“Death and the Powers” a Finalist for 2012 Pulitzer Prize

A wonderful bit of news today! We learned that “Death and the Powers” was one of three finalists for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music. The prize recognizes a distinguished musical composition by an American that has had its first performance or recording in the United States during the previous year (2011). The award was presented to Kevin Puts for “Silent Night: Opera in Two Acts,” commissioned and premiered by the Minnesota Opera, with a libretto by Mark Campbell (Aperto Press).

Here’s the citation from the Pulitzer Prize website: “Also nominated as finalists in this category were: Tod Machover for “Death and the Powers,” premiered by the Boston Modern Opera Project in Massachusetts on March 18, 2011, an inventive opera that uses electronic music as it explores a dying billionaire’s attempt to transcend mortality through technology, raising significant questions about human existence. Libretto by Robert Pinsky (Boosey & Hawkes)”

Here’s the full list of Pulitzer Prize winners for 2012.