Ted Hearne
Ted hearne (born 1982, Chicago) is a composer, singer, bandleader and recording artist. Inspired by the overlay of different viewpoints and their sonic possibilities. He creates personal and multi-dimensional works that often explore unconventional interactions of text and music, and are rooted in a sense of inquiry.
The New York Times has praised Hearne for his »tough edge and wildness of spirit,« and »topical, politically sharp-edged works.« Pitchfork called Hearne’s work »some of the most expressive socially engaged music in recent memory - from any genre,« and Alex Ross wrote in The New Yorker that Hearne’s music »holds up as a complex mirror image of an information-saturated, mass-surveillance world, and remains staggering in its impact.«
Hearne’s Sound From the Bench, a cantata for choir, electric guitars and drums setting texts from U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments and inspired by the idea of corporate personhood, was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize. Place, Hearne’s work written with poet Saul Williams and director Patricia McGregor, was nominated for two Grammy Awards and was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize.
The New York Times has praised Hearne for his »tough edge and wildness of spirit,« and »topical, politically sharp-edged works.« Pitchfork called Hearne’s work »some of the most expressive socially engaged music in recent memory - from any genre,« and Alex Ross wrote in The New Yorker that Hearne’s music »holds up as a complex mirror image of an information-saturated, mass-surveillance world, and remains staggering in its impact.«
Hearne’s Sound From the Bench, a cantata for choir, electric guitars and drums setting texts from U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments and inspired by the idea of corporate personhood, was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize. Place, Hearne’s work written with poet Saul Williams and director Patricia McGregor, was nominated for two Grammy Awards and was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize.
Hearne’s oratorio The Source sets text from the Iraq and Afghanistan War Logs, along with words by Chelsea Manning (the U.S. Army private who leaked those classified documents to WikiLeaks), and was premiered to rave reviews at the 2014 BAM Next Wave Festival. The New York Times called The Source »a 21st Century masterpiece« and included it on its list of the best classical vocal performances of 2014 and best albums of 2015.
Ted Hearne was awarded the 2014 New Voices Residency from Boosey and Hawkes, and is a member of the composition faculty at the University of Southern California. Ted’s many collaborators include poets Dorothea Lasky and Jena Osman, visual artists Sanford Biggers and Rachel Perry, directors Daniel Fish and Patricia McGregor, and filmmakers Bill Morrison and Jonathan David Kane, and his works have been conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, John Adams and Gustavo Dudamel. Recent commissions include orchestral works for the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New World Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and A Far Cry.