Peter Lieberson

Peter Lieberson (1946–2011) was a prominent American composer whose contemporary classical music was deeply influenced by his Tibetan Buddhist practice. Lieberson's work gained significant recognition in the mid-1980s with major commissions from the Boston Symphony, including his Piano Concerto and the orchestral piece Drala. His song cycles, particularly Rilke Songs and Neruda Songs, are notable for their emotional depth and poetic settings, with the latter winning the 2008 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition. Both cycles were written for his wife, the renowned mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Lieberson's three piano concertos, each premiered by pianist Peter Serkin, further cemented his reputation as a composer of profound and inventive works. His music continues to be celebrated for its unique voice and spiritual resonance.