Your Favourite Composers Of Contemporary Classical Music, Born After 1950

I am throwing another bone to chew. Since everybody knows most of "good all" classical and romantic composers plus some great classics of 20th century music and a couple of avantgarde composers from middle or late 20th century I am curious how much you know and like composers from present era. Not only to exchange experience but also to learn about new if you present some. The younger, the better!

My favourite composers born after 1950 are:

Magnus Lindberg, Finland (*1958). His musical language showed transition from his early brutal works (Kraft) towards more soft, rich and colourful music. I like Aura, Clarinet Concerto and Seht die Sonne most. You can learn a lot from him how to create fresh orchestral music.

Erkki Sven Tüür, Estonia (1957). It's interesting: he started to play alternative rock music (check some In Spe recordings at youtube) before becoming a composer of contemporary classical music. His music is a unique hibrid of simple, minimalistic diatonics and harsh, severly atonal sonic explosions, although his later works are more atonal and interval series become more important in his music. I like his Cello Concerto, 2nd Symphony, 6th Symphony, Action-Passion-Illusion for string ensemble, some chamber music as well - I don't like too much his purely minimalistic works.

Heather Schmidt, Canada (1975). I have encountered her music at Corentin Boissier's CB2 collection. I am currently trying to learn as much as possible about her opus, although that collection on youtube helped me a lot. I like her early Piano Concerto no. 1 she wrote at the age of 22. Energetic, powerful music and excellent instrumentation.

Uljas Pulkkis, Finland (1975). His name attracted my attention, when he won Rostrum prize in 2001 for his Violin Concerto "Enchanted Garden". This is ultra complex, but at the same time very nice music. He actually continued in simpler style, without aleatorics and less usage of spectral harmonies, becoming a Neoromantic of sort. I love his Flute Concerto most.

Eric Whitacre, USA (1970). I simply put his name online since he is the best known choral composer of present days. Maybe I don't like his music so much as I am interested in him as a phenomen of fame. But I do like his choral works Cloudburst, Waternight, Sleep and Lux Aurumque. Cloudburst is my favourite Whitacre's composition up to date.

I will put some more composers online later. No time left.

Whitacre is definitely a good one, while I have kind of been burned out from hearing his music SO MUCH he still Is definetly revolutionizing the "next era of classical music" with his unique composing.

I don't listen to ALOT of contempory classical, honestly I just like everything before 1950s classical music. Although it is all great music. Some of my favorite today composers may be Randall Z. Stroope. Who in my opinion is a bit more known for his bombastic works. And maybe Morten Lauridsen, a very influential character on Whitacre actually. Any other examples are more closer to the early 20th century, ya know serialism and stuff.

This guy is so good, very influential living composer.

I'm cheating because Michael Finnissy was actually born in 1946, but he is my favorite living composer. As for people actually born after the deadline:

Jürg Frey (b. 1953, Swiss) - with Finnissy, probably my favorite composer alive today

Georg Friedrich Haas (b. 1953, German)

Gérard Pesson  (b. 1958, French)

Also Richard Beaudoin.

i find quite interesting what i've heard so far from (to name a rather wide variety of composers) Abel Paúl, Mark Andre, Joan Arnau Pàmies, Dmitry Timofeev, Mark Simpson, Vanessa Rossetto, Johannes Kreidler, Rebecca Saunders, John Croft, Beat Furrer, ...

i've been meaning to investigate more fully the music of Aaron Cassidy (based almost entirely on what people have written about him rather than on having heard any of his music), Pierluigi Billone (same deal except i've heard even less), Evan Johnson, Chaya Czernowin, Enno Poppe & a couple of other people. in general music of the last 20-30 years is what i've been listening to almost exclusively over the past couple of months, & for the foreseeable future, in an effort to get myself aware of the wider musical world.

falling just outside the (rather old, tbh) 1950 limit are two composers who've become among my favourites - Salvatore Sciarrino and Horațiu Rădulescu. Brian Ferneyhough, whose work i'm also looking at more of these days, was born pretty close to 1950 as well iirc

Most of my favourites have already been mentioned but I'll add Anders Hillborg and Michael Jarrell. I'll also tentatively add Thomas Ades. By all accounts, I should dislike his music but I still find myself listening to it quite often.

I'm sure most of you have already come across this guy's youtube channel but if not, it's great for new music: http://www.youtube.com/user/John11inch?feature=watch

The real question is who are the real up-and-comers? (born after say 1970)

The real question is who are the real up-and-comers? (born after say 1970)

what makes a 40 year old composer an "up-and-comer"? by age 40, bach had composed most of his instrumental music, beethoven had written six symphonies, mozart and schubert were dead, rossini was the most famous composer in europe, and schoenberg's wife was cheating on him with a painter. i'd say the real up-and-comers are the 15- to 30-year-olds.

so answer your own question, then