The UCLA Robert U. Nelson Lecture Series, hosted by the Center for Musical Humanities, presents A Conversation with Michael Abels.
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Michael Abels’ latest original score is for the series STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE on Disney Plus, featuring the original song “The Power Of Two” which Abels co-wrote with Grammy-winners Victoria Monet and D’Mile.
He is best known for his genre-defying scores for the Jordan Peele films GET OUT, US and NOPE. The score for US won a World Soundtrack Award, the Jerry Goldsmith Award, a Critics Choice nomination, and was named “Score of the Decade” by The Wrap. The score for NOPE was also shortlisted for the Best Original Score Oscar.
Abels’ film music has been honored by the Vancouver International Film Festival, the Middleburg Film Festival, the American Black Film Festival, and the Museum of the Moving Image. He was also an Emmy Nominee for the docuseries ALLEN V. FARROW. Other recent media projects include the films BAD EDUCATION, THE BURIAL, LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND, and MEGAN THEE STALLION: IN MY WORDS.
Abels’ creative output also includes many concert works, including the choral song cycle AT WAR WITH OURSELVES for the Kronos Quartet, the Grammy-nominated ISOLATION VARIATION for Hilary Hahn, and the opera OMAR, co-composed with Grammy-winning recording artist Rhiannon Giddens. Abels concert music has been performed by the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale and many others.
Recent commissions include EMERGE for the National Symphony, the guitar concerto BORDERS for Grammy-nominated guitarist Mak Grgic, and and UNBOUND, a symphonic tribute to Olympic champion Jesse Owens.
Upcoming projects include new works for The Silkroad Ensemble, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and scores for the limited series SIRENS starring Julianne Moore, and Korean auteur Na Hong-Jim’s next film.
Abels is a frequent guest lecturer at universities and was the commencement speaker for the USC Thornton School of Music for 2024. Abels is co-founder of the Composers Diversity Collective, an advocacy group to increase visibility of composers of color in film, gaming and streaming media. IG: @_michaelabels
This program is made possible by the Joyce S. and Robert U. Nelson Fund. Robert Uriel Nelson was a revered musicologist and music professor at UCLA, who, together with his wife, established a generous endowment for the university to make programs like this possible.
Photo credit: Eric Schwabel