the American Composers Orchestra, the Dale Warland Singers, the Harvard Glee Club and the New York Choral Society.[3]
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Paulus was born in Summit, New Jersey, but the family moved to Minnesota when he was two.[4] He attended the University of Minnesota, where he studied with Dominick Argento and eventually earned the Ph.D. in composition in 1978. He gave credit, however, to voice teacher Constance C. Wilson for teaching him how to write for the human voice; one of his student jobs was to play piano for her lessons, and by listening to her instructions to her students he learned how the human voice worked as an instrument. By 1983, he was named the composer-in-residence at the Minnesota Orchestra, and in 1988 he was also named to the same post at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, whose then-conductor Robert Shaw commissioned numerous choral works from Paulus for Shaw's eponymous vocal ensemble. After the premiere of his first opera, The Postman Always Rings Twice, he began a fruitful collaboration with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis that would result in four more operas.[2] His output has come to include over 350 works, and on his website he has in the past mentioned that he is one of the rare living composers who can make a living from commissions alone, without an additional teaching post or similar job.[3]
Paulus currently lives in the Twin Cities area.
Paulus's output is eclectic and varied, encompassing works for chorus, orchestra, solo singer, and various combinations thereof. He has completed numerous song cycles for such singers as Thomas Hampson, Evelyn Lear, Deborah Voigt, and Håkan Hagegård. His orchestral work, notably The Veil of Illusion (1994) and Erotic Spirits (2004), frequently reflect his spiritual outlook.[2] His choral music represents his most diverse body of work, ranging from elaborate multi-part works like Visions from Hildegard to brief anthems and a cappella motets.
Paulus is most widely known for his operas, which are often described as "dramatic and lyrical" and are notable for "lush" orchestra writing.[2] Other than Postman, Paulus's operas include: