Robert Xavier Rodríguez (born June 28, 1946) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 classical

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

, best known for his eight operas and his works for children.

Life and career

Rodríguez received his early musical education in his native San Antonio

San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...

 and in Austin (University of Texas at Austin), Los Angeles (University of Southern California), Lenox (Tanglewood), Fontainebleau (Conservatoire Americain) and Paris. His teachers have included Nadia Boulanger

Nadia Boulanger

Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...

, Jacob Druckman, Bruno Maderna and Elliott Carter

Elliott Carter

Elliott Cook Carter, Jr. is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer born and living in New York City. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the 1930s, and then returned to the United States. After a neoclassical phase, he went on to write atonal, rhythmically complex music...

. Rodríguez first gained international recognition in 1971, when he was awarded the Prix de Composition Musicale Prince Pierre de Monaco by Prince Rainier and Princess Grace at the Palais Princier in Monte Carlo. Other honors include the Prix Lili Boulanger, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Goddard Lieberson Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Rodríguez has served as Composer-in-Residence with the San Antonio Symphony (1996-99) and the Dallas Symphony (1982, Meet the Composer Orchestra Residency Program). He currently holds the Endowed Chair of University Professor of Music at the University of Texas at Dallas. His music is published by G. Schirmer

G. Schirmer

G. Schirmer Inc. is an American classical music publishing company based in New York City, founded in 1861. It publishes sheet music for sale and rental, and represents some well-known European music publishers in North America, such as the Italian Ricordi, Music Sales Affiliates ChesterNovello,...

 and is recorded on the Newport, Crystal, Orion, Gasparo, Urtext, CRI, First Edition and Albany labels.

Rodríguez’ music has been performed by conductors such as Sir Neville Marriner, Antal Dorati, Eduardo Mata, James DePriest, Sir Raymond Leppard, Keith Lockhart and Leonard Slatkin. His work has received orchestral and operatic performances in recent seasons by such organizations as the Vienna Schauspielhaus, The National Opera of Mexico, New York City Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Boston Repertory Theater, American Music Theater Festival (now Prince Music Theater), Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Pennsylvania Opera Theater, Michigan Opera Theatre, Orlando Opera, The Aspen Music Festival, The Juilliard Focus Series, The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic, Toronto Radio Orchestra, The Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Knoxville, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Boston and Chicago Symphonies, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra.

Opera, theater and dance

• La Curandera
  La Curandera
  La Curandera is an opera composed by Robert Xavier Rodriguez to a primarily English libretto by Mary Medrick. It was commissioned and premiered by Opera Colorado in April 2006.-References:...
  
  (2006) - opera (Libretto: Mary Medrick)
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2001) - Incidental Music (Text: Shakespeare)
• The Tempest (2000) - Concert Dramatization (Text: Shakespeare)
• The Last Night of Don Juan (2000) - Musical Play (Text: Murrary Ross, after Rostand, Zorilla)
• Meta 4 (1994) - Ballet/String Quartet
• Frida (opera)
  Frida (opera)
  Frida is an opera based on the life of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo with music by Robert Xavier Rodriguez, book by Hilary Blecher, lyrics and monologues by Migdalia Cruz, conceived by Hilary Blecher....
  
   (1991, rev. 93) - opera (Libretto: Hillary Blecher, Migdalia Cruz)
• The Old Majestic (1988) - opera (Libretto: Mary Medrick)
• Monkey See, Monkey Do (1986) - opera for children (Libretto: Mary Medrick)
• The Ransom of Red Chief (1986) - opera for children (Libretto: Daniel Dibbern after O. Henry)
• Tango (1985) - opera/theater piece (Text: Newsclippings)
• The Seven Deadly Sins (1984) - Ballet /Wind Ensemble
• Suor Isabella (1982) - opera (Libretto: Daniel Dibbern, after Boccaccio)
• Le Diable Amoureux (1978) - opera (Frans Boerlage, after Cazotte)
• Favola Concertante (1975, rev. 77) - ballet/ concerto for violin, cello and string orchestra

Orchestra

• Canción de los niños (2007) for Children's Chorus and Orchestra
• Agnus Dei for Mozart's Mass in C-Minor (2006) for Soloists and Orchestra
• Musical Dice Game (2005) for Two String Quartets and Two String Orchestras
• Flight (2002) for Narrator and Orchestra (Text: Sukey Smith)
• The Tempest (2000) for Actors and Orchestra (Text: Shakespeare)
• Bachanale: Concertino for Orchestra (1999)
• Las Mañanitas de los Niños (1999)
• Praline and Fudge (1998) for Bass and Chamber Orchestra (Texts: Cookbooks)
• Forbidden Fire (1998) for Bass, Chorus and Orchestra (Texts: Bible, various sources)
• Sinfonia a la Mariachi (1997) for Double Orchestra
• Trilogica (Pinata, Tango di Tango, Hot Buttered Rumba) (1996)
• Hot Buttered Rumba (1996)
• Scrooge (1994) for Bass, Chorus and Orchestra (Text: Dickens)
• Adoracion Ambulante/Fanfare/Con Flor y Canto (1994) for Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra (Text: Bible, Popol Vuh)
• Mascaras (1993) for Cello and Orchestra
• Pinata (1991)
• Ursa (1990) for Contrabass and Orchestra
• A Gathering of Angels: Bolero for Orchestra (1989)
• Invocation of Orpheus (1989) for Trumpet, Harp and Strings
• A Colorful Symphony (1987) for Narrator and Orchestra -Text: Norton Juster
  Norton Juster
  Norton Juster is an American architect and author. He is best known as an author of children's books, including The Phantom Tollbooth and The Dot and the Line.- Biography :...
  
   (The Phantom Tollbooth
  The Phantom Tollbooth
  The Phantom Tollbooth is a children's adventure novel and modern fairy tale published in 1961, written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer. It tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon and, having nothing better to do,...
  
  )
• We, the People (original title Jargon) (1987) for Narrator, Chorus and Orchestra (Text: Mary Medrick)
• Tango di Tango (1985)
• Varmi'ts! (1985) for Narrator, Chorus and Orchestra (Text: Texas Tall Tales)
• The Seven Deadly Sins (1984) for orchestra (also version for wind ensemble)
• Oktoechos: Concerto Grosso (1983)
• Trunks (1983) for Narrator and Orchestra (Text: Composer)
• Semi-Suite (1981) for Violin and Chamber Orchestra
• Estampie (1981) for Chamber Orchestra
• Transfigurationis Mysteria (1980) for Narrator, Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra (Text: Bible)
• Favola Boccaccesca (1979)
• The Salutation Rag (1978)
• Four Advent Chorale-Preludes by J. S. Bach (arr.1978)for Chorus and Orchestra
• Favola Concertante (1975, rev. 77) for Violin, Cello and String Orchestra
• Sinfonia Concertante (1974) for Soprano Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra
• Concerto III for Piano and Orchestra (1974)
• Canto (1973) for Soprano, Tenor and Chamber Orchestra (Text: Dante, Anonymous French)
• Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda by Claudio Monteverdi (arr.1973)
• Concert Suite from ‘L’Orfeo’ by Claudio Monteverdi (arr. 1973)
• Concert Suite from ‘L’Incoronazione di Poppea’ by Claudio Monteverdi (arr.1972)
• Lyric Variations (1971) for Oboe and String Orchestra
• Adagio for Small Orchestra (1967)

Recordings

• Robert Xavier Rodríguez: Works for Chorus & Orchestra / Forbidden Fire, Con Flor y Canto, Scrooge - George Cordes, Baritone; Rodney Nolan, Tenor; University of Miami Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; Miami Children’s Chorus; Thomas M. Sleeper, Conductor. Albany, TROY 430
• Robert Xavier Rodríguez: Meet the Composer Recording / Oktoechos – Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Eduardo Mata, Conductor / Favola Boccaccesca – Louisville Orchestra; Laurence Leighton Smith, Conductor / The Song of Songs – Voices of Change, Irene Gubrud, Soprano; Fred Curchack, Actor; Robert Xavier Rodríguez, Conductor. First Edition, FECD-0027
• Musical Theater Works/ Tango – Rafael Alvarez, Tenor / Concert Suite from Frida – Angelina Réaux, Soprano; Voices of Change; Robert Xavier Rodríguez, Conductor CRI, CD824
• Voces Americanas: Works by Robert Xavier Rodriguez, Mario Lavista, Roberto Sierra, Mario Davidovsky, Tania Leon./ Les Niais Amoureux - Emmanuel Borok, Violin; Ross Powell, Clarinet; Christopher Adkins, Cello; Jo Boatright, Piano; Voices of Change. CRI 773. (Nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for "Best Small Ensemble Performance".)
• Celebration Of Flight: Works by William Bolcom, Steven Winteregg, Michael Schelle, and Robert Xavier Rodríguez / Flight - Allison Janney, narrator; Dayton Philharmonic; Neal Gittleman, conductor. Albany, TROY 672
• Laugh, Regardless of Creed : Works of Louis Gruenberg, Alla Borzova, Robert Xavier Rodríguez and Larry Alan Smith / Tango – Paul Sperry, Tenor; Members of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra; Robert Xavier Rodríguez, Conductor. Albany, TROY 740
• Le Grand Tango: Works of Astor Piazzolla, Alberto Ginastera, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Federico Ibarra, Robert Xavier Rodríguez and Manuel Enríquez / Lull-A-Bear - Carlos Prieto, Cello; Edison Quintana, Piano. Urtext, JBCC014
• American Contemporary Chamber Music: Works of William Kraft, Robert Xavier Rodríguez, Larry Alan Smith and Dan Welcher / Chronies, Meditation - Voices of Change. Crystal, CD704
• I Loved Lucy / Il Lamento di Tristano - Susan DeJong, Flute; Jeffrey Van, Guitar; Duologue. Gasparo, GSCD-348
• Americans in Paris / Six Maxims de la Rochefoucauld - Hillary Hight Daw, Soprano; Barbara Elfrid, Piano. Aca Digital
• Chamber Works / Meta 4, Trio III: Sor(tri)lege, Trio II, Trio I - Colorado Quartet, Clavier Trio, Voices of Change. Albany, TROY 1136
• Seven World Premieres / Tentado por la samba - Carlos Prieto, Cello; Doris Stephenson, Piano. Urtext, JBCC 183

External links

• Robert Xavier Rodríguez official site
• Biography, University of Texas at Dallas
• Biography on Sigma Alpha Iota Philanthropies.